Riyadh and Southern City Highlights

Today we will be welcoming you at the airport as our guide will be waiting for you holding a sign with 88Destinations on it , we will be taking you to your hotel where you can rest for a bit. Welcome to Riyadh, the birthplace of modern Saudi Arabia, where old-world charm meets 21st-century vision. Riyadh Province – also known as Al-Wosta – is home to the country’s capital: a modern metropolis with a thriving financial and business centre, and a growing cultural scene. It’s a city rich in history, boasting myriad forts, palaces and museums,and some of the country’s most colorful souks.

First visit is Ad Diriyah , northwest of the city and the original capital of the first Saudi state is a must-see. Its Al Turaif quarter, a carefully restored mud-brick district that was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, offers a glimpse into the country’s extraordinary heritage.Please note that this site is closed for development and the visit will be from the outside however we will do our best and apply for a permit and request for access will start our day with a historical brief about the capital of Saudi, In the National museum you will be discovering Saudi Arabia’s rich past is an amazing journey that would bring you along thousands of kilometers around the whole Kingdom. An easier way to have an insight of Saudi Arabia’s rich History is to visit the King Abdulaziz Historical Center in Riyadh where artifacts from all periods are exhibited and with explanations about their historical significance. After our lunch break , we suggest Al Qaria Al Najdya for traditional cuisine After our historical brief we will go see some by ourselves checking out Al Masmak Fortress ,Surrounded by sand, this squat fortification was built around 1865 and is like a scene out of the movies: a big fortress representing an empire. It was the site of a daring 1902 raid by Ibn Saud, during which a spear was hurled at the main entrance door with such force that the head is still lodged in the doorway. Highlights among the exhibits include maps and fascinating photographs of Saudi Arabia dating from 1912 to 1937, in galleries converted from diwans (living rooms). The roofs are covered with painted palm-tree, taramic and ethel wood and exude an old-world charm that evokes an Arabian painting. Inside, the information panels and short, chest-thumping films on the storming of the fortress and the ‘reunification’ of Saudi Arabia are reverential towards the Al Sauds but worth watching nonetheless. In the same area and only in walking distance we will find our self in Souq Al-Zal which is one of the oldest traditional market. They sell traditional dresses, antiques, Oud ” Arabic perfume” and jewelry Our last stop Kingdom Tower which is a 99-story, 302.3 m skyscraper. When completed in 2002, it overtook the 267-meter Faisaliyah Tower as the tallest tower in Saudi Arabia. It has since been surpassed and is now the fifth-tallest skyscraper in the country, It is the world’s third-tallest building with a hole after the Shanghai World Financial Center .

Today we will fly to Jazan in the morning , we will visit the mountains ,It is distinguished by its high altitude that reaches 800 meters, its narrow width which does not exceed 6 meters, and its extreme depth that the sunlight does not touch but only slightly, with vast green spaces covering its rough slopes. This majestic valley is one of the most important attractions in Jazan because it includes a globally rare canyon, with a mixture of rock formations of various types. It also includes “The Hanging Garden”, which is the most beautiful and strange park of its kind in the Wadi Lajb in Jizan. The garden consists of a group of young trees growing at heights ranging from 200 to 400 meters. Once we finish our valley adventure we will be heading to the Manmana coffee beans farm ( or similar farm) to have our local lunch break that will be hosted by the farm owners. After our lunch break we will be taking a walk to the Edge of the beginning of the world as local call it for a nice break and a great view point location, then we will visit the caves and have a look at the inscriptions on the rocks. By the end of our day we will go back to our hotel.

Today we will do 2 guided tours then end the tour with visiting the elephant rock to relax Tour 1: Hegra tour ( the tomb ) The importance of Madain Saleh is ostensibly 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 attest to the thousands of years of human occupation of the area thanks to the underground water available for millennia. Dont worry we are showing everything you need to see ! Page 4 of 8 Tour 2 : Dedan, is also of great interest, not only for the extent of the remains of this ancient oasis city that once thrived there, but also because its history is much older than the neighboring Madain Saleh. The most famous oases of the 1st millennium BCE 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. In the ancient oasis Dedan, Elephant Rock Before we head to our last stop, we will pass by the Elephant Rock, also known as Jabal AlFil, one of AlUla’s many geological marvels. This is a seating area with nice coffee to relax and enjoy the scenary. Best time to visit is usually at 4 to 5 PM with the 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.

Today we will be heading to Jazan airport to take your flight back to Jeddah. Will first to the boat to head to Jazan Al Balad Tour ( Jeddah Historical City ) 5 PM We will start our tour in Al Balad as local call it which means “ the town” around 5 PM as reference to the base of Jeddah. 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 UNISCO 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 sea shells and stones !. The old buildings once housed the famous Jeddah families and hosted the founder the late King Abdulaziz when first entered Jeddah. Our tour will go through the history of these building including going inside one of the buildings to see the interior designs , furniture and life back then Will also explain the historical importance of some sites and locations while we wonder 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 they head to Makkah through the Makkah Gate in Al Balad. During this tour you will pass by many shops where they offer different merchandise such as perfumes, cloth, jewelry , antiques and souvenirs where you can buy and bargain ! 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 which each community gather for tea and chat , kids playing around and street cats strolling for food !