Caravan-Serai Tours

Saudi Arabia

February 13 - 24, 2011

$6445
per person, double occupancy, land only

Sun Feb 13: Arrive in Riyadh at 9:45am on Saudi Airlines Flight 22 from JFK. We will be met and assisted, then transfer to our hotel, the Radisson BLU Hotel. At check-in the ladies will receive an abaya set. Get settled and then we will have lunch at the hotel. After lunch we will visit Faisaliah Tower, a new landmark hotel with a restaurant and observation deck at the top of this obelisk-shaped tower. Next we will visit the Masmak Fortress, captured in 1902 in King Abdul Aziz's battle to regain control of the city, his ancestral home. At the entrance to this mud citadel we will see a spear tip broken off and embedded in the door lintel of the old fort, and preserved that way as a reminder of the battle for the city. Afterwards we will visit the Heritage Souq near the fortress for some shopping - antiques and gold can be found here. We will end our day with visits to the National and King Abdul Aziz Museum, then have dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at the Radisson BLU Hotel.

Mon Feb 14: After breakfast we will continue our tour of Riyadh, the administrative capital of Saudi Arabia. It has grown into a modern, shining city in the middle of the desert and it's unique architecture makes for a spectacular skyline. We will also see the camel market and the luxury shopping mall and entertainment complex in Al Mamlaka Tower. Lunch will be at Al Mazraha Restaurant. We will return to the hotel to refresh ourselves and check out, then transfer to the airport for our flight to Najran. Upon arrival in Najran we will transfer to the Holiday Inn for dinner and overnight.

Tues Feb 15: Najran is very close to the border with Yemen and at one time was considered part of Yemen. It was on the main frankincense caravan route that ran from southern Arabia to Jordan, Syria, and Egypt. Najran's most prosperous trading time was during the first and second centuries BC when it was known as Al-Ukhdood. We will start our sightseeing at Al Ukhdood Museum, Al Ukhdood Site, "the Massacre of Trench", Raoum Castle, Najran Gigantic Dam, the local souk, and the Emarat Historical Palace. Lunch will be at our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Najran.

Weds Feb 16: After breakfast we check out and drive to Abha. Along the way we will have stops at Dhahran Al Janoub and Al Haraja to visit the old city. We will also stop for a panoramic view of Farrshah from the Tehama mountains. Once we arrive in Abha we will check in to our hotel and have lunch. In the afternoon we visit the mountainside village of Al Habala. Al Habala village is 2000 meters above sea level, is no longer inhabited but is a destination for visitors. The terraced village is sometimes called the hanging village because it virtually hangs on the side of the steep mountain. The inhabitants used ropes to climb from one place to another. Dinner and overnight at the Abha Palace Hotel.

Thurs Feb 17: This morning we will enjoy the natural beauty of this region with a visit to one of many parks in the area, Al Soodah Park. The area is mountainous and the climate really varies from top to bottom. We will see terraced mountainsides, and green vegetation like nowhere else in Saudi Arabia. We will also take a cable car ride to see the picturesque mountain village of Rijal Al Maa and to view Sarawat Mountain. We will return to the hotel for refreshing and lunch then transfer to the airport for our flight to Madinah. Once we arrive in Madinah we will transfer to Al Ula for dinner and overnight at the Arac Hotel.

Fri Feb 18: Al Ula is a gateway for visitors going to see the Nabatean ruins at Mada'in Saleh, an ancient city built by the same civilization that built Petra to the north in Jordan. After breakfast we will visit the ruins of the old city of Al Ula and the Al Ula Museum. We will also see the Old Hejaz Railway Station Number 21, then visit the ancient tombs cut out of the mountainside at Al Khuraibah. We will visit the Islamic castle, the Nabatean ruins of Mada'in Saleh, and the Hijaz Railway. We will return to the Arac Hotel for lunch. After lunch we will go by 4WD on a desert excursion to see Harrah Hill and the Mammoth Rock and other unusual geological formations in the desert. After enjoying the desert sunset we will return to Al Ula for dinner and overnight will be at the Arac Hotel.

Sat Feb 19: After breakfast we will check out and depart for Jouf, with a boxed lunch and a sightseeing stop at Taima. Taima was part of the ancient kingdom of Midian and was home for the last Neo-Babylonian king, Nabonidus, who moved there in the seventh century B.C. One important archeological find in Taima is Taima Stone, inscribed with a religious text in ancient Aramaic and was discovered there in 1888. It is now in the Louvre. It was found near the great well Ain Haddaj which has been in use since Nabonidus' time and which, until diesel pumps were installed, required up to 60 camels at a time to draw water. Continue on to Jouf for dinner and overnight at the Al Nusl Hotel.

Sun Feb 20: After breakfast we will depart for a day of sightseeing in and around Jouf. Jouf is of particular interest because of the role it has played in pre- and post-Islamic history. There is archeological evidence of the presence of the Assyrians and Nabataeans in Jouf. We will start at Dumat Al Jandal, Qasr Marid, and the Umar Mosque, followed by a visit to the museum and the Old City. Return to the hotel for lunch, then go to Sakaka and visit the Bir Saisra (well), Qasr Zabal and end the day watching the sunset. Return to Al Nusl Hotel for dinner and overnight.

Mon Feb 21: After breakfast we will check out and head to Hail. Along the way we will stop to see the rock art at Jubbah, dating back to the beginning of the Bronze Age. Continue on to Hail where we will check into the Golden Tulip Hotel, have lunch, then depart for a sightseeing tour of Hail. For centuries, Hail was seen as the "key to the desert" because it was the main transit point for pilgrims heading for the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah and for traders traveling north or south in the Arabian Peninsula. Towards the end of the Abbasid Caliphate, Muslim scholars of Hail took it upon themselves to protect and promulgate Arabic in its purest form. As a result the city became an important center of scholarship and learning. We will visit the castle, or Qalat Aarif and the Qishla Barracks. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Tues Feb 22: After breakfast we will transfer to the airport in Wejdh for our flight to Jeddah. Upon our arrival we will check into the Intercontinental Hotel and have lunch. Afterwards we will begin our sightseeing of Jeddah, the Red Sea port and commercial center of Saudi Arabia. It is also the main gateway for Muslims arriving from around the world for Hajj or Umrah. The city is said to be the burial place of Eve, thus the name Jeddah, which is grandmother in Arabic. We will drive along the corniche to see the vast open air sculpture "museum" then visit the Al Tayabet Museum, a collection belonging to Abdulraouf Khalil, a lifetime collector of all types of cultural pieces - modern, pop, and antique. We will have dinner and overnight at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Feb 23: After breakfast we will start our sightseeing with the historic Nasif House, which is an excellent example of Arabian and Islamic architecture, and is now a museum. We will walk through the old city see other examples of older restored homes and buildings before going to the Alawi Souq for jewelry, perfumes, fabrics, incense, coffee, and more. We will return to the hotel to pack and check out, then have a farewell dinner at Al Nakheel Restaurant on the Corniche, a favorite of Saudi familes. After dinner transfer to the airport via the Corniche.

Feb 24: Early morning departure on flight SV021 to New York at 2:00am.

End of services.

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