Saudi Arabia Highlights Tour | Pyala Travel - Travel Program

Day 1 arrival Jeddah

Today we will be welcoming you at Jeddah airport as our guide will be waiting for you holding, we will be taking you to your hotel where you can rest for a bit.

Day 2 Jeddah / city tour

After breakfast, a city tour is plannend. The day starts with a visit to the The Tayebat Museum, which gives you a fascinating look into Jeddah’s long and cosmopolitan past. You will take an informative tour through the Tayebat Museum for an introduction in the city’s 2,500-year history. Located in the Al Faisaliyah district, the museum is housed in a multiroom complex that re-creates the traditional Hijazi architecture of the old city, with bay windows overlaid with intricate wooden lattice work and ornate coral masonry. With several floors of in-depth exhibits, the museum offers a living history lesson on the foundation of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and the wider Arabian Peninsula. There is also an entire floor dedicated to the city’s rich Islamic heritage. Before we move to another part of the city, we will have lunch in one of the local nice restaurants here in Jeddah that serves the famous traditional dish. After our lunch we will start cruising around the city and make short stop at the most famous monuments, like the world tallest flag pole, the world tallest fountain and the open air museum. Then we will go towards the beach to see the floating mosque and Jeddah's waterfront to enjoy a walk on the beach.

Around 4 PM you will start your tour through called 'Al Balad' which means “ the town”. Al-Balad was founded in the 7th century and historically served as the centre of Jeddah. Al-Balad's defensive walls were torn down in the 1940s. In the 1970s and 1980s, when Jeddah began to become wealthier due to the oil boom, many Jeddawis moved north, away from Al-Balad. Al Balad is registered as a world heritage UNESCO site and since then, the old buildings with its unique window designs and doors are being preserved along with its unique buildings, which some have been built using seashells and stones. The old buildings once housed the famous Jeddah families and hosted the founder the late King Abdulaziz. Our tour will take you through the history of these building including going inside one of the buildings to see the interior designs , furniture and life back then. Your guide will also explain the historical importance of some sites and locations, while wandering around the narrow streets to explain how merchants used to sell their goods and how pilgrims used to get their supplies of cloth and food, before heading to Mekkah through the Mekkah Gate in Al Balad. The old Mosque is another tourist attraction, founded over 300 years ago and still functional as a mosque.

But the main attraction in this tour is the food and snacks of Al Balad! During the tour you will pass by some famous vendors known to offer the best local snacks, such as the local drink made of bread “ Sobia” and the old bakery which its famous for its fresh bread. Another local snack that consist of Bean and pickles is called “ Balilah”. We will stop for rest in one of the local coffee open air places and try famous local tea, mixed with milk and herbs We will move to visit the center of Al Balad to see the first hotel built in Jeddah influenced by Italian architecture and pass by the first school built in Saudi. We will also visit one of the art houses and museum offering its unique local art collection and antiques. We will also introduce you to some local shops to see some crafts being made such as the local sandals, perfumes and gold jewelry crafts. You will pass by different local communities within Al Balad where the local community gathers for a tea and chat and where kids are playing around and street cats strolling for food!

Day 3 Jeddah - Medinah

Today after breakfast we will take a train to Madinah, which takes around 1 hr and 50 min. If the train doesn't depart, your driver will take you to Madinah within 4 hours. 

After our arrival we will start with our tour. This city is considered as a break on the way from/to Al Ula. The first place visit is the Madinah museum that contains the old railway that used to take the people all the way from Damascus to Madinah. You will visit an open market called " Chief's Market" where there are several restaurants serving seafood , lamb and meat local dishes. Once we finish we will walk in Qiba street on the direction to Prophet's mosque and the landmark of Madinah. We will only walk around the area as non-Muslims are not allowed to enter inside, but the feeling, vibes and the crowd will give you the feeling of the place. The tour will end at Will end the tour in Qiba Streetm, which connects two Mosques:  the grand Mosque and Qiba Mosque. Both have significant importance in Islamic history, in which the first was the house that prophet Mohammed lived and eventually died. The second was the first Mosque ever built. You will have a general overview on how the city was built and shaped throughout the 1400 years.

