Ashar Valley is the dramatic sandstone canyon in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, where the region’s cluster of desert resorts and the mirrored Maraya concert hall all sit together on one canyon floor. If you have been researching where to stay in AlUla, almost every luxury name you keep seeing — Banyan Tree, Our Habitas, Caravan by Habitas, Ashar Tented Resort — is inside Ashar Valley. The question most travellers actually have is whether you can visit for the day without booking a room. The short answer: yes, but only with a confirmed restaurant, spa, or day-pass reservation shown at the Ashar Gate. Here is everything I learned planning and visiting Ashar Valley.
In this guide
- What is Ashar Valley?
- Can non-guests visit Ashar Valley? (quick answer)
- The resorts inside Ashar Valley
- How to get day access at Ashar Gate
- Maraya: the valley’s mirrored centrepiece
- Dining in Ashar Valley
- Getting to Ashar Valley
- Best time to visit and practical tips
- Is Ashar Valley worth it? My honest take
- Frequently asked questions
What is Ashar Valley?
Ashar Valley is a wide, wind-carved canyon roughly 35 km southeast of AlUla’s old town, framed on both sides by towering ochre sandstone cliffs and threaded with date palms. It is not a public park or a single attraction — it is a controlled-access resort enclave. Think of it as AlUla’s answer to a luxury desert compound, where four hotels and the Maraya venue share one gated valley floor.
What makes Ashar Valley special is scale and silence. The cliffs rise hundreds of metres, so once you are inside, the light bounces off the rock at sunrise and sunset in a way that is genuinely hard to photograph well. There is very little light pollution, which is why the resorts lean so heavily on stargazing and outdoor dining. It feels remote because it is remote.
Crucially, Ashar Valley is gated. A security checkpoint called the Ashar Gate controls who drives in. That single fact shapes almost every practical decision on this page, so I have given it its own section below. If you want the wider picture of the region first, our guide to the best things to do in AlUla puts the valley in context alongside Hegra and Elephant Rock.
Can non-guests visit Ashar Valley? (quick answer)
Yes — non-guests can enter Ashar Valley, but not on a whim. You cannot simply drive up to admire the scenery. To pass the Ashar Gate you must present a confirmed reservation: a restaurant booking, a spa appointment, a Maraya event or tour ticket, or a resort day pass. Show that confirmation (email or e-ticket) plus your ID to security, and you are waved through.
The cheapest legitimate way in is Our Habitas AlUla’s day pass, which was priced from around SAR 350 per adult at the time of writing and includes the infinity pool. The most memorable is dinner with a view. Either way, book ahead — turning up hoping to talk your way past the gate does not work, and that is the single most common mistake I see visitors make in Ashar Valley.
The resorts inside Ashar Valley
Four properties currently sit inside Ashar Valley (always worth reconfirming the line-up, as AlUla adds hotels quickly). They range from Airstream trailers to tented pool villas, so the price gap between them is enormous. Here is how they compare.
| Resort in Ashar Valley | Style | Rooms | Rough entry rate (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banyan Tree AlUla | Tented pool villas | 47 villas | from ~SAR 3,000/night |
| Our Habitas AlUla | Villas, wellness-focused | 96 villas | from ~SAR 1,900/night |
| Caravan by Habitas | Airstream trailers | 22 trailers | from ~SAR 1,100/night |
| Ashar Tented Resort | Tented suites | Tented | varies by season |
Banyan Tree AlUla
The flagship. Banyan Tree AlUla has 47 tented villas spread across the valley floor, many with private pools, and it is the closest resort to Maraya — roughly a three-minute drive, or a short buggy ride. This is the address for travellers who want a private pool under the cliffs and do not blink at the price. Entry-level villas started from around SAR 3,000 per night at the time of writing and climb well past that in peak months.
Our Habitas AlUla
The wellness heart of Ashar Valley, with 96 villas and a serious programme: sunrise yoga and tai chi on the Ashar Deck, TRX sessions, sound baths and meditation under the stars, plus live music and oud-led evenings. Its infinity pool is the one you have probably seen on Instagram. Habitas is also the property that sells the day pass, so it is your friendliest entry point if you are not staying overnight.
Caravan by Habitas
The most affordable way to actually sleep in Ashar Valley. Caravan by Habitas is 22 deluxe Airstream trailers, each with a queen bed, air conditioning, WiFi, a kitchenette and a private bathroom. You share the setting and the palm groves with the pricier neighbours but pay a fraction of the villa rate, and Tama restaurant at Habitas is a few minutes away.
Ashar Tented Resort
The original tented resort that gave the valley part of its identity. It is the quietest of the four and the one whose availability shifts most, so check current status when planning. For a full breakdown of every neighbourhood — not just Ashar Valley — see our guide to the best area to stay in AlUla.
How to get day access at Ashar Gate
This is the part people get wrong, so let me be precise. Ashar Valley has security gates (referred to as the North and South entrances, or simply the Ashar Gate). To drive in as a non-guest you need a documented reason. In practice, that means one of four things.
- A restaurant reservation — the most reliable route. Book a table at Harrat, Saffron, Tama or Maraya Social and bring the confirmation.
- A day pass — Our Habitas sells one from around SAR 350 per adult, giving pool and gym access, typically 10am–4pm.
- A spa appointment — a booked treatment at a resort spa also clears you through the gate.
- A Maraya ticket — a concert, tour or event ticket for Maraya works as your entry reason.
Bring the same name on the booking and your ID. Screenshot the confirmation in case there is no signal at the gate — mobile coverage in Ashar Valley is patchy. If you are travelling as a group, the reservation usually covers the whole car, but confirm the head-count when you book. And do not assume a photo stop is allowed without a booking; security in Ashar Valley genuinely turns cars around.
| Day-access option | Roughly what it costs | Typical hours | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitas day pass | from ~SAR 350/adult | 10am–4pm | Infinity pool, gym, some F&B credit |
| Restaurant booking (Harrat) | à la carte | 7am–midnight | All-day dining, valley views |
| Saffron (Thai) | à la carte | 6pm–1am | Dinner only |
| Maraya Social | fine-dining à la carte | evenings | Rooftop dining, 360° views |
Maraya: the valley’s mirrored centrepiece
Maraya is the reason many people first hear of Ashar Valley. It is the world’s largest mirrored building — a Guinness World Records title backed by 9,740 mirrored panels that reflect the cliffs so completely the structure seems to vanish into the desert. It functions as a concert hall and events venue, and it sits inside the same gated valley as the resorts, about three minutes’ drive from Banyan Tree AlUla.
Two honest caveats. First, Maraya requires its own ticket — a general Ashar Valley restaurant booking gets you into the valley but not automatically inside Maraya. Second, you cannot freely wander up for photos: your entry reason (a tour, a show, or Maraya Social upstairs) is what gets you close. On top of the building, Maraya Social by chef Jason Atherton serves a rooftop menu with 360-degree views over the canyon. For the full breakdown of tickets, tours and show schedules, read our dedicated Maraya AlUla guide.
Dining in Ashar Valley
Because a reservation is your ticket in, dining is central to any Ashar Valley visit — and the food genuinely holds up. These are the names worth knowing.
- Harrat (Banyan Tree) — all-day dining with international and locally inspired plates. Open roughly 7am to midnight, so it is the easiest to build a gate booking around.
- Saffron (Banyan Tree) — contemporary Thai, and reportedly the first Thai restaurant in AlUla. Dinner only, around 6pm–1am.
- Tama (Our Habitas) — farm-to-table Middle Eastern cooking; the name means “here and now” in Aramaic. Ingredients come from farms around AlUla.
- Ashar Deck (Our Habitas) — a lounge for sunset drinks and shisha with the cliffs as backdrop.
- Maraya Social — the fine-dining option on the Maraya rooftop, the priciest and most memorable table in the valley.
My practical tip: book an early dinner at Harrat or Tama so you arrive in Ashar Valley while there is still light on the cliffs. You will get the scenery and the meal for the price of one reservation. Reservations for Banyan Tree venues can be made on +966 14 512 0000; walk-ins are sometimes accepted but you still need the gate confirmation, so never rely on it.
