Beyond the skyline
United Arab Emirates
Private island buyouts, Louvre Abu Dhabi after hours, and helicopter transfers to undocumented wadis in the Hajar.
Dubai · Private Arabia · From USD 100,000
Journeys written
at the edge of the world.
Qāf Meridian curates singular expeditions across the Middle East — for families, founders, and collectors who measure travel in moments, not itineraries.
Philosophy
We do not sell trips.
We inherit trust.
In Arabian cosmology, Mount Qāf stands at the horizon — the furthest place a traveller may reach. Our name is a promise: every engagement we accept is conceived as if it were the last great journey you will take.
From our atelier in DIFC, a team of former hoteliers, royal protocol officers, and regional historians design itineraries that exist nowhere on a brochure. A private falconry season in the Empty Quarter. A closed museum evening in Riyadh. A Bedouin-led crossing of Wadi Rum with archaeologists who have never published their finds.
Minimum engagement: USD 100,000 per journey. Most clients return annually; many refer only by introduction.
14
Countries & territories
GCC, Levant, North Africa, and the Indian Ocean rim
48 hrs
Response standard
Dedicated liaison for every active engagement
1
Client per departure
Never grouped. Never shared. Never compromised.
Destinations
A region, interpreted privately.
We hold long-term relationships with sovereign funds, family offices, and property custodians — access that cannot be purchased at any price point below ours.
The silence coast
Sultanate of Oman
Royal yacht charters through Musandam fjords, frankincense trail expeditions, and cliffside villas reachable only by sea.
The opening chapter
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
AlUla with UNESCO advisors, Diriyah palace dinners, and Red Sea reef access before public resort openings.
Kingdoms of stone
Jordan & the Levant
Petra candlelit alone, Dead Sea medical retreats with Swiss physicians, and Beirut cultural salons with family hosts.
Signature Experiences
Frameworks we refine — never repeat.
The Empty Quarter Season
12–18 nights · UAE · Oman · Saudi
A mobile desert house with Michelin-trained chefs, astronomers, and a conservation biologist. Camp relocates nightly; no two sunsets repeat.
Levant Heritage Circuit
10–14 nights · Jordan · Lebanon · Syria (private zones)
Archaeological permits, monastery stays, and a violin quartet recorded in Jerash for your family archive only.
Gulf by Private Aviation
7–21 nights · GCC-wide
G650 charter with cabin curated to your cellar. Each leg timed to local golden hour — Muscat souq, Bahrain pearls, Doha museum closings.
Nile & Red Sea Meridian
14–21 nights · Egypt · Saudi coast
Dahabiya on the Nile with Egyptologists in residence, then a closed Red Sea atoll before any resort breaks ground.
The House
An atelier, not an agency.
Qāf Meridian was founded in 2019 by Amira Al-Ketbi and James Whitmore — she, formerly Director of Guest Programs at a flagship Gulf palace hotel; he, a decade leading expedition design for European family offices in Central Asia.
Our DIFC suite holds no walk-in desk. Clients meet by appointment, often after a quiet referral from a private bank, yacht broker, or cultural institution. We employ twelve people globally and intend to keep it that way.
- Bespoke travel design & on-ground execution
- Aviation, maritime, and motorcade logistics
- Security assessment & discreet protection
- Medical retainer & evacuation planning
- Philanthropic travel & impact structuring
How We Work
Four movements. No noise.
- I
Introduction
A mutual contact introduces you, or you arrive through a partner institution we already serve. We respond within forty-eight hours.
- II
Discovery
A two-hour conversation — in person in Dubai, or by secure video. We learn how you travel, who accompanies you, and what you have already seen.
- III
Concept
Within ten days, a written concept with indicative investment, never a templated PDF. Revisions until the outline feels inevitable.
- IV
Execution
A single Meridian liaison owns your journey from deposit to return. We are on the ground; we do not outsource your trust.
“They arranged a week in AlUla when the world still called it impossible. No crowds. No compromises. Only the desert, our family, and people who understood silence.”
Private Enquiry
Tell us where you have not yet been.
Share your name, introduction source, preferred dates, and party size. Engagements begin at USD 100,000. We accept a limited number of new clients each season.