Day 4 Medinah - Al Ula

Today we will be driving to Al Ula which takes around 4 hours. Upon arrival you will check in the local farm guestshouse were you will be staying the night. 

After some relaxation you will make a tour around the old town of Al Ula. In the 12th century, Al Ula Old Town became an essential settlement along the pilgrimage route from Damascus to Makkah. The city gradually replaced Qurh, located in the south of Al Ula, and is favourably mentioned by travellers from the 12th - 20th century, when modern AlUla was constructed nearby. The houses were designed to be attached to one another, providing fortification, which hints to defence, being a priority for the city's early inhabitants. At one point, the city was accessed by 14 gates, which were opened in the morning to welcome travellers, pilgrims and other visitors, and closed each evening. The ancient city’s recent occupation has enabled researchers to begin to gather oral histories, painting a picture of what life was like inside its walls. These stories will one day be available to visitors who can look forward to tapping into Al Ula Old Town’s living memory.

Lunch is at the farm. You will have lunch in the middle of the local farm surrounded by palms trees. Lunch will be homecooked meals, showcasing the local dishes in this regions.
After lunch, we will make an easy hike over the Al Ula Oasis Trail (3KM). It's a nice trail that lasts for about 2 hours and is suitable for anyone to enjoy the palms, mud houses and the surrounding oasis.

Rest of the day is free for relaxation. You will be staying in an Arabian tent with beds, sheets, and a heater. Showers and toilets are shared. The site also has interesting ancient inscription in some of its rocks , consider it an exclusive access! You can also enjoy a walk in the farm and wonder around it to see what locals grow and what style of agriculture they do. The farm/camp will serve breakfast and hot drinks where you can enjoy it around the camp fire or any many nice view points since the camp is located at the top of the hill.

Day 5 Al Ula / Al Ula Tour

In the morning you will visit Hegra and Hejaz Railway Station. The importance of Madain Saleh is displayed by its 111 monumental tombs, among which 94 were decorated
with majestic facades on the sandstone massifs of the area, especially the Jibal Ithlib. The smallest tomb is barely 2,7 meters tall but the biggest reaches an impressive 21,5 meters! Madain Saleh was the second largest city of the Nabatean kingdom whose capital was Petra (in today's Jordan), where the Nabatean people created more than 600 tombs. What most people dont know, that there are many other fascinating archeological sites, evidence to the thousands of years of human occupation of the area thanks to the underground water available for millennia. 

In the early 19th century, the Ottomans built a railway station at Madain Saleh that was along the Hejaz Railway, linking Damascus to the holy city of Makkah. You will have the chance to see the triclinium (or diwan in Arabic) that were once dedicated to banquets and rituals. They are composed of three benches where people used to seat while musicians were playing. At least six of them were found in Madain Saleh with the names of owners.

In the afternoon you will visit Dedan. The most famous oases of the first millennium B.C.E., is the oasis of Dedan, where excavations on extensive archeological sites have revealed the existence of large fortified cities. These kingdoms developed their own culture including a specific language and alphabet, that resulted in a mix of Arabian traditions and strong influences from the surrounding empires. Your last stop will be the Elephant Rock, also known as Jabal AlFil. It's one of Al Ula's many geological marvels. You can enjoy the nice view and beautiful scenery. The best time to visit the Elephant Rock is usually between 4 - 5 PM during sunset. 

