26 INCENTIVES Activities
Camel Market
On the outskirts of Buraydah in Al-Qassim there is a working camel market. Along with the camels, the market sells sheep and goats and there are also stalls selling local leather goods like bridles, halters and saddles or woven goods such as blankets. Be prepared for an early start; the auction starts at 6am and is all over by 10am.
Underwater world
Scuba diving instruction and facilities are available at all of the major dive sites in the country. It is necessary to make bookings in advance, but with PADI (Professional Asso- ciation of Diving Instructors) certification you can dive in some of the most beautiful waters in the world.
The Farasan Bank Forests
There are around 50 forest enclaves in Saudi Arabia. Two prime examples are Raghdan Forest and Shahba Forest, both of which are situated five km north of Al-Baha city. Raghdan Forest overlooks a valley and covers 2.5 sq km, whereas Shahba Forest is set in groves of pine trees and juniper bushes. On the peak of this forest stands Al-Baha Science University.
Al-Geme Forest is a wild park overgrown with olive, acacia and juniper trees, and serviced by a cable car. Other amenities are available in Beljerchi which is 20 km away. There is also Nawan al-Ala, a six-km valley lying between two mountains near Asham village and Al-Shaira Recreational Park, and Wadi Melil, a valley that is located at the foot of Shada Al-Ala.
Mountain range
The Asir Mountains are part of the same geo- logical fault as the Great Rift Valley in Africa. This mountain range offers many sporting activities, including profession- ally supervised paragliding, hang-gliding, rock climbing, mountaineering, hiking and mountain bike riding.
Packages can be tailored to your interests and expertise, and tours cover activities in the Asir landscapes of the coast, the moun- tains and the desert.
Caving
The Jebel Garah mountain, 13 kilometres east of Al-Hofuf, hides a series of large, high caves which, despite the external climate,
saudiarabia 2011
The Farasan Bank is a coral shore 100 km wide that stretches 800 km down Saudi Ara- bia's Red Sea coast. To get there requires a 90-minute ferry journey from Jizan. The Farasan Kebir and Segid archipelago includes two large islands, Farasan and Qummah, which are connected by a bridge. The Farasan Islands are largely low, flat-topped lumps of coral that are barely a few metres above the water. The beaches are made of dead coral, and can vary from smooth white beaches to quite rough sand. Despite the flat and foreboding landscape the true beauty of the Farasan Islands is underwater where an abundance of colourful coral reefs, flying rays, dolphins, dugong, sea turtles and whale sharks can be found. Bird life is also plentiful and seasonally it includes spoonbill; western reef egret; striated heron; osprey sooty falcons; pink-backed pelican; red-billed tropicbird; white-eyed gull; saunders little tern; crab plover and flamingos.
maintain a constant temperature. These above-ground limestone cave systems rise above the date palm orchards.
One series of caves, named Ghar Al Hash- shab, or cave of the arrow maker, is particu- larly impressive with towering canyons and labyrinthine interiors.
Horse racing
The horse racing season runs from late September until April at The King Abdulaziz Track located near the King Khalid Inter- national Airport at Janadriyah, 40 km north east of Riyadh.
The facilities are of international standards with a grandstand accommodating some 5,000 race-goers. The races take place every Friday afternoon, extending into the evening under floodlights.
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