A fascinating trip to the Farasan islands.

It was Eid holidays again. Like the last holidays, we decided to go for a tour to some nearby place. And this time, we selected to make a trip to the Farasan Islands, located 56 km offshore from Jizan port.

We fixed the date of the trip as 03-10-2014, which was a Friday. 5 people were in the group and we started the journey from our accommodations at Baish at morning 6.00 a.m, in our pickup car. The destination was the Jizan seaport. We need to reach there early to catch the first Ferry to the islands, which will start its journey at 7:30 a.m.

When we reached the Jizan port office, it was a little crowded. Since it was a holiday, we can see lot of families in there, to catch the ferry. When the office opened, there was a rush & long queue, due to which we missed the 7:30 a.m ferry and got papers for the next ferry at 10 a.m.

There is no fee for the ferry travel. It’s free!  All you need is your identity card (Iqama/National ID/Passport) & vehicle registration card (istimaara). When you gave these to the counter, they will type these data into their system and give you the print outs, which can be used as the ticket. Remember that among the group, if you are the driver; inform it to the person sitting at the counter while giving the iqama & istimaara, so that they will print the vehicle details in your ticket.

Now we are going inside the port. Near the port departure office, my friends get down with their ticket and went inside for security checking & boarding. I took my car to the vehicle checking point, where the security person checked the vehicle and my ticket & iqama. Then I drive the pickup into the Ferry (which is practically a big ship) bottom parking area and parked at there. There is facility for parking 60 cars at same time, in the parking place of the ferry.

Then I went up the top cabin of the ship to join with my friends. It is a big hall with chairs & tables, and there is small counter which sells tea, juices and some snacks.

The travel time was around 45 – 50 minutes. Since the sea was calm and silent, the journey was without any difficulties.

Farasan Islands consist of a group of 86 islands and Farasan is the biggest Island among them.  During journey to Farasan Island, we can see lot of small islands. Some of the islands are just bare rocks while some are sandy and surrounded by corals. A number of uninhabited islands serve as breeding sites for large number of birds. In addition to it, it serves as a natural reserve for Arabian gazelles under the supervision of SWA (Saudi Wildlife Authority).

We reached the Farasan island port at 10:50.

There are 4 trips per day with the ferry. 7:30 a.m, 10:00 a.m, 1:00 p.m, 3:30 p.m. both ways.  So we should return to the port at minimum 3:00 pm, to catch the last ferry. That means, our stay will be limited to maximum 4 hours, which is not enough for a trip in the island. So we decided to take a hotel room, stay the night in the island and return back in the 10:00 a.m ferry next day.

After security checks, we came out and started our journey to the main city, in the pickup car. 

The main town of the island is Farasan City. In the city, near the market place, the office of the port situated, from where we can get tickets for our return trip. We searched a hotel room near the market place and finally found one with a daily rent of SR.200. (We can find normal hotel rooms at a rate from SR.150 to SR.500 at the city. There is one five star hotel is also there with name “Farasan Hotel”, which is very costly and meant for foreign tourists)

This spectacular island is blessed with a year-round moderate climate, variant weather and beautiful surroundings so travelers can relax and enjoy their visit. . It can be enjoyed throughout the year given its temperate weather in both winter and summer, which is mainly due to it being surrounded by water on all sides, and the contrast of temperatures between land and water.  Average temperatures in the summer reach 30°C (86 F), with humidity 66% in the summer and 77% in the winter.

Farasan Islands is one of the most picturesque marine areas in all of Saudi Arabia. It is rich in nature, wildlife and marine life, which can be experienced in the natural preserves or by diving into the depths of the sea to discover the beauty of its corals and variety of beautiful and fascinating creatures.

For those interested in diving in the Red Sea, there is no other better place to go. This is a relatively undisturbed area, untroubled by the pollution that affects large parts of the Saudi coastline. In the fish harbor near the city, you can find fishermen or travel agencies, which will take you to the smaller islands for sight-seeing or diving. The usual rate is SR.250 per person. If you go as a group, they will reduce the rate, as per increase in number of people.

Al Qassar Village is a main attraction in the Island. When we go coming from the port to the city, it is on the left side of the road. (You need to take a U turn in the road to go there)

Al Qassar Village is an ancient and largest village with a palm oasis. You will feel like you are in the sets of a Hollywood Period movie, when you walk through the village. Alongside the village is the Kedmi Site, with large geometric stones, mostly square-shaped and rectangular as well as stone remnants that largely resemble roman columns.

Ottoman Castle is a small old castle near the city and of archeological importance.

Located north of the region about 400m atop a mountain peak, this castle has a strategic military location as it overlooks most of the island’s coasts. Its walls are built of untreated stone coated in plaster, and its roof is made of palm fronds. 

The Gendal Forest is located north of Farasan Island. It is a loop-root mangrove forest with intertwining waterways and gulfs that offer a beautiful, scenic place for visitors. We can drive through the shore of these forests or travel in a boat.

There are lots of beautiful beaches in this island. We spend hours in many beaches, swim in the light blue water and took photos.

We drive tough out Farasan, to see the places and the visual beauty of the Island was really fascinating. It was very enjoyable.

We saw lot of constructions works going on many beaches, by the local government and tourist department. I am sure that within next five years, this beach will become a hot destination for international tourists, once all these facilities are completed.

The main tourist season is in April- May months, when the people of the Island celebrate the Hareed Festival. It is a key tourist festival in the region. Hareed (Arabic for Parrotfish) is a delicious type of fish, which is also called sea parrot by locals for its considerable facial similarities to the parrot. This type of fish comes into shallow parts of the coast and locals celebrate their arrival during April and May of each year. In April of each year, locals get ready for the arrival of Hareed (Parrot-fish), when thousands of the beautiful fish swim near the shore and paint a picture of just how much locals have maintained their marine customs and traditions.

We returned to the port next day at 9 a.m with tickets taken from the port office near the City Market. 10 a.m the ferry started its journey from the port & we reached the Jizan port by 10:45 a.m.

The tour to Farasan Island was really a good experience.