Two days in Ta'if, Saudi Arabia

Our epic annual road trip started this year in Ta'if. Ta'if is a town in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia to the west and slightly south of Riyadh in the center.

The getting there

You can fly to Ta'if and it is a scenic and easy drive from Jeddah and Makkah for those wanting to extend an Umrah trip. However, the drive to Tai'if is super long if you are coming from the East or Riyadh since there is nowhere really to stop except service stations in between there and Riyadh. With our toilet and food stops the journey to our accommodation which was nearer the Shafa mountain range in Ta'if took eight hours. Despite leaving very early, the roads being lovely and clear, and making good time, it was early evening by the time we arrived at our resort. There were plenty of service/rest stops on the way with several fast food outlets and clean enough bathrooms.

The weather

When we arrived in Ta'if at the beginning of November we had left behind hot sunshine in Dhahran and it was a surprise when we found ourselves driving through a flash flood, grey skies, and thunderstorm once we got to the other side of Ta'if. It was really a nice surprise though and a welcome change from the heat. Being from the UK; driving through heavy rain and floods is not a new thing for us but we did notice a lot of people pulling over and it worried us that maybe we were heading towards dangerous flooding but as it turned out people were pulling over until the rain passed or just to enjoy it. The next morning was cloudy and cool but it warmed up throughout the day to around 25 degrees C. At night I needed a big hoodie. I can see why this is the place to be in summer as I imagine it is a welcome escape from the heat and probably very beautiful too.

The where to stay

There are many hotels in Ta'if and you will find some familiar names such as the Intercontinental, and Swiss spirit hotels. You will also find many chalets and resorts in this scenic place. We looked at several but we are glad we stayed at the Meral Oases Resort, Ta'if. I think if you are a family or group then you will not be disappointed with this resort. It was great value for money in my opinion. I hope to do a detailed review on this resort soon as I really loved it but in summary, the villas were huge and had a private small pool in the basement which the kids and me absolutely loved! The villas were clean and lovely. The staff were friendly and helpful. The resort was set in pretty gardens with kids' play area and outdoor seating. I will go back here if I ever return to Ta'if with my family or a ladies trip in rose season (hint hint friends!) but if I was in a couple I would look into a hotel or smaller villas as these were huge!

The things to do

This is my suggested Itinerary for two nights in Ta'if for a family with children staying at the Meral Oasis Resort.

Day 1: Arrive in the afternoon, enjoy your villa, the gardens and have a swim in your private pool. If you aren't too tired then drive into Ta'if to have dinner at the Awalif international hotel in their revolving restaurant that gives you views over Ta'if. If you need a rest after a long drive then order takeout from hungerstation or pick up from one of the many restaurants along Shehar street.

Day 2: Head to Bohoo for breakfast then take a drive along Shehar street you will see that Ta'if has everything on offer elsewhere, only smaller! It is quite a quaint place and just a nice change from bigger cities. Continue driving to Shafa mountains area until you reach the peak of Jabal Dakka. Stop along the way to see the baboons. Take photos or play on the many kids' play areas if the kids need to get rid of some energy. Take a small picnic or flask of tea for the peak, it is peaceful up there but depending on how many baboons are around you may not get to eat in peace!

After this head to the Al Hada mountain area where you will have lunch at UNO Al Hada then go and purchase your Telerific tickets so that you can take a cable car ride all the way to the bottom of the mountain! This is the longest cable car in the world without pillars and it is a really wonderful experience for the whole family. We even saw people taking their buggies and prams on them. At the bottom, you arrive at Al Kar Tourist Village which is just a lovely place to visit. There were bathrooms, a mosque, a coffee shop, lovely scenery with waterfalls and water features installed and games for the kids to enjoy on the pavement such as hopscotch and snakes and ladders. It is here that you can also take the toboggan ride around the mountains and we wanted to do it as it looks so much fun but my kids were getting tired by that point so we had to give it a miss and head back up the mountain on the cable car. For the thrill-seekers I believe there is also a really cool zipline in the tourist village (I'll be back for that!) There is also a huge water park there but apparently it is only for boys and men. This day was one of the best days out I've had anywhere in Saudi. It was simple but just lovely family time. If I were to further extend this day then I would take the kids to Ar Ruddaf park at night and have a food truck picnic dinner while enjoying some typical Saudi Nightlife.

Of course, we went in November with young children. If I went in Rose season with friends (anyone want to join me in March/April time?!) I would visit the flower factories and also Souq Okaz which is said to have been operating from approximately 542-726 CE because you know I love my old places!

The where to eat

While I'm not going to tell you where to eat in Ta'if, I will tell you that there was no shortage of family-friendly restaurants, familiar fast food options including Mcdonalds, Al Baik and little Caesars and quirky venues. The revolving restaurant makes for an experience (who doesn't love dinner and a show?), UNO was a pricey but convenient option for lunch before hitting the cable cars with young kids. Trip Advisor can help you discover the perfect places to eat in Ta'if for your family.

The things to consider

Ta'if has a different climate from what most of us going there as tourists will be used to. It will be much cooler, take appropriate clothing. The great thing about Jabal Dakka is that you can drive right to the peak so that means even if you have a buggy, pram, or family member with limited mobility then they can still enjoy the views. Al Kar tourist village also had ramps as well as stairs.

There are Baboons all over the show in Ta'if! I didn't actually do my research so I must admit, I'm still not sure if these funny little fellas are friendly or not, we just avoided them and watched from the car, except for one unfortunate incident! If anyone knows then let me know, are they friendly? Do they bite? Should we feed them or not? What is the baboon etiquette in Ta'if?

Ta'if is simple and quaint. The natural views are beautiful and the fresh air is wonderful. It is not all flashy and gimmicky and shiny, huge malls like you find in other parts of Saudi and I loved it because of that.

There are local guides in Ta'if who can help you have an even better time than what we did. Someone who was recommended to me can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/khalidsherbi/

I hope you found my thoughts on Ta'if useful and get to enjoy your own trip there soon! Let me know if there was anywhere I missed so that I can visit next time insha'Allah!