Getting to Ashar Valley
Ashar Valley is about 35 km from AlUla’s city centre and roughly a 45–50 minute drive from AlUla International Airport (Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz Airport, code ULH). The airport itself is small but well connected within Saudi Arabia.
| Route / distance | Approx. time or frequency |
|---|---|
| AlUla Airport (ULH) → Ashar Valley | ~45–50 min drive (~35 km) |
| AlUla old town → Ashar Valley | ~30–40 min drive |
| Banyan Tree AlUla → Maraya | ~3 min drive |
| Riyadh (RUH) → AlUla (ULH) flights | up to ~11 flights/week |
| Jeddah (JED) → AlUla (ULH) flights | several direct flights/week |
Flynas and Saudia operate the Riyadh route, and Saudia flies direct from Jeddah. From the airport, resort guests usually pre-arrange a transfer; day visitors typically drive a rental car or take a taxi to the Ashar Gate. There is no walk-in public transport into Ashar Valley, so plan your vehicle. Official visitor information and any access updates are published on the Experience AlUla website.
Best time to visit and practical tips
The comfortable window in Ashar Valley is October to March, when daytime temperatures are pleasant and evenings are cool enough to want a jacket for outdoor dining. Summer (June–August) is punishingly hot, which is exactly why the resorts push discounted summer day passes — the pool is the point in July. For a month-by-month breakdown, see our guide to the best time to visit AlUla.
- Book the gate reason first. Restaurant or pass, lock it in before you drive out to Ashar Valley.
- Go at golden hour. The cliffs are the show; aim to be inside the valley 60–90 minutes before sunset.
- Layer up at night. Desert temperatures drop fast after dark, even in shoulder season.
- Download offline maps. Signal is unreliable, and you want your confirmation saved offline.
- Dress respectfully. Swimwear is fine at resort pools; cover up in shared dining and public areas.
Is Ashar Valley worth it? My honest take
Yes — with a caveat about expectations. If you arrive expecting a free scenic drive, Ashar Valley will frustrate you: the gate, the required reservations and the resort prices make it feel exclusive by design, because it is. This is a curated luxury enclave, not a public canyon.
But if you lean into what it actually offers — a dinner under floodlit cliffs, a day pass by the infinity pool, or a night in an Airstream at Caravan — Ashar Valley delivers one of the most atmospheric desert experiences in Saudi Arabia. The Habitas day pass is, in my view, the best value entry: for around SAR 350 you get the setting, the pool and a taste of the resorts without the villa bill. Pair it with a Maraya show and you have a full day inside Ashar Valley that justifies the effort.
To recap: Ashar Valley is AlUla’s gated resort canyon, home to Banyan Tree, Our Habitas, Caravan by Habitas, Ashar Tented Resort and Maraya. Non-guests get in with a booked restaurant, spa, day pass or Maraya ticket shown at the Ashar Gate. Book ahead, arrive for sunset, and Ashar Valley rewards you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I enter Ashar Valley without staying at a hotel?
Yes. Non-guests can enter Ashar Valley with a confirmed restaurant reservation, a resort day pass, a spa appointment, or a Maraya ticket. You present that confirmation and your ID at the Ashar Gate security checkpoint. You cannot enter simply to look around without a booking.
How much is the Ashar Valley day pass?
Our Habitas AlUla’s day pass was priced from around SAR 350 per adult at the time of writing, typically covering pool and gym access from about 10am to 4pm, with some food and beverage credit. Wellness-festival passes cost more. Always confirm the current rate when you book.
Which hotels are in Ashar Valley?
Four resorts currently sit inside Ashar Valley: Banyan Tree AlUla (47 tented pool villas), Our Habitas AlUla (96 villas), Caravan by Habitas (22 Airstream trailers) and Ashar Tented Resort. Maraya, the mirrored concert hall, is in the same valley but is a venue, not a hotel.
How far is Maraya from the Ashar Valley resorts?
Maraya sits inside Ashar Valley, about a three-minute drive from Banyan Tree AlUla and a few minutes from the Habitas properties. Note that Maraya needs its own ticket — a valley restaurant booking gets you through the gate but not automatically inside Maraya.
How do I get to Ashar Valley from AlUla airport?
Ashar Valley is roughly a 45–50 minute drive (about 35 km) from AlUla International Airport. Resort guests usually pre-book a transfer, while day visitors drive a rental car or take a taxi to the Ashar Gate. There is no public bus into the valley, so arrange a vehicle in advance.