Abdullah Yahya

A few months ago, I charted a small yacht for a 6-hour trip from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Bayada in the Red Sea. Since I had a great time, I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Jeddah. Unfortunately, planning such a trip and making a reservation isn’t easy due to the limited marketing and communication efforts by businesses there. So, this post will detail my experience along with recommendations so if you do decide to go on this trip, you’ll have a better experience. I’ll share my experience in chronological order.

Yacht Reservation

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since I was visiting Saudi Arabia for just one week, I wanted to make sure I had a reservation for the Red Sea trip. I found a tour company on Otlah.com, an online UAE-based vacation marketplace. Below is one of the trips available.

The trip details, the yacht, and the price all looked good, but the communication was bad. There was no way to ask questions until after I paid for the non-refundable trip. With no better option available at the time, I crossed my fingers and booked the trip. On the confirmation page, which was shown just briefly before I get redirected to some other page, showed some contact information. Luckily, I was able to quickly take a screenshot, so I was able to contact the trip provider, who confirmed they had my reservation.

Yacht Out of Service

While, in Jeddah, two days before the scheduled trip I got a message from Otlah, the middleman, saying that the trip provider said the yacht was out of service because they just discovered an issue required a part that would not be available for a week or two. Otlah offered some other boats, but they were ugly and I don’t think they even had an on-board restroom. I decided to get a refund from Otlah and find another yacht at the marina in Obhur, Jeddah. Fortunately, I was staying with local relatives who were able to help with this. We went to the marina and the gatekeeper told us which boats were available, their cost, and other details.

Second Yacht Reservation

Below is the photo of me checking out the one and only yacht available for the dates we wanted.

The yacht was not as nice as the one on Otlah.com, but it had one thing that made it better – a Seabob water scooter, which could be rented for an additional $100. The total cost for the yacht charter with captain and Seabob rental came out to about $900. I ended up choosing this yacht and provider, and I did not regret it. Here’s the provider’s contact information.

Sohaib Jifry (Abu Yaseen)
0-56-550-6477 (Saudi Arabia)
966-56-550-6477 (International)
linktr.ee/sohaib119

There were 2 time slots per day: 7 AM to 1 PM and 1 PM to 7 PM. We chose the morning slot so the weather wouldn’t be so sizzling hot like it is mid-day and in the afternoon.

Going to Bayada in the Red Sea

Bayada is located just 40 minutes away from Jeddah by boat.

Many people call Bayada an “island”, but it’s not really an island in the traditional sense. Rather, it’s an area with land where the surface is a few feet below the water. You can stand on it, but you’ll be partially in the water. I didn’t stand on it, but others who did said it’s very pointy, so you should definitely bring water shoes with you.

We left Jeddah around 7 AM. Before entering the open sea, we had to stop by a government dock. Normally, we’d have to show our IDs or passports for all passengers, but for some reason they just let us go.

I brought the Insta360 X4 and X5 cameras with me to take 360-degree videos. Around the yacht, like on the back, as shown in the photo below, there are tubes, which I think are for putting a fishing rod. They were perfect for putting a selfie stick, so I wouldn’t have to hold the camera all the time.

Even though it was already pretty hot int he morning, the wind kept us cool as we zoomed to Bayada, passing other (slower) boats beside us. The ride was a bit bumpy due to the waves, but the cushioned seats made it painless.

The yacht came with speakers with Bluetooth support. We were able to connect our phones to it to play our own music.

When we got to Bayada, a few other boats had already arrived. Our captain anchored our yacht to what appeared to be underwater rocks. This was necessary to prevent drifting back to Jeddah. Note that despite the anchor, the yacht still rocked slightly due to the waves. If you get sea or motion sickness, be sure to take Dramamine the night before the trip.

In the lower deck of the yacht, there was a master bedroom, a second bedroom, a tiny kitchenette, and a tiny bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower. This is important in case you need to use it during the 6-hour trip.

For the trip, I brought a captain outfit just for fun.