Please note that Hegra and Dedan/Ikma mountain are guided tours by Bus and last each 2 to 3 hours max. These tours are done by Al Ula Tourism Board which is a third party and as such sometimes the inclusions of these tours or and timeline changes by the operator

Day 6 Al Ula - Tabuk / visit Deise Valley

Today you will be travelling to Tabuk, but halfway you will be visiting the beautiful valley of Deise (Wadi AL Dissa). As we reach the valley we will have our lunch there where you will enjoy traditional delicious food. After lunch we will take you on a walking tour inside this gorgeous valley and explore Wadi Dissah. It's a 15 kilometer long canyon running through the Jebel Qaraqir, a sandstone massif lying about 80 kilometers south of the city of Tabuk. This natural wonder was for a long time a well-kept secret among explorers, before the road leading to the nearby city of Dissah was built and satellite images were available to the public, which made it quite difficult to find and reach. The first striking feature of this wadi is its dimensions: at the eastern entrance of the canyon the side cliffs are already higher than 100 meters,but at the western entrance the gap between the bottom of the wadi and the tallest cliffs reaches as high as 500 meters. It is there, from the massive rocky peaks, standing on both sides of the canyon, that one can admire the most dramatic scenery of this magical place.

The second - and most unexpected - amazing feature of Wadi Qaraqir is a water stream that runs through the western part of the canyon towards the city of Dissah. While you are exploring Wadi Qaraqir from the eastern entrance will find abundant palm trees growing naturally along the wadi bed. But once half-way through the canyon underground water tops up all year long. As a result, lush vegetation made of 3 meter high grass, numerous palm trees and bushes, flourishes in between the majestic cliffs of the canyon! We head back to Tabuk but with a final stop on our way to have the last look on one of the beautiful view point and then continue to Tabuk.

Day 7 Tabuk - day trip & flight to Jeddah

Our day will start after having breakfast at the hotel. Around  9 AM you will leave the hotel and go on our way to Madian or as they call it now Al Bad'. We will have a short stop on the way at Ship Mountain where you will get to see the famous mountain that is shaped exactly like a ship. We will go to out next stop which is a small local museum on our way, then we keep going till we reach Al Bad', we will have our lunch there.

After lunch we will start our journey in Madian or Al-Bad' which is a small province located 2,5 hours away from Tabuk region. Here we will have a closer historical look at the Jethro's cave in the land of Madian or in Arabic "maghayer shu'aib". A lot of people know Al-Ula but not everyone knows about this collection of Nabatean tombs in Al Bad. These tombs are carved into the rocks, decorated in an artistic way similar to the Nabatean tombs found in Madain Saleh and Petra in Jordan. It is an undiscovered gem hidden here in Saudi Arabia that we absolutely recommend visiting. Our next stop will be in Maqna city where we will visit The Well Of Moses and you will find out later why its called that. Next, you will visit Tayyeb. It is believed that when later Moses brought the people out of Egypt through the Red Sea they reached the land of Madyan at Tayeb Al-Ism, the reason why it is also called the Valley of Moses.

After, you will take a walking tour in one of the magical natural wonders of Saudi Arabia that takes visitors by surprise. This incredible natural feature of Tabuk Province is located on the Gulf of Aqaba, just 15 kilometers north of the coastal town of Maqna. When approaching by the road that runs along the turquoise waters and white beaches of the Gulf of Aqaba, what strikes people first is the imposing shape of the 600-meter-high granite massif of the Tayeb Al-Ism, whose sharp edges fall into the Gulf of Aqaba.

While getting closer to a nice little palm grove ornamenting the bottom of the cliffs, the mountain side that looks towards the Gulf suddenly reveals the stunningly high edges of a narrow canyon whose entrance is just few dozen meters from the sea. There the granite massif looks like it's been torn in two by a supranatural force, the gravel of the first hundred meters of the canyon can be driven by car but some boulders don’t let cars get very far. A wooden bridge spanning the rocks allows pedestrians to carry on deeper into the meanders of this massive breach through the mountain. From the bridge the Tayeb Ism visitors see another marvel, a small stream of crystal clear water than runs through the gravel all year long. As a result, the wadi hosts numerous palm trees and reeds that create little oases surrounding by the vertiginous sides of the canyon.

At the end of the afternoon you will be brought to the international airport in Tabuk where you will take a domestic flight to Jeddah.Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel and relaxation.

Day 8 Jeddah - departure

After breakfast, a transfer will bring you to the airport for your departure flight back home.