Jizan Coast & Farasan Islands — Work From the Red Sea

Morning

Fly to Jizan Regional Airport (GIZ, ~1.5 h from Riyadh). Check in at Coral Jizan Hotel on the Corniche — beachfront sea-view room. Settle in, connect your laptop, test the WiFi.

Afternoon

Afternoon kayak through the Jizan Mangrove Reserve (Al-Qahtani mangroves, 15 min south of the corniche) — one of the largest mangrove forests in Arabia. Watch great white egrets and Indian pond herons nesting in the root systems. Guided kayak tour: ~120 SAR pp.

Evening

Dinner at Al Mina Fish Restaurant (Jizan Corniche, dockside) — order the grilled hammour (Red Sea grouper) with charred flatbread and lemon tahini. Budget ~80 SAR pp. Fishermen unload the day's catch 15 metres from your table.

Morning

Balcony desk session (7 AM – 12 PM) — the Coral Jizan Hotel provides stable 4G+ WiFi on all sea-view floors. Daily housekeeping at 11 AM; request no-disturbance for morning.

Afternoon

Snorkelling off Jan Island public beach (10 min by taxi, free entry) — coral heads begin just 30 m offshore, home to parrotfish, angelfish, and juvenile reef sharks. Equipment rental: ~60 SAR.

Evening

Sunset boat trip on Jizan Bay (~150 SAR pp) — pod of bottlenose dolphins regularly appear near the reef at dusk. Book through the hotel concierge.

Morning

Morning government ferry from Jizan Port to Farasan Al-Kabir Island (2.5 h, ~25 SAR pp). Check in at Al Tayar Resort — the island's dedicated guesthouse with traditional stone architecture and sea-facing rooms.

Afternoon

Explore the Ottoman-era Governor's Palace ruins (Qasr Al-Rifa'i) — built in 1913 and recently stabilised for visitors. Walk to the Farasan Roman Inscription Wall where a 2nd-century Roman garrison left Latin dedications, bizarrely isolated 5,000 km from Rome.

Evening

Walk the deserted 3 km Farasan Beach at sunset — you may share it with migrating flamingos (Apr–Jun). Dinner at the guesthouse: fresh-caught kingfish with saffron rice.

Morning

Island work session from the Al Tayar terrace (7:30 AM – 11:30 AM) — intermittent mobile hotspot, prepare materials offline if needed.

Afternoon

Half-day reef dive with Farasan Diving Centre (~400 SAR pp, including gear). The Farasan Archipelago holds some of the healthiest undived coral in the Red Sea — staghorn and brain corals, hawksbill turtles, and schools of tuna.

Evening

Fresh crab and chargrilled lobster dinner by lanternlight on the island dock — the resort's kitchen sources directly from island fishermen each afternoon.

Morning

Chartered wooden fishing dhow to uninhabited Qummah Island (30 min). Snorkel the pristine outer reef — no boat traffic means undisturbed marine life. Bring your own water and reef-safe sunscreen.

Afternoon

Picnic lunch on a private sandbar (the dhow captain will prepare grilled fresh fish). Return mid-afternoon. Shaded work session at the guesthouse terrace café.

Evening

Stargazing from the Farasan beach — the archipelago sits in one of Arabia's darkest skies (Bortle Class 2). Zero light pollution from sunset to dawn.

Morning

Return ferry to Jizan (morning departure, 2.5 h). Check back in to Coral Jizan Hotel. Deep-work block (12 PM – 4 PM).

Afternoon

Jizan Heritage Village (Al-Qahma area) — traditional Tihama-style houses with distinctive fret-worked wooden balconies, painted in indigo and ochre. Al-Shada Palace, the former Ottoman administrative centre.

Evening

Farewell dinner at Bab Al Yemen Restaurant (Jizan downtown) — Yemeni-influenced Jizan mandi: slow-pit-roasted lamb over fragrant rice, served on a communal platter with sahawiq chilli paste. Budget ~100 SAR pp.

Morning

Early Corniche walk at sunrise — fishermen set up the daily catch stalls at 5:30 AM. Light breakfast at the hotel, then transfer to GIZ for your homeward flight.

Afternoon

Home.