Top 13 Things To Do In Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter In The Summer

This article was published in the Destination Riyadh July issue! Get your DR copy at Danube, SASCO gas stations, Whites Pharmacy and all the major hotel chains. For a full list of the locations check the Destination Riyadh Facebook page

Things To Do In DQ In The Summer

1. Enjoy a fun day at the wave pool. The Sports Club outdoor pool area is definitely one of Riyadh’s hidden gems. A large wave pool, children’s pools, water slides, sun chairs in a garden setting and a restaurant offering healthy meals and fresh juices. What more can you ask for? Ladies and men’s days separately, membership required to enter.

2. Take a long unwinding walk on the nature trail that encircles the diplomatic quarters. The track can be accessed from anywhere on the parameters of the DQ. Along the 20km of the track, enjoy the wildlife, the breathtaking scenery of Wadi Hanifa and the cooling breeze from the valley and take a rest at one of the numerous shady parks along the way.

3. Enjoy an outdoor breakfast at Kindy plaza. Sit in the shade next to the cooling fountains and choose from a variety of different breakfast places such as Kudu’s, Diet Center, Quiznos and House of Donuts. Seating is open singles and families alike. Children and teenagers enjoy bicycling, roller skating and rollerboarding around the spacious plaza.

4. Visit the Prince Salman Science Oasis located off circle 4 inside the Sports Club facilities. The center offers interesting and fun activities for children and is a learning experience for the entire family. During the summer the center organizes various science courses for children.

5. Wander around the beautifully designed and lush gardens of the diplomatic quarter. Each has a unique design, indigenous plants and flowers, rest places, shaded walkways and playgrounds for kids.  All parks have attractive fountains to cool you down.

6. Visit the luxurious women’s only center Manahil for a day of pampering. In addition to the plentiful spa and salon services, Manahil offers a design shop, restaurant, gym, indoor pool, dancing and swimming classes for children and adults.

7. Dine in a relaxed and open setting at the Italian restaurant Scalinis, located in the Fazari plaza. Delicious Italian meