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In The Footsteps of the Prophet – 8 days

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From €1,791

Departure Dates: Every Thursday

Itinerary:

Day 1: Riyadh | Thurs.

  • Welcome to Saudi Arabia, a country of contrasts that will leave you with unforgettable souvenirs! Transfer to the hotel. In the evening, we will include a transfer with entrance ticket to Boulevard Ryadh, the largest park in the kingdom, which will surprise you with its animation and life. The park has curious attractions, numerous restaurants with specialties from many different countries, live shows and, above all, a fountains eye-catching show with colored water. Free time to stroll around, enjoy the place and dine in one of its restaurants. Return to the hotel.

Day 2: Riyadh | Fri.

  • Today (the order of activities may vary depending on the time of year) we will visit the impressive capital of Saudi Arabia. We will include the climb to the tower of just over 300 m high, the ¨Kingdom Centre¨, with its beautiful design and its ¨bridge-shaped¨ viewpoint that offers spectacular views over the city. We will also visit, surrounded by a beautiful park, the National Museum, the largest museum in the country, where we will learn about the history, culture, and art of the Kingdom. After that we will visit the Masmak Fortress, the ancient fortress of the city, whose interior allows us to understand the incredible change that took place in this city during the last century. Afterwards, we will have time to stroll through the neighborhood, with its souks and commercial life.
  • Free time for lunch in a shopping center- Mall- where you can choose from the various restaurants and types of food offered there.
  • In the afternoon we will also visit the district of Al Turaif DIRIYA, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This place – on the outskirts of Riyadh – was formerly the first capital of the Saudi dynasty, which we will be able to discover thanks to the vestiges of its numerous palaces and the urban complex at the edge of the oasis of Ad-Diriya. At the end of the day, we will visit the Al Rajhi Mosque, the largest mosque in Riyadh with its Andalusian style architecture, where we will witness a prayer and have an introduction to Islam that will surely make us learn something about this religion. Return to hotel.

Day 3: Riyadh – Al Qasab – Shaqra – Ushaiqer – Buraydah | Sat.

  • Today we follow the ancient route of pilgrims traveling from Iraq to Mecca, with its many historic towns in small oases. AL QASAB was known since ancient times for its salt and wheat production, also for its poets. We will visit the walled city and the small salt ponds where 200,000 tons of salt are still produced each year.
  • Desert landscapes of dunes lead us to SHAQRA, a city that is growing along with its university. We visit the wellfortified ancient city, with its picturesque old market and adobe alleys. Continue to USHAIQER. Lunch included before transferring to Ushaiqer Heritage Village, a village that was an important stop for pilgrims because of its springs and the beauty of its oasis. We will also visit its small museum and its Najdi architecture houses with its carved wooden doors, its beautiful windows and triangular roofs. Continuation to BURAYDAH, capital of the province of El Kasim with more than 600 000 inhabitants located in a large oasis. Arrival in the late afternoon and free time.

Day 4: Buraydah – Medina | Sun

  • Early in the morning we will visit the largest Camel Market in the world, located in Buraydah – a city that also houses a camel hospital. The city´s economy is also based on agriculture of oasis products (dates, lemons, oranges, wheat), and annually, around August, holds a huge date market that attracts many people from different places to buy their date annual requirement. We will visit ¨the city of dates¨ -more or less active depending on the time of the year- and we will be able to taste this sweet fruit of the palm tree. Afterwards, we will have time to stroll through the city center, with its vegetable market, its great mosque, its jewelry souks and its activity. We will visit the Al Oqilat Museum that tells us about the traditions of Arabia and the customs of the region. Free time for lunch.
  • In the afternoon, we continue our route by an excellent highway through the desert. Arrival in the evening to the holy city of MEDINA, ¨the luminous city¨. We find ourselves in an outstanding historical and religious destination as it is one of the two most sacred cities of Islam. Medina is visited by millions of pilgrims every year and has been forbidden to non-Muslims until very recently. Respect its inhabitants and beliefs and remember to use the required mode of dress. In the evening, we will go to see – today from outside – the Al Masjid Mosque, built by the prophet himself and the place where he is buried. We will be touched to see the thousands of people who enter at prayer time. Dinner included.

Day 5: Medina – Jeddah | Mon

  • We will explore Medina. We will walk around the immense Prophet´s Mosque (Al Masjid an Nabawi), an amazing and luminous mosque of 10 minarets with a capacity for one million visitors. On the hill of UHUD, an important pilgrimage site, the prophet´s forces clashed with Meccantroops. You can walk through its vast esplanade and climb the hill, but remember to do so in silence and respecting the hundreds of pilgrims who will surround us any day. At the Quba Mosque, in the year 622, the prophet and his followers laid the first stone of what was to be the first mosque in history, although the present building is more recent. From here, we will walk to the nearby garden and well of Ethiq where the different tribes of the place went out to drink water and greet the Prophet and his companions recently arrived in Medina after their persecution in Mecca. Afterwards we will have some free time in the city center to stroll around the shopping areas or -if you wish- visit the Hejaz Railway Museum (in the former Ottoman railway station). In the afternoon we travel to JEDDAH, on the shores of the Red Sea, the second largest city in the country, with four million inhabitants. Before going to the hotel, we will visit the Al-Rahma mosque, better known as the floating mosque, because it is built on the shores of the Red Sea with pillars over the water. We will also enjoy the lively sportive port, very close to the tracks where the Formula 1 circuit is held.

Day 6: Jeddah | Tues.

  • Full day in Jeddah. With a local guide we will visit this city that will surprise us by its contrasts. At this time, a large part of the city is being rebuilt to make it a great world megalopolis. Among others, the construction of the Jeddah Tower, which will be the tallest building in the world with more than a thousand meters high, stands out.
  • We will follow the Corniche, with its beautiful views, its mosques by the sea and its recreational areas. We will contemplate the King Fahd Fountain, the highest of its kind in the world, its water jets reach more than 300 meters high. We will stop at the lively and picturesque fish market. We will include the entrance to “Tabeyat International city” an architectural complex of great beauty with its very interesting museums of history and ethnography. We will then visit the historical center, entering through Bab Makkah – the most important gate of Jeddah – and we will also pass by the cemetery of Eve, where tradition says that Eve, Adam’s wife and the first woman of humanity according to the bible, was buried. Free time for lunch in a shopping center- Mall- where you can choose from the various restaurants and types of food offered there.
  • In the afternoon, we will take a walk through its historic center, better known as Al-Balad, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, with its impressive set of medieval alleys and its houses made with coral and wooden balconies. We will visit inside the elegant house of Beit Sallum, today converted into a museum.

Day 7: Jeddah-Mecca- Al Hada – Taif | Wed.

  • Important Note: Mecca is a city that is not accessible to non-Muslim tourists. If you are Muslim, if you wish, we can adapt your program so that you can visit it (you will stay in Taif with the rest of the members of the group and the visit of the remaining points of the day will not be included). In this case, there will be a supplement that will depend on the number of travelers who can and wish to visit Mecca.
  • Today we travel to Taif, a city authorized for non-Muslim travelers in the province of Mecca. This city, located at almost 2000 meters above sea level, is popular for its mild climate, so every summer the Saudi Government moves to this point -not as hot as Riyadh-. The route, up the mountain, is spectacular in scenery. We will stop at AL HADA, with its tourist market, great views and rose fields. Lunch included.
  • TAIF, this popular city with very modern shopping malls and great amusement parks, has numerous rose gardens. On the outskirts of the city of Qadeera, we will visit the King Faisal Park, which hosts an annual rose festival, and experience the roses used to make local perfumes. In this city 300 million roses are produced annually in more than 900 farms. We will visit a rose oil factory -Attar- . We will also stroll through the central market, with its maze of narrow streets and its different areas (honey, perfumes, jewelry…). In the evening we will go to the modern shopping mall district where you will have time to dine in one of its many restaurants of all kinds of cuisines.

Day 8: Taif – Riyadh | Thu.

  • After breakfast, transfer to the airport and flight to Riyadh. End of our services.
    Note: Check the time of your flight in case you need an additional night. In this case, the airport transfer to the hotel is not included and will be billed.

Includes:

  • Includes arrival transfer
  • Includes departure transfer
  • City tour in: Riyadh, Medina, Jeddah. • Evening Transfer: Boulevard Riyadh in Riyadh, Historic centre in Jeddah.
  • Experiences: Kingdom Centre Tower and introduction to Islam in Al Rajhi mosque
    in Riyadh, Camel Market and date tasting experience in Buraydah.
  • Ticket admission: Boulevard Riyadh, National Museum, Masmak Fortress and Al Rajhi Mosque in Riyadh, Ushaiqer Heritage Village, Oqilat Museum in Buraydah, garden and well of Ethiq in Medina, Tabeyat International City and house of Beit Sallum in Jeddah.
  • 2 Lunch or Dinner Included in: Ushaiqer, Medina.
  • Experiences: Rose factory-Attar in Taif.
  • Ticket admission: King Faisal park.
  • Flights included: Taif/ Riyadh.
  • 1 Lunch or Dinner Included in: Al Hada.

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