When to come to AlUla: a month-by-month guide
Cool clear winters, golden springs and quiet summers. An honest guide to the weather, the light, the crowds and what each month in the valley is best for.
Reem Al-Zahrani
Guest host and concierge
2 min read
Photograph:
People often ask us for the best month to come. The honest answer is that it depends on what you want from the desert. Here is how the year really looks from the valley.
October and November
The season opens. Days are warm, around thirty degrees in October and the high twenties in November, and nights are cool enough for a fire. Every experience is running, the balloons start flying, and the pools are at their most inviting. November is perhaps our most perfect month, and it is busy for that reason. Book early.
December to February
Clear, crisp and cool. Afternoons reach the low to mid twenties, but nights can fall to seven degrees, so pack a warm layer for dinner under the stars. The skies are the darkest and clearest of the year, which makes this the best time for stargazing. It is also festival season in AlUla, with concerts, art and events across the region. Christmas, New Year and the February half-term are our busiest weeks.
In a good year, the winter rains turn the wadis green in February, with wildflowers in the sand for a few short weeks.
March and April
Long golden days, warming from the high twenties into the low thirties. This is the best time for long hikes and rides, and the last months for balloon flights, which end in April. The light in the late afternoon is extraordinary, and the crowds of winter have thinned.
May to September
The hot season. Afternoons reach forty degrees and more, and the valley is still and quiet. We shift the day around the heat: hikes and rides at dawn, long afternoons at the spa and the pools, dinners in the dunes once the sand has cooled. Our rates are at their lowest, and our Summer in the Canyon offer gives you the third night free.
If you are comfortable with heat, and happy to spend the middle of the day in the shade, summer can be wonderful. You will have Hegra almost to yourselves at seven in the morning.
What does not change
Whatever the month, it almost never rains, the sunsets are always worth stopping for, and the stars come out every clear night. Ramadan moves through the calendar each year; the resort runs as normal, with a beautiful iftar at sunset that all guests are welcome to join.
Tell us what matters most to you, whether that is the stars, the heat, the quiet or the festivals, and we will suggest the best dates for your stay.
- #planning
- #seasons
- #weather
Written by
Reem Al-Zahrani
Guest host and concierge,
with us since 2022
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