Never miss some of the most magnificent rock formations and relief landscapes that Al Ula and the surrounding area have to offer. This is the area around Mada’in Saleh north of the State Road 70 (except for Hegra and the tombs there) and east of the ring-shaped State Road 375. The Royal Commission for Al Ula calls this area the Nabataean Horizon. Some of these rock formations – like the ‘Mushroom Rock’, the ‘Sparrow-Hawk Arch‘, the ‘Hand Rock‘, the ‘Rainbow Rock‘ – are described in more detail in my ebook ‘SAUDI ARABIA AL ULA‘.
Here, I just would like to restrict myself to the ‘Elephant Rock‘. This approximately 50 m high monolithic rock is presumably the landmark of Al Ula. You will reach the Elephant Rock coming from Winter Park and travelling east on state road 70 at approximately the opposite side of the helicopter airfield. On a sandy track that branches off the road to the north-west, it is just over a kilometre until you reach this rock. It is a true sculpture, an artfully eroded sandstone rock whose towering structure resembles an elephant with a long trunk, characterised by a large oval cutout in the front of the rock that extends from the ground to about shoulder height, separating the shape of the trunk from the sloping back of the body. It’s simply a wonder of nature.
There is a small open air café and restaurant on site, which are open almost all year round and offer light refreshments into the night. A small campfire is often lit at night so that you will have a romantic atmosphere to enjoy the starry night sky against an impressive backdrop. For me, that all is already too ‘touristic’ – the awe-inspiring rock wouldn’t need that, it’s impressing by its own.
