Saudi Arabia with locals

·         10.10. We are arriving in the third biggest city in the Arab world - Riyadh, welcome to Saudi Arabia! The country where the futuristic Neom and line cities meet the traditional ones like Mecca and Medina. Drive from the airport with a brand new beautifully designed subway, which just opened a few months ago. After the check-in, we are going to visit the old part of the city to have a traditional dinner and explore the “workers” part of the city in central Riyadh. This is an important part of the Saudi reality nowadays, as workers from India, Bangladesh, and other countries of Asia make up the minority population in the country helping the “Vision 2030” to be fulfilled. In this part, we will also visit a few pieces of Saudi brutalism architecture. Evening visit at the local bazaar for a great mint tea.

·         11.10. After waking up we are going to have a local breakfast and head to explore Masmak fortress with the Saudi history museum. The temperatures this time of the year are very moderate and we are slowly continuing through the well-known Alsafat square where the executions used to take place just a few years ago - we will see the proof here. The traditional underground shopping mall, or bazaar full of spices, Saudi perfumes, and traditional oud wood from Yemen. The black tea with a local sukkary date for us to have more energy before visiting local antique shops. From here we will go to old Diriyah, the old town on the outskirts of Riyadh. This place was once the capital of the local Emirate of Diriyah, and we really can feel to old atmosphere of the place here. Saudi people love it here just to hang out or have food here. Afternoon flight to Jeddah and dinner in the second biggest city of Saudi Arabia.

·         12.10. Welcome to Hijaz region! After the local breakfast with our local guide and driver Musab, we are heading to the Taif region - the proof that this country is not just a desert. This place is in the mountainous part of the country full of flowers well known for rose water and very beautiful nature. Driving the grand circle around Mecca - the Muslim most holy city, closed for non-muslims. On the road, we see wild camels, monkeys, and the real countryside. Through the dirt road, we get to the hidden more than 30-meter-high waterfall in the middle of the mountains accompanied by local bee families - the honey from the Taif region is one of the best in Saudi. Afternoon drive to Taif to enjoy the local atmosphere. We will try the local rose products and have a late lunch here. After the drive back to Jeddah we enjoy the sunset at the Old Corniche by the Red Sea followed by dinner. A little evening gathering with the locals for those who are not tired.

·         13.10. After breakfast, we are heading to Moon Mountain just one one-hour drive from Jeddah. We will have a little picnic at the top after one hour of trekking. Following this activity we are heading back to Jeddah and switch guides for our good friend Hadeel - a Saudi girl and person who knows everything about local traditions and food. After the short break, we are going to see the afternoon New Corniche close to the Formula 1 circuit where the Grand Prix is happening, which opened just in 2017. The Corniche is full of life and a breeze coming from the Red Sea. This is the ideal place to have coffee or tea or typical Jeddah fries with spices. Later afternoon we are heading to the probably most beautiful place in the city - The Old Balad. Old Jeddah is a place one of a kind, a place where all the pilgrims heading to Mecca arrived by boat in the past. This is a place full of architectural gems - old houses with wooden windows, a very authentic Arabic atmosphere, and a place where Asian cultures mix. We will taste the best Sukkary dates, drink tea with locals, and have a traditional Red Sea fish for dinner. We will enjoy the bazaar and, in our opinion one of the top 5 places in the Muslim world in terms of architecture and atmosphere.

·         14.10. In the morning we catch a train almost 300 km/h fast. We are heading to the second most holy place in the Muslim world - Medina. This is the place where the prophet Mohammed is buried and where he arrived after leaving Mecca. Here we have to dress more conservatively. We check in and after lunch, we go to explore the city starting with a date market. Dark dates from this region are very special and tasty, but very different from our favorites the big Sukkary ones that we tried in Jeddah. Full of energy we are heading to the city center. The energy in this place is on a different level - pilgrims from all the countries in the world, visit this place to pray in the Prophet´s mosque. As non-muslims, we can´t go inside, but it doesn´t matter. The spiritual energy is charging us. We will wander through the local markets enjoy the muezzin prayers, and have the best Egyptian falafel in town.

·         15.10. We catch a morning train back to Jeddah with a great Arabic cardamon coffee here. After arriving back in Jeddah we visit the most famous shopping mall in town - Red Sea Shopping where we we buy the local stuff for our families and spend our last currency - the Saudi Riyal. At the airport, we say goodbye to our guides and our friends Musab and Hadeel.

What is included in the price:

• accommodation with breakfast in 3 and 4* hotels

• English speaking guide

• private car for the whole trip

• traditional Saudi Hijazi dinner in Jeddah

• local surprise at the end

What is not included in the price:

• flights and visas ( we will recommend the easiest and most economical ways)

• personal expenses

  What to bring with you: comfortable shoes, hat, sunglasses, long pants, long sleeve shirt+ scarf for ladies for the city of Medina.