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Saudi Arabia Just Extended Its e-Visa, Here Are 7 Things to Do With the Extra Days in AlUla
A longer Saudi e-visa window gives travellers real room to pair AlUla's rock-cut tombs with a Red Sea coast stop, and both are worth the extra days.
Jul 26, 2026 · BigTravel.in%2C%20the%20kingdom%27s%20second%20Nabatean%20capital%20after%20Petra%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%20-%2053534952258.jpg?width=1600 "Saudi Arabia Just Extended Its e-Visa, Here Are 7 Things to Do With the Extra Days in AlUla")
Saudi Arabia has extended the validity of its tourist e-visa for foreign travellers, including Indian passport holders, giving visitors more room to combine AlUla's desert archaeology with a Red Sea coast stop on the same trip. With the extra days, here are seven things worth building the itinerary around, each with a direct map link.
1. Hegra, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO site
Saudi Arabia's answer to Petra, over a hundred monumental Nabatean tombs carved directly into sandstone outcrops in the open desert, including the famously unfinished Qasr al-Farid, and still far less visited than its Jordanian counterpart.
2. AlUla Old Town
A mudbrick town occupied for centuries until the 1980s, now partially restored and open for evening walks through narrow lanes lit by lantern, with the old town's mosque and marketplace still standing.
3. Elephant Rock at sunset
A freestanding sandstone formation naturally shaped like an elephant, arguably AlUla's single most photographed formation, with a small amphitheatre-style seating area built specifically for sunset viewing.
4. The Maraya concert hall
The world's largest mirrored building, reflecting the surrounding desert and mountains so completely it nearly disappears into the landscape, and home to concerts and events through the cooler months.
5. A Red Sea coast stop in Jeddah
The extended e-visa window makes it realistic to pair the desert leg with a few days on the Red Sea coast, where Jeddah's restored Al-Balad old town and coral-stone architecture sit a short flight from AlUla.
6. Diving or snorkelling the Red Sea reefs
The Red Sea's reef system off the Saudi coast remains far less dived than Egypt's equivalent stretch, with visibility regularly exceeding twenty metres and a growing number of licensed dive operators out of Jeddah and the new Red Sea resorts.
7. AlUla's night sky programme
Designated a Dark Sky destination, AlUla runs guided stargazing sessions in the desert well away from any light pollution, worth booking specifically on a clear, moonless night for the best view of the Milky Way.
Traveller tips
- Confirm current Saudi e-visa validity and entry requirements on the official portal before booking flights, since terms have shifted with each extension.
- AlUla's desert heat is extreme from May to September; the October to March window is far more comfortable for the archaeological sites.
- Dress modestly in public areas across Saudi Arabia; loose, covering clothing works in both the desert heat and local custom.
- Book Hegra site access in advance through the official AlUla booking platform, since daily visitor numbers are capped.
Where this is
AlUla, Saudi Arabia