Al-Ula has been part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative, a plan to diversify the country’s economy and promote tourism. Significant efforts have been made to develop and preserve Al-Ula’s cultural heritage while making it more accessible to tourists. There are still a lot of things to improve. They are working hard on that and somethings can be already different since my last visit.

Here is a list of things to see and to do in AlUla which I made during my stay there.

Hegra

I think most travelers already have been or at least have Petra on their lists. But not so many of them knows about Hegra (also known as Mada’in Saleh, but locals prefer to call it Hegra), which was second major city of Nabataeans Kingdom.

Hegra is build on a large plain surrounded by mountains. The sanstone formations on the plain are the weathered remains of stone layers which formed between 510 and 475 million years ago.

Over 100 monumental tombs are carved into the outcrops surrounding the ancient city of Hegra.

The Nabataeans chose to carve their tombs into these formations, and the leftover stone was used as building material within their settlements.

They were build to hold the remains of families or groups, whose status is reflected in the size and level of decoration of tombs. Higher up the mountains are simpler pit graves where people of lover social status were probably buried.

The number and range of preserved tomb inscriptions at Hegra is unique. Many tombs feature inscriptions that record who commissioned them and when, and sometimes the craftsperson responsible for carving them.

The largest tomb belongs to Lihyan son of Kuza, also known as Qasr al-Farid, which means ‘the Lonely Castle‘.

The tomb is carved into its own separate sandstone outcrop. It must have belonged to a very important Nabataean individual of family.

Hegra entrance location is here.

Hot air balloon flight over Hegra

Unfortunately in Hegra you can’t wonder around on foot as you can do in Petra.

But in Hegra you can book a hot air balloon ride over ancient city if weather permits. You can’t do this in Petra. At least yet.

Hot air balloon flights in Hegra are usually in the morning because in the evening wind can be too strong for balloon ride. So after your Hegra day tour you can book hot air balloon ride for the next morning. Of course if weather allows a flight.

Why I am suggesting a flight after you do a tour in Hegra? Because it makes your balloon ride more interesting. You already know every place in the area – where is Tomb of Lihyan, or Jabal AlBanat, or Al Diwan.

Only from above your can see remains of Nabataeans wells.

Nabataeans were skilled at harnessing natural water resources. At Hegra, they tapped into underground reserves of water, but also devised systems of channels and cisterns for directing and storing rainwater.

Their reputation for skilled water management could explain their name. ‘Nabataean’ has been linked to ther Arabic word Nabatu, meaning ‘water which springs form the well’.

And lastly if you are lucky you can take part in hot air balloons festival. Time of festival varies every year and I didn’t see any announcement about the next one.

AlUla Old Town

During my visit only small part of old town was accessible. Actually only one narrow passage was open. Not far from AlUla Old Town Visitors’ Center you can cross Old Town towards AuUla Castle.

Entrance to the Castle is complicated. It is hard to find entrance doors, as there is no direction anywhere.

And most importantly you can’t just walk-in. You need to book visiting time in advance at Old Town Visitor Center. The time was inconvenient for me, so I have AlUla Castle pictures only from outside.

Oasis Heritage Trail

You can reach AlUla Oasis Heritage Trail if you cross main road near AlUla Castle.

The trail takes you almost to the North parking. From this point it is just 1.5km (or ~20 minutes) walk to the parking. This is closest point to the North parking, there you can enter Oasis Trail.

But I am sure it would take more time to walk that trail. Not because it is difficult trail. It is very easy and totally flat. But because you won’t want to rush to get out of this oasis.

It is really amazing to see so much green color in the desert.

Dadan / Jabal Ikmah

Although these places are located 5 kilometers apart I put them together because you must take a tour which takes your to both these places. Once again unfortunately but you can’t walk in or drive in. Taking a tour is the only option to visit these places. I am repeating it again and again, because it is important to know in case you are visiting AlUla only for couple days and you need to plan your time wisely. Tour starts at Winter Park.

Dadan

Once upon a time here was a capital of the Dadan Kingdom in 9-8th centuries BC and at them moment it is still active excavation site and honestly you can’t see much there. You can’t see much, because you are not allowed to get very close to the tombs. It is good to have binocular or photo zoom lens.

Here is famous Lion tomb if you can see it on the left. It is tele zoomed x4 or x5 times.

And here some remains of the city.

Hopefully in near future visitors will be allowed to get closer and will be able to walk around.

Here is location of Dadan Visitor Center.

Jabal Ikmah

This place is sometimes called the Lithyanite Library. The longer you examine the cliffs around, the more markings you will find.

Inscriptions and carvings are scattered all around the AlUla area, but Jabal Ikmah has a particularly high number of them. There are over 500 recorded, and some of them may be 2500 years old.

Here is location of Jabal Ikmah Visitor Center.

Harrat Viewpoint

It is time to go up if you already visited AlUla old town, Dadan and walked Oasis trail. Harrat Viewpoint is the perfect place for observing from above all places you visited earlier and to see how big this oasis is.

The road to the viewpoint is quite impressive with steep serpentine going up hill and on the top you’ll totally different terrain – endless black plain.

At the Harrat Viewpoint all AlUla is bellow your feet.

Here is Harrat Viewpoint parking location.

Maraya

Maraya is another must visit place while in AlUla.

Maraya is a distinctive mirrored structure, primarily known as the Maraya Concert Hall. Its impressive reflective facade and is the largest mirrored building in the world at the moment.

It hosts various events such as concerts and conferences. The building’s unique design, blending with the natural surroundings, has made it a key attraction and cultural hub in the region, especially during events like the Winter at Tantora Festival.

Some times you can visit art exhibition at Maraya besides concerts and conference. Check their website for upcoming events.

Maraya location is here, but you must have tickets to event or be on tour to pass security at the entry gates.

Desert around AlUla

AlUla’s surrounding areas are known for stunning natural landscapes and rock formations. Some of the famous nature formations around AlUla include:

Elephant Rock

This rock probably most famous, easy accessible and visible from the road.

It is located here and it is only 15-20 minutes drive from AlUla town. The territory around the Elephant rock is fenced and opened only in afternoon after 14-16:00 (2-4pm) depending on week day. So check opening hours before heading there.

King Kong Rock

In case Elephant rock will be closed you can visit some other rocks near by. On other side of the road, at this point there is King Kong or Monkey Rock.

Hand Rock

Not far from King Kong Rock at his point there is so called Hand Rock.

Art in the Landscape

Near Hand rock you will find entry to Art in the Landscape exhibition. Couple years ago a big exhibition Desert X was happening here. At the moment not all exhibition remains, but you still can see some art works there.

Rainbow Arc

Let’s go further away from AlUla.

About an hour drive from AlUla there is another stunning rock formation. It called Rainbow Arc (القوس).

It is located here and it is accessible by 2wd car. But be careful if you pass car parking place and will go closer to the rock with the 2wd car. There is a soft sand near the rock so you can get in trouble if have no experience how to drive on such sand.

In 2024 January Dakar rally will start near Rainbow Arch, so keep in mind it will be busy area at that time if you are not in auto sport.

Algharameel Nature Reserve (أرض الغراميل)

Another 30 minutes drive from Rainbow Rock and you will reach Gharameel Desert.

In this reserve you can find a lot fo amazing rock formations, like above duck rock.

I was visited Gharameel during mid day and it was very hot. My suggestion would be to go there just before sunset. You will have time to walk around rocks during the day light and later to do star grazing then sun goes down.

Old Train Stations

The road from Al-Ula to Gharameel follows old Hijaz railway which was built during 1900-1913. 1300 kilometers (~800 miles) were planed, but is was never fully completed because of World War I.

Hijaz Railway Station near Hegra was the first Unesco World Heritage Site. It was closed for restoration during my visit and it possible to see from hot air balloon flight if wind direction is toward the station.

But on the way to Gharameel you can see many other smaller railway stations near the road.

One of them is very close to Gharameel Desert. Dar Al Hamra Hejaz Train Station you can find here.

Shalal Cafe

Definitely visit Shalal Cafe on the way back to Al-Ula from Gharameel Desert. It is only short detour, but the entrance to cafe is incredible. A very narrow canyon leads to cafe.

You can visit it during a day for refreshing drink, or at night for spectacular lighting.

Events in AlUla

A lot of cultural and sport events happening in AlUla area all year around, so check what is happening during your visit to the area.

Here are only some latest events. Let me know if I missed some of it.

Winter at Tantora

Festival of culture, art and music in December/January. Check here for more details.

Dakar rally

You definitely should attend Dakar rally if you are lucky to be in AlUla in January, 2024.

Dakar 2024 starts and finishes in AlUla and will be amazing event to attend.

Kite festival

This festival usually happens in spring

Hot Air Balloon festival in AlUla

Hot Air Ballooning festival usually happens in later winter or spring.

AlUla trail race

10km, 20km, 50km and 100km distances are during this event. Next race should be in January, 2024. Here are more info.

Sending post cards from AlUla

And lastly kind of funny story

When I travel I like to send post cards from the places I am visiting. Saudi Arabia wasn’t an exception. But here I got into trouble. At first I couldn’t find a post cards anywhere, but at last I found it during my tour to Jabal Ikmah. I was so happy and I thought my quest is over. But it wasn’t.

I wrote a message on post card and it was ready to be sent. I needed only a post stamp and I thought it will be easy task.

I found central post office in AlUla and went straight were. I went inside the building and the workers at the office were very surprised to see me there. I got a feeling it something not right here.

It was three men there and then I asked for post stamps they looked to each other kind of confused. One of them said they don’t have post stamps, but it should be in Tabuk (showed with hand to the left) or in Madinah (waved to the right). I was started to smile together with them That was all I could do at that moment. Tabuk is ~360km(~225 miles) North from AlUla, and Madinah – 330km (~210miles) South. I wasn’t planing to go there during this trip, so my post card left unsent

Please let me know if you know more interesting places around AlUla. Things are changing there and I am sure will be more places and things to do in this area in the future.

The post Things to see and to do in AlUla, Saudi Arabia appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

Here is good example why you shouldn’t ignore signs:

and why you must wear seat belt during landing. May be it is the best landings, but for passengers who were sitting on the plane it wasn’t the best experience.

Like in the car seat belt is for your safety and most people even without thinking wear seat belts in the car. The same you should do on the plane. It is not a toy and you shouldn’t ignore the signs.

UPDATE 2022

Here is the latest story about floating passengers on plane:

According to the New Straits Times (NST), several passengers had “floated” in their seats as their plane, a Boeing 737-800, took a “sharp dive” of about 7,000ft.
A passenger onboard wrote on Facebook that her flight, MH2664, took off from KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) at 2:30pm, only to take a “sharp dive” 30 minutes after take-off, according to NST.
Based on the passenger’s checks on the Flight Radar application, the flight was cruising at 31,000ft, before dropping to 24,000ft “in a matter of seconds”.
She recounted that she had “floated” out of her seat because her seat belt was unfastened as the seat belt signs were turned off at the time.
She also said that some of the passengers were screaming and crying and feared for their lives.
She added that the flight then made a U-turn, circled above Malacca a few times, and returned to KLIA.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has confirmed the flight’s turn back to KLIA and said it would be reviewing the airline’s Flight Data Monitoring System.
Malaysian Airlines confirmed that the flight turned back to KL “due to technical issues with the aircraft, compounded by bad weather en route“.

The post Why you always should wear seat belt on the plane appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

But good thing is you can still travel during your free time!

Of course there are plenty books, magazines travel blogs to read, or to watch travel channels, but you also can go on virtual tours through hundreds museums.

Google Arts & Culture collections

Google Arts & Culture collections over thousand museums in different parts of World. Some of them you probably would never visit, so now you have an opportunity to do it.

MoMA The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Museo Dolores Olmedo in Mexico, The State Tretyakov Gallery
in Moscow, The Munch Museum in Oslo, Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo, National Museum in New Delhi and list goes on and on. Just don’t spent too much time in these museums. You need to do some exercise too not just sit on coach

Louvre

Louvre in Paris was one of the first museums closed during this coronavirus time. But you can visit Louvre virtually too.

National Museum of the United States Air Force

National Museum of the United States Air Force offers virtual tour and allows visitors to take 360-degree, self-guided tour of the entire museum.

Web cams

Web cams allows as to see live what is happening in the World. Here is big collection of web cams.

You can watch Niagara Falls live or life on Times Square in New York, or watch waves in Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia and may be you will be lucky to see a whale.

Enjoy your virtual travel and let us know if you know any other good virtual tours in museums or parks and we will add it to our list.

The post How to travel while you are on COVID-19 lockdown appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

There is no a lot notifications about it, but this is the view you will see when you’ll arrive to Miyajima island during these days.

On official Miyajima island website there is null information about this. At least on English version of website. But there are some pictures on their Facebook page. So follow them to see the latest updates.

Unfortunately this gate is on reconstruction from June 2019. It is expected to be reopen again just during Tokyo Summer Olympic games in August, 2020.

Of course you still can go to Miyajima island, as there many other things to do besides this gate. I just wanted to protect you from some disappointment.

Alternatives

Fortunately there are some alternatives if you still want to see floating gates.

1. Jinja shrine gate, Hakone

This gate probably is most accessible as most tourists are visiting Hakone anyway.

It is just in front of Jinja shrine on the lake shore in Hakone so there is no need for more detailed directions.

2. Shirahige Shrine gate, Lake Biwa

Another nice gate is located on the shore of Lake Biwa.

This shrine is located about 30 minutes walk from Omi-Takashima train station.

How to get to Omi-Takashima

It takes about 40 minutes to get to Omi-Takashima station from Kyoto and then about 30 minutes (3km / 2 miles) walk to the shrine from station.

This is screenshot from hyperdia site where you can check trains scheduler. Enter OmiTakashima (without hyphen) while entering name at hyperdia site.

3. Oouo Shrine gates

This shrine is away from most popular tourist routes. But it will be on your way if you are visiting Kyushiu island and especially Nagasaki.

Oouo Shrine gates’ located in the sea (Ariake sea). This is main difference from Jinja shrine and Shirahige Shrine gates which are located in the lakes. Oouo Shrine gates look different during low and high tide.

How to get to Oouo Shrine

You can drive or take a train to Tara. It is about 800 meters or 10 minutes walk from Tara train station.

It takes about 1 hour by train from Saga to Tara.

4. Sakurai Shrine Gate

This shrine is famous because of “couple rock” located in sea close to shore. Rocks (Meotoiwa) are tied with shimenawa rope and form a symbol of happy marriage.

The beach (Futamigaura Beach) is also one of Top 100 sunset beaches in Japan.

This gate is located in the West not far from Fukuoka, but it is not so easy accessible by public transport.

This gate is the only I haven’t visited yet so I can’t confirm information I found about public transport. Here route examples I found:

• take Showa Bus/Nishi-no-ura Line and disembark at ”Nishi-no-ura (Futamigaura Iriguchi)” and walk 23 minutes
• take Showa Bus/ Nokita Line, disembark at ”Imuta” and walk 30 minutes
• Take at train to JR Chikuzen Maehara Station, then take a Showa bus (No Kita Line) to “Iishida” bus stop and 30 minutes walk from the bus stop

Please comment bellow I you took any of these routes and succesfuly reached Futamigaura Beach.

I hope these recommendations will help you to enjoy your holidays in Japan. Please let me know if you find any other floating gates. I could include it into my list.

Photo credits:

• Jinja shrine gate photo – http://www.kotodamaya.com/hakone-jinja/
• Shirahige Shrine gate photo – https://www.facebook.com/roelhunting
• Oouo Shrine gate – 松永二三子 and アマチュアカメラマン
• Sakurai Shrine gate – Wikipedia

The post Miyajima shrine gate alternatives appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

Saudi Arabia is huge country and here is a short list of things to see and to do in AlUla.

Tourist Visa

From 27th of September 2019 Saudi Arabia launched eVisas for 49 countries and it also relaxed strict dress codes for female tourists.

How to get visa

Tourist can apply for visa in eVisa Portal. The eVisa is a one-year, multiple entry visa, allowing tourists to spend up to 90 days in the country.

Saudi Arabia Tourist visa costs SAR440. SAR300 is a visa fee and SAR140 is health insurance fee. This fee doesn’t includes VAT (in Saudi Arabia VAT is 15% currently). So the total visa cost is SAR462 including VAT. Saudi Arabia has fixed riyal exchange rate with US dollar. Currently it is $US1 = SAR3.75. So at the moment visa costs US$123 or €113.

Eligible countries

Here is a list of eligible countries to apply for eVisa:

North America

• Canada
• US

Europe

Asia

• Brunei
• China (including Hong Kong and Macau)
• Japan
• Malaysia
• Kazakhstan
• Singapore
• South Korea

Oceania

• Australia
• New Zealand

Travel restrictions

Non-Muslims still are forbidden from visiting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Behavior and Dress code

It is very important to follow dress code while visiting Saudi Arabia – both men and women are asked to dress modestly in public, avoiding tight fitting clothing or clothes with profane language or images. Women should cover shoulders and knees in public.

Alcohol is banned country and it is even illegal to bring alcohol or drugs into country.

Also during Ramadan avoid eating or drinking in public during the day at this time.

The post Saudi Arabia is opened for tourists appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

Jump to:

Best time for whale watching
Best time of day for whale watching
Best places for whale watching in Sydney
Whale watching tour companies review in Sydney

Tours

Check this list if you are keen to go on whale watching cruise.
Choose your departure point from prices and time table:
Darling Harbour | Circular Quay | Manly | Sans Souci

Darling Harbour departures

* – 10-20% discount for online bookings
** – up to 45% off for online booking

Circular Quay departures

* – 10-20% discount for online bookings
** – 15% discount for online booking

Manly departures

*** – 16% off if you buy 2 tickets
**** – 5% off if you buy 2 tickets

Sans Souci departures

There are no Sans Souci departures any more. Let us know if you know any cruises departing from San Souci.

Here is a list of whale watching tour operators in Sydney with their no sightings policy and links to their websites:

So which company to choose? It depends on you – do want only whale watching or to do something else too, like speed boat ride? Do you stay in the city or in Cronulla or Manly?

My personal choice was – Bass and Flinders Cruises. They are longest period in this business and also participate in whales research program with Macquarie University, has shore based whale spotters which helps them faster to spot whales. In the sea it looks like all other companies just follow their boats.

One important thing – lower your expectation if you go on whale watching tour.  Sometimes whales are more active, sometimes they are not. I was reading some reviews there customers were complaining – they saw not enough whale breaches because ship went back to harbor as the tour time was out.  How you can complain about that? Some people won’t be lucky to see a breach even once and it is not the show where you command whales what they should do. So it is better to have low expectation and you definitely will enjoy whale watching – coastal or on boat tour.

Save

Save

The post Whale watching in Sydney. Best time, places and tour prices appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

There are ski fields in Tasmania and Victoria, but the largest ski fields are in New South Wales on the boarder with Victoria state and actually the first ski club in the world in 1861 was established in Snowy Mountains in Australia. Who could thought Australia has such long history of skiing?
Two largest downhill ski resorts are located not far from highest peak (Mt Kosciuszko) in Australia.  Thredbo ski resort has longest ski run and Perisher ski resort has largest ski fields – 12 square kilometers (4.6 sq miles) and it calls itself as largest ski resort in Souther hemisphere.

Both resorts are located somewhere in the middle between Sydney and Melbourne and only ~60 kilometers (~40 miles) away from each other, so you can visit both on your trip to snowy mountains.

Here is comparison of these two resorts if you want to choose one of these resorts.

* you can go up to 2034 meters (6673 feet) elevation and then climb 20 meters (66 feet) to the nearest peak. Both picture bellow are done from that highest point.

** all prices are in Australian dollars. The price of lift pass and ski/snowboard rent shows how much you need to pay if you pay at the resort. You can get better deals by buying lift pass and hiring skies/snowboard online in advance. Or buy visiting resorts during low season. Check their websites for the deals.

My choice was Perisher, because by lift you can get up to 2034 meters (6673 feet) elevation and climb another 20 meters (66 feet) to the peak of Mt. Perisher for fantastic view.

I also need to note that you should carry snow chains as you may require to put it on in case of heavy snow in a ‘snow-ice’ risk section within the Kosciuszko National Park. Chains can be hired in Jindabyne and Khancoban or in Cooma if you are coming from Sydney/Canberra.

So enjoy the snow but be careful and don’t underestimate snow in Australia, as it happened to these cross-country skiers.

Save

The post Skiing and snowboarding in Australia appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

Here are some links to help you prepare for your trip to Japan:

Save

Save

The post Helpful links for travelers to Japan appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

What is whale shark

One of the first appearance on big screen of this fish was in documentary about Kon-Tiki expedition from South America to South Pacific. Kon-Tiki was the raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. In his book about this expedition whale sharks were mentioned as sea monsters.  I can just imagine what they were thinking when they met this fish similar to shark and which can grow more then 10 meters long.  But despite its size, the whale shark does not pose significant danger to humans, feeding on plankton and small fish. Only thing people should be careful – unintentional blows from the shark’s large tail fin.

Check this video if you are wondering what is that whale shark and should you take a swimming with whale sharks tour.

Are you interested? This video shot in Cenderawasih Bay in Indonesia, but one of the best places to swim with whale sharks is in Western Australia, Ningaloo reef.  It is not a cheap attraction, but is really worth it and you would love to go again and again.

Best places for a swim with whale sharks in Australia

I hope I didn’t scare you and you are ready to jump into water Next question would be: where can you do it? There are couple places in the world you can do it. Occasionally whale sharks can be seen by scuba divers in Thailand, but nobody can promise you will see one. There are whale shark snorkeling tours in some Caribbean countries and also in Mozambique, but probably best place to swim these giants is Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia.  At Ningaloo Reef tour operators use whale spotting planes and it makes big advantage comparing with other places in the world as it gives you more chances to see whale shark.

Best time for swimming with whale sharks in Australia

Whale shark season in Ningaloo Reef starts in April and last until July. The time frame can slightly vary each year. Whale sharks can come in late March and stay until August, so it is better to contact operator of your choice to check what is situation.  Thought all tour companies have very high rate of whale sharks spotting, but sometimes weather conditions are not the best to go out to the sea, so it is good to have couple spare days in case tour will be canceled on particular day. Make sure you have some sea sickens medicine to make sure you have good day out in the sea, as otherwise it can ruin your swim with whale sharks experience as it did happen with Jade.

Whale sharks tour prices in Australia

Most tour operators located in small town Exmouth and couple of whale sharks tour operators are in Coral Bay, 150km (100 miles) South of Exmouth.

Here is a list of whale shark tour operators in Exmouth (for tours in Coral Bay go to Coral Bay whale shark tours page) in alphabetic order:

All prices are in Australian dollar. Now most companies offer repeat tour voucher valid for the next three years. Before you could use that voucher only during current season in case you don’t see whale sharks on your first tour.

* there is no published prices for the current season yet.

Swim with whale sharks tour prices are very similar so probably main factor of choosing tour operator will be seat availability on preferred day. Or it depends where you are staying and do you want to do any additional activity. Because these tours are not very cheap read carefully refund sections as all companies have different policies. But most companies start offer voucher for another tour valid for three years in case of no sighting of whale sharks that day.

Also you can check some operators reviews on Tripadvisor. Personally I was on tours with Three Islands Whale Shark Dive (they had best price in Exmouth) and Ningaloo Reef Dive in Coral Bay. I was happy with service I got and can recommend both companies.

All prices are good on time of publishing of this post. I tried to contact each tour company for latest information, but please visit page of each tour operator for up to date prices as it can be changes done at the time you’ll read this post. Let me know if you find any incorrect or outdated information here.

Can you scuba dive with whale sharks

Unfortunately you can’t do it.  Occasionally in Thailand scuba divers can see whale sharks, but these are rare cases. The swimming with whale sharks tours is the best way to see these creatures and Australia is one of best place in the world to go on these tours.  So check tour prices above.

But if you still keen to dive with whale sharks you can do it in Atlanta aquarium which has diving with whale sharks program.

Save

The post Swimming with whale sharks in Australia appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.