At Bayada

When going in the water, even though it looks like a massive swimming pool, it’s a sea, so you should wear a life jacket unless you are an experienced open-sea/ocean swimmer, which most people aren’t. The waves appeared gentle, but the current was strong enough to quickly cause fatigue. This deserves emphasis.

WARNING 1: WEAR A LIFE JACKET!

Since I wanted to relax in the water, and I didn’t know what water toys would be available on the yacht, I brought an inflatable lounge with me. I also brought a battery-powered inflater, but our captain inflated the lounge for me using his heavy-duty inflater, which he also used to inflate his raft.

The inflatable I brought was very good. My body and legs were partially in the water, which felt good, and the back rest was sufficiently firm. I paid $20 for it on Amazon.

WARNING 2: All such inflatables should be tied to the yacht to prevent drifting out to sea. If you don’t tie them to the yacht, the inflatable, along with you, if you are on it, will definitely drift out to sea!

Since I had not tied my inflatable lounge to the yacht, but the raft was tied to the yacht, I just held on to the rope that was tied to the raft.

I also jumped into the water from the deck. Unfortunately, the railing made it difficult to do so, so I only did it once. I wish the yacht had a plank like a jumping board.

Even though we didn’t land far from the boat, swimming back to the boat was very tiring, especially without a life jacket.

By the time we reached the yacht, we were exhausted and out of breath!

If you decide to go in the water, no matter how you do it, make sure to test it first slowly by swimming around near the stairs. To be safe, wear a life jacket and hold on to a rope in case you realize you need to pull yourself back to the boat.

This guy (Mustafa), who came with us, was a pro. He used to dive often. If possible, bring an experienced swimmer with you on the trip in case someone needs help in the water. Again! The Red Sea may look like a big swimming pool, but it’s anything but.

If you have an inflatable raft, like the one pictured below, realize that it is very difficult to get on it in the water.

It’s also very hard to stand on it in the water.

But it’s not impossible.

The yacht comes with cushions for lounging on the front. Make sure to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of healthy drinks.

If you don’t want to sit on the front deck and you want to avoid the sun, you can sit under the roof near the captain’s seat is.

At the front of the yacht was another fishing pole holder. I used it to hold my camera selfie stick.

This allowed me to take shots like this

and this

For me, the most fun thing to do was to ride a Seabob, pictured below. You grab on to both handles and push the button with your right hand to have the Seabob propel you through the water. The feeling is refreshing and exhilarating as you feel the water flow over your body and you effortlessly cruise around the water.

If you wear a hat, make sure to hold on to it when the boat is moving, otherwise it could fly off into the water.

After Bayada, we went to a private place near the shore to ride a jet ski.

While on the trip, make sure to spend some time to relax and enjoy the sea breeze, whether your sitting or laying down.

The jet ski I rented was very lightweight and fast.

I strapped my camera selfie stick to the handle using ratchet straps so I could get 3rd-person video footage, like the one pictured above.

I couldn’t go to fast because the waves made my ride very bumpy.

After the jet ski ride, we headed back to the marina and reached it at 1 PM.

Overall, the trip and experience was amazing and totally worth the cost. I’m glad I was able to capture almost all of it on video, which you can watch below.

Madinah is one of the two holiest cities in Islam after Mecca, and it’s only 2 hours away by bullet train from Jeddah, the 2nd largest city in Saudi Arabia. While visiting the kingdom, I was able to complete a one-day trip to Madinah from Jeddah with the following itinerary.

Itinerary

Costs

Transportation

Bullet train

We purchased tickets online at https://rail.ninja/ for $72 per person. We chose the economy class because the business class didn’t seem worth the extra cost. The train travels at 300 km/h (186 mph). It’s clean, fast, convenient, and comfortable. There are 2 train stations in Jeddah, one in the north at the airport and one in the south.

Car + driver/guide

We thought about taking an Uber from place to place, but with so many places to visit, we didn’t want to waste time and try to figure everything out ourselves, so we decided to hire a driver for about 6 hours who could show us around. We were referred to Ibrahim, a Madinah local. He picked us up at the train station, took us to all the tourist spots, came with us inside the Prophet’s Mosque to show us around and explain things, had lunch with us and helped explain things to the waiter, and eventually dropped us off back at the train station. He doesn’t speak English, but I was able to communicate with my somewhat broken Egyptian Arabic I had learned while studying at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. If you don’t speak Arabic, you can always use Google Translate on your phone in “conversation” mode.

Trip at a Glance

A friend dropped us off at the train station at the Jeddah international airport at 9:30 AM.

The train station was very spacious, clean, modern, and not crowded at all.

Your train e-ticket will come with a QR code. Just scan the QR code to open the turnstiles. And, of course, there is a Starbucks there with the Starbucks logo right above the arrivals and departures screens.

As you can see below, economy class was clean, comfortable, and spacious.

The bullet train travels at 300 km/h (186 mph).

On the way to Madinah, the scenery is mostly just desert.

Ibrahim, the driver/guide, picked us up at the train station in Madinah.

Our first stop was the Prophet’s Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi).

There was convenient and ample parking below the mosque.

Below is a Google Earth view of the mosque.

There are many restrooms all around the mosque and huge umbrellas to provide shade during the day.

The Prophet’s Mosque is big. Ibrahim, our driver/guide, came with us inside to show us around and help guide us.

People from all over the world visit Madinah and the Prophet’s Mosque, like the person on the left, who may be from somewhere in Africa.

As we explored the mosque, I asked Ibrahim about various aspects of the mosque.

The interior design of the mosque was very elaborate with huge chandeliers.

I especially like the design of the striped arches.

People can be seen praying, relaxing, reading, and chatting in their ethnic attire.

Being from the US, I normally wear a baseball cap and simple Western clothes, but I decided to dress more like a local for this trip. See photo below. The headscarf is commonly worn in Arabia whereas the black turban on top is more north African. I bought both on Amazon. When I tried the headscarf on, it kept moving around and looked messy, so I used safety pins to hold the shape I wanted. I also wanted a visor to provide some shade on my face, so I cut a visor off of an old had, stuck it in between the folded scarf, and secured it using safety pins. For the black turban on top, I didn’t want to mess around with folding and wrapping it on me, so I bought one that came pre-shaped that you wear like a hat. It had 2 straps on the back to tighten it to your head.

Inside the mosque, there were many water dispensers contain Zamzam water.

All over the mosque, both inside and out, you can find free Zamzam water, which was necessary considering the very hot climate.

If you visit Prophet Muhammad’s tomb, it will likely be very packed with people as shown in the photo below.

All around the mosque there are numerous golden doors with intricate designs.

After visiting the Prophet’s mosque, we went for lunch. I wanted Turkish food. Ibrahim took us to a place somewhat distant from the touristy Prophet’s Mosque area where it wasn’t crowded and the prices were more reasonable. Though I was able to read the Arabic menu, I didn’t understand what everything was. Luckily, Ibrahim was able to explain everything to both me and the waiter, who happened to be Egyptian. Apparently, there are many Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia.

We ordered a mixed plate that was enough for all 3 of us, including the driver, Ibrahim. The food was acceptable and fair for the price.

We then went to the Qiblatain (Two Qiblahs) mosque, where prophet Muhammad was commanded to move the qiblah (prayer direction) from the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem to the Haram mosque in Mecca.

Since it was super hot, I asked our driver, Ibrahim, to take us to get some ice cream.

I ordered a mix of pistachio and vanilla ice cream with pistachio shavings on top. Pistachio seems to be very common in the Middle East, like in Turkey.

We then went to the Seven Mosques, a historical collection of small mosques.

We then went to Mount Uhud, a historical site where the prophet Muhammad had a battle with the polytheists of his Quraysh tribe.

Here’s a photo of me (right) with our driver, Ibrahim (left).

Our last stop on our one-day Medina tour was to the Quba mosque, the first mosque to exist. This was one of the busier mosques we visited. Many people were praying and reading the Quran, and there were groups of kids learning something.

After that, Ibrahim took us back to the train station in time for us to catch our 7:30 PM train ride back to Jeddah.

Video

Watch the full video of my one-day excursion to Madinah.