It's officially wintertime in Saudi and you know what that means; time to get out and explore more. If you are thinking about where in Saudi to visit this winter and you love stunning natural scenery and friendly small towns then keep reading: Jazan is the place for you.
Jazan is a region in the Southwest of Saudi Arabia. It borders with Yemen to the south of it and the Red sea to the west.
This time, instead of a road trip, I left the kids at home and went with friends so that I could really make the most of my time here. Just to give you an idea of how huge Saudi is, to drive here from Khobar would take around 16 hours over a distance of 1557 kilometres. You can understand now perhaps why I chose not to road trip this one with my family.
I have had my Jazan itinerary planned for a long time and without my usual wonderful travel partner aka my husband to drive me around as he usually does I had to find another way. You could hire a car and find the places yourself but sometimes to really make the most of your time and see the best bits of a new area it is much better to enlist the help of a tour guide. This can be worrisome for women travelling alone or even with friends so it is important to do your research. Travelling with a guide can cut out many safety concerns but for women will surely raise many new ones. The official visit Saudi website lists recommended companies and in the absence of a personal recommendation, this is a good start. www.visitsaudi.com
We had a fantastic tour guide in Jazan who I would recommend. You can find him here: https://www.instagram.com/gizantourguide/
Length of stay:
For a short trip, the Jazan region has so much to offer that you don't need to go elsewhere but if you want longer or are road tripping then Abha is only a couple of hours north. Further up still are Baha and Taif so you could plan a wonderful road trip in this area. We stayed 3 nights and managed to see the main parts of Jazan in that time.
Where to stay:
Luxury: The Grand Millenium Jazan Hotel is absolutely beautiful and all rooms have balconies facing the sea. https://www.millenniumhotels.com/en/destinations/mea/saudi-arabia/jazan/grand-millennium-jazan/
Mid Range: The Novotel Jazan would fit many a budget and is close to the airport, the ferry port for Farasan and Downtown for eating out. https://all.accor.com/hotel/8808/index.en.shtml?utm_campaign=seo+maps&utm_medium=seo+maps&utm_source=google+Maps
Low: Farasan islands camping. Black mountain hotel near Wadi Lajab is isolated and basic with squat toilets but the views are phenomenal.
Where to eat:
Dinner at Jazan heritage village makes for a pleasant evening and a chance to try traditional Saudi food in a traditional setting. Try fresh seafood at the Farasan hotel on the Farasan islands and head to downtown Jazan to eat at one of the restaurants before taking a walk along the corniche. We tried many local dishes at small local restaurants and that was a big part of our experience.
What to take:
The weather is different here from what I was used to in Khobar. While the Farasan islands are warm all year round and Jazan is humid, the mountains are cold. You will need beach clothes for Farasan and possibly your own snorkel if your boat trip doesn't supply them (the snorkelling is amazing). Don't forget something warm for the black mountain. Good hiking shoes and clothes for Wadi Lajab. Amphibious walking shoes would be a bonus for Wadi Lajab. you will get wet, otherwise, beach shoes that have decent soles with a good grip. A waterproof bag if water levels will be high. A waterproof phone case is useful if you want to take photos without risking your phone.
Our itinerary:
Day 1: Arrived in the afternoon, checked into the Grand Jazan Millenium hotel and headed to Jazan heritage village for dinner.
Day 2: We left the hotel at 5.45 to go to the Farasan islands by ferry for a boat trip, snorkelling, fishing and seeing the mangrove forest and Beit al Rafai. When we returned we enjoyed the lovely views and dinner at our hotel.
Day 3: After breakfast, we headed to Wadi Lajab to hike through pools and waterfalls. After this we headed to the Black Mountain hotel (a basic hotel with stunning views) We ate from the restaurant there and had tea in a secret spot overlooking the fog in the black mountain.
Day 4: We left the Black Mountain and made our way by car to the peak of Faifa mountain. We stopped on the way for lunch, to see the coffee farm and later for mojitos and crepes at the Faifa hotel which has stunning views. There is a very short hike to the summit of Faifa mountain and the views are worth every step. Heading back we stopped at the serene Jazan dam lake and finally to the airport for our flight back to Dammam.
To book a tour guide or not:
If you are from the UK you are probably aware that Jazan is an area that our embassy advises against all but essential travel so do stay up to date with your own embassy's advice when travelling to any region so that you can make informed decisions about when and where to travel.
Jazan isn't as diverse and cosmopolitan as Khobar or Riyadh so I felt most comfortable wearing an abaya. Not many people spoke English and many menus didn't have an English option so if you don't speak Arabic having a tour guide can be very helpful.
Jazan is a beautiful place and to really get the most from it, a tour guide can tell you a lot of information about the history and culture as you travel. As well as taking us to some beautiful spots that I had no idea about, our tour guide also arranged lunch for us as part of our trip and that meant we got to try all sorts of traditional foods that we wouldn't have even known about.
The ferry to Farasan is free and leaves just twice a day. It was a little chaotic going through security but knowing that someone had made the booking for us and had organised a boat trip for us on the other side made the day easy and enjoyable I can see that it could have been a stressful day and difficult if we had organised this ourselves.
Wadi Lajab was the highlight of my trip, however, if you are a novice hiker it may come as a surprise that there is a lot of climbing and wading, including a huge boulder to climb up with a rope ladder. It was a lot of fun but as you wander through it is impossible to not see the danger. It is important to be aware that wadi Lajab is closed when rain is expected to make it dangerous.
As someone who has travelled extensively around Saudi, exploring independently, I am so glad that on our first visit to Jazan we went with a guide who could help us really make the most of this area. It really is one of the most stunning and memorable places that I have visited in Saudi. You can contact the tour guide we used here: https://www.instagram.com/gizantourguide/
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