AL-ʿULĀ – II. (ٱلْعُلَا)

After a tough week at the Dakar Rally 2024, when we didn’t get much sleep, we decided to revisit the Al Ula oasis. We were here last time just eight months ago, and to our surprise, a lot has changed here. The entrance gate to the old town disappeared, and several other parts of the old city were repaired, including the castle with a lookout terrace. There were also a lot of new restaurants and, of course, it was a bit more expensive here – 250g of turkey ham in a local deli shop cost 35 SAR, cheese pie 5 SAR, and half a kilo of multigrain toast bread 5 SAR. We had dinner at the stylish Somewhere Restaurant (Hummus Angus Beef – 63 SAR, Chicken Musakhan Rice – 102 SAR, Lemon Mint Juice – 30 SAR, Perrier 0,33l – 18 SAR), and after that, one scoop of ice cream in a trendy shop (22 SAR). Americano in a local coffee shop costs 13 SAR, Pecan tart costs 26 SAR, and Mandalina cake costs 22 SAR. You can also take a bite on the street; we tried Salt Food Truck – Chicken strips – 35 SAR and Mint lemonade – 18 SAR.

Parking location – Al Ula: 26.634343N 37.908683E