ITINERARY

Arabian Adventure
2003 Departures = March 14, April 4, Oct. 10, Nov. 7, Dec. 12

MUSCAT
Morning free.

Afternoon city tour.
Visit the walled city of Muscat, which in Arabic means "Place of Falling" and lies in a natural bowl formed by volcanic mountains. See the Sultan's Palace flanked by the twin forts of Mirani and Jalali dating back to the 16th century. Drive past the PDO complex. Stroll through the colorful Souk at Muttrah and along the waterfront Corniche.

Evening Welcome Dinner at hotel.

Afternoon East Salalah.
Drive along the coast to the ruined city of Al Balid, identified as the medieval town of Zafar. Proceed to Ain Arzat, a water source, surrounded by beautiful manicured gardens. Visit the ancient incense trade capital of Samhuram and the fishing village of Taqa before returning to the hotel.
Dinner at hotel.

Afternoon free.
Leave SALALAH in the early evening.
Arrive MUSCAT - HOTEL SEEB NOVOTEL

Leave MUSCAT by morning flight.

Leave Kuwait by evening flight.

NOTE: SUBJECT TO APPROVAL OF VISAS, otherwise Air Bahrain/Doha

Leave BAHRAIN about 8:00 AM by private deluxe motorcoach driving along King Fahd Causeway, to enter SAUDI ARABIA, to arrive at Al Khobar (about 3 kms from the end of the Causeway). We will stop for 30-45 minutes. Al Khobar is one of the biggest shopping zone in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia. We continue using highway towards Qatar, stopping at the old town of Al Houfouf. Al Houfouf is an old traditional town with one of the most interesting traditional and classical old shopping arcade. The shopping arcade displays very special old traditional Saudi clothes and silver, displayed in old Saudi style. Buffet lunch will be provided at a local restaurant and later we continue into:

DOHA

Morning sightseeing include the Falcon Shop, Sheep/Camel/Fish Markets, and the Old Souk.

Afternoon city tour including visit to the National Museum, and the Equestrian Club to view the famous Arabian Horses.

In the afternoon proceed for a city tour of Dubai.
We will see the Jumeira Mosque - a magnificent example of Islamic architecture, the Dubai World Trade Centre - the tallest building in the Gulf and the Bastakia area - the oldest part of the city, where we will see the wind towers which served as "air-conditioners' in bygone days. Next, we'll visit the museum housed in 150 year old Al Fahidi Fort.We then enjoy a ride across the famed Dubai creek in a local water taxi which is called "Abra" to see the bustling activities on the waterfront and move on to the "Deira" side of Dubai. This will be followed by a visit to the aromatic Spice Souq and the vast glittering Gold Souq where you can buy exquisite gold jewelry at prices lower than in most of other countries.
Dinner at our hotel.

DUBAI

A combined tour of Northern Emirates and East Coast is in store this day.
Passing by Ajman Souq - an impressive example of modern Islamic architecture. We also pass by the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain. On reaching Ras Al Khaimah, we start off with a visit to the Museum housed in an old fort. Then we go to the old part of town and later to "Nakheel" - the modern part of the town. Also pass by the fish market before leaving Ras Al Khaimah town. The journey towards Manama is particularly enjoyable as the barren land and the desert on the right sharply contrasts with the lush green farms on our left. We will stop briefly at the natural hot springs of "Khat". Driving on, we
proceed through the curved mountaineous route towards Fujairah. Lunch stop at Fujairah Hilton. After lunch, is the circular drive taking us through breathtaking scenery. Pass by the town of Khorfakkan which is famous for it's magnificent corniche and white unspoiled sandy beaches. Enroute, see the oldest mosque of Ottoman style at Bediyah. Next is the town of Dibba, interestingly divided into three
parts belonging to Sharjah, Fujairah and Oman. Enroute, pass by Masafi, where fresh water springs are located. Return to Dubai.

DUBAI

Proceed for a tour of Al Ain which is situated in the Eastern part of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This city has major historical attractions ranging from one of the first forts to be built by the Al Nahyan family over 175 years ago, to prehistoric tombs at Hilli, that are said to be more than 5,000 years old. We visit Al Ain Museum which is full of amazing excavated finds and culture artifacts. It is housed in the old fort where the father of Sheikh Zayed was born. Sheikh Zayed is the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of UAE. Our tour continues to the Camel Market where you could choose to buy one at a bargain. After lunch stop at the Hotel Intercontinental, we will proceed into an enclave of Oman - the truly enchanting Buraimi oasis where we can see an excellent example of the "falaj" system (the ancient irrigation system) and mud walled dwellings of ancient times. We also browes through the quaint little souq in this serene place. On our way back, we will visit the Hilli Garden and the amazing archaeological site where a village settlement and a burial ground dating back to over 2700 BC has been unearthed.

DUBAI

Morning Camel Races. (If Scheduled)

Proceed on a city tour of Ajman and Sharjah. We start with a visit to the dhow (Arabic boat) building yard in Ajman where the ancient art of building dhows is practiced today as it was hundreds of years ago. A short drive from Ajman will bring us to Sharjah - the cultural city of the Emirates. We stop at Souq Al Majarrah to see the unique golden dome with it's famous 12 zodiac signs done in intricate mosaic. On our way to the Heritage Village we drive past the Islamic Centre and Mosque, the Sharjah Clock Tower and Rolla Tree Monument. The Heritage Village is the old souq (market place) and it used to be the commercial centre of Sharjah. Today, the souq has been architecturally restored to preserve its cultural heritage. Here we will walk through the finely restored "Al Naboodah House" which is the biggest in this complex.

In the afternoon, proceed for a Dune Dinner desert safari in 4-wheel drive vehicles. This safari gives you a chance to discover the desert within a few hours. We will experience the thrill of driving up and down the golden yellow sand dunes in our 4-WD vehicles. We will drive past the camel camps, camel racing tracks and Bedouin villages, where we stop to photograph life in the desert. Driving over sand dunes our route leads to our camp-site which is in a serene enclave surrounded by sand dunes. An Arabic tent is pitched and a "Majlis" (sitting area on floor) is set up in the traditional manner to create the ambience. The sunset outlines the shrubs and bushes into black silhouettes. Enjoy a sumptuous Arabian style BBQ of various fresh meats and salads.

DUBAI

Early morning at leisure.
We leave from our hotel at 2:00 PM and drive to ABU DHABI. Visit the Petroleum Exhibition (if open) and proceed on a city sightseeing tour. Drive along the Corniche to view the gardens and famous fountains.

Enjoy a Farwell Dinner before transferring to the airport.

Cost: Land-$7,200 (sharing) + Air-$3,900 (from New York)

Note: B = Breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner