Ready to look beyond common stereotypes? We are opening one of the most closed countries in the world!
We arrive in the capital Riyadh and check into a hotel. After some rest we drive to the outskirts of the city to visit the historic district of Ed-Diriyah. In the 15th century, this settlement was founded by the ancestors of the Saudis, a dynasty that soon conquered the entire country and made ed-Diriyah its capital. We will walk along narrow streets among orange gingerbread houses, which miraculously survived after the siege of the city by the Turks and Egyptians in 1818.
We leave for the Masmak fortress. This adobe citadel was built in 1865, and in 1902 it played an important role in the history of the country. It was here that the Battle of Riyadh took place between the Al Saud and Al Rashid dynasties. We walk through the local bazaar, examining the workshops of folk crafts, spices, incense, traditional Arab clothing, antiques and carpets.
In the evening we go up to the 99th floor of the main skyscraper in Riyadh - Burj Al-Mamlaka to admire the views of the city. We will have dinner at a local restaurant. The main dish - kabsa consists of basmati rice, meat, cashews, raisins and carrots. Another must-have is coffee with cardamom and dates and unsweetened yogurt.
In the morning we will drive to Jebel Fihrain - an incredible cliff known as the End of the World. A few hours by off-road vehicles - and we are on the edge of a huge sheer cliff. We stand on the edge of a lifeless abyss, as on the edge of the world. Below is the endless desert, mercilessly scorched by the sun.
In ancient times, in these places, in the shade of the rocks, caravan routes to the oasis passed. The beds of dried up rivers are clearly visible. Is it a mirage, or true, but the figures of camels are visible far ahead... We dine, walk along the rocks. In the evening we head to Riyadh airport and fly to the city of Tabuk in the north-west of the country.
In the morning we leave for Al-Ulu, a small town on the old Incense Route. In this oasis, caravans stopped, carrying incense, myrrh and African spices from the south of the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean Sea. Most of the locals still live in traditional clay houses.
And outside the town we will see, perhaps, the most stunning monument of the Nabataean civilization - the rock tombs of Mada’in Salih, carved into huge blocks of limestone. Yes, these are the same Nabataeans - nomads who, more than two thousand years ago, created the famous Petra in Jordan. This creation of theirs is no less impressive!
We will drive through the surroundings, admiring the limestone rocks, from which the wind and rain have carved phantasmagoric objects. The most famous of them is a huge rock that resembles an elephant. We will spend the night in a tent camp in the middle of the desert.
This trip is of light physical grade. It is suitable for everyone, including children. Three domestic flights and short journeys (up to 5 hours) with rented transport are planned. We also have a four-hour boat ride and a cable car ride to the top of the mountain at an altitude of 300 meters above sea level. We will walk a lot. These will be simple, leisurely cross-country walks lasting up to several hours. Accommodation in doble/twin rooms of tourist class hotels.
