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OFF THE WALL SAUDI ARABIA


Saudi Arabia is... A


GENERAL INFO... Visa: This needs to be obtained at


least a month before travel. Apply online or at the embassy in London, by appointment only. This requires a fully completed visa application form, two passport photos, passport and a copy, health insurance, proof of hotel booking and airline reservation and a reference letter from your employer. Clients cannot travel solo unless on business. A woman must be accompanied by a man and the minimum number in a group must be four. http://saudiarabia. embassyhomepage.com


Currency: Saudi Riyals (£1=SR5.6) Time difference: GMT + 3hrs Getting There: British Airways, bmi


and Saudi Arabia Airlines fly from Heathrow to Riyadh and Jeddah


Top Tip: Be careful taking pictures


– the government is extremely sensitive about tourists snapping or filming government buildings – always ask your guide for permission first


BY ADAM COULTER


destination that welcomes an enormous number of ‘tourists’ each year – but none of them arrive looking for sun, sea or sand,


despite the fact that the destination certainly has plenty of all three. Most people head to Saudi Arabia for


one reason – to take part in the Haj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. The only other type of leisure tourist the country sees in any numbers is divers, but these have been scarce since Regaldive pulled its programme. The main reason for this dearth of


tourists is visas: it’s notoriously difficult to get one purely for leisure reasons. Saudi Arabia, or 'The Kingdom', is by


far the biggest country in the Gulf, with hundreds of kilometres of pristine coastline stretching to the west along the Red Sea and to the east along the Gulf. It has an almost untouched interior with


some outstanding sites including Mada’in Saleh, Saudi’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are tentative plans to encourage


controlled leisure tourism, but there are a number of major drawbacks to travelling in Saudi, aside from the visa issue. The infrastructure is still basic outside


Left: The new five-star Al Marwa Rayhaan by Rotana hotel in Mecca Right: a typical Saudi scene in Jeddah


the cities, with few major highways; women cannot travel unaccompanied and must be covered head to toe (though Westerners are exempt from covering their faces); and alcohol is


banned – advise clients to not even think about smuggling it in. The hotel scene outside of Jeddah and


Riyadh and the two main pilgrimage cities, Mecca and Medina, is non-existent. However, in these four cities you will find some of the best hotels in the world Rotana has opened a stunning five-star


property in Mecca under its new brand Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts. The hotel has 433 rooms and suites and overlooks the Ka'aba and the Holy Mosque. (Non- Muslims are not permitted to Mecca). Jeddah on the Red Sea coast is


regarded as the more ‘relaxed’ of the two main cities, but don’t expect nightlife: there are no cinemas, bars, clubs, theatre or any form of Western-style entertainment. Leisure activities consist of shopping and eating out. Jeddah has a clutch of outstanding hotels, including Rosewood, InterContinental, Hilton, Waldorf Astoria and Park Hyatt. There are two five-star properties in the capital Riyadh, the Al Faisaliah Hotel and the Four Seasons, but nine international brands have hotels under construction.


FROM THE FRONT LINE NICK LAING CHAIRMAN, THE TRAVELLER & STEPPES TRAVEL “We are among just a handful of UK tour operators that offer escorted cultural tours to


Saudi. The enquiries we receive for a destination like this come from all kinds of people –from those with a serious interest in archaeology or Islamic history to those passport stamp-collecting travellers who like the idea of visiting somewhere out of the ordinary.”


WHE R E TO BOOK IT THE TRAVELLER


020 7269 2770 www.the-traveller.co.uk This year's annual autumn tour departs November 25. It includes lectures from Saudi expert Carolyn Perry, formerly of the British Museum’s Arab World programme. Taking in Riyadh, Jeddah and Mada’in Saleh, the nine-day tour costs £3,325pp including flights, all transport, eight nights’ full-board in three- to five-star hotels, visa authorisation and all excursions.


MUST DOS


Wander around Jeddah old town and market admiring the architecture Mada’in Saleh is one of the most


important and oldest ancient cities in Saudi Arabia


Have dinner in the Globe Restaurant, on top of the Al Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh


www.sellinglonghaul.com • March 2011 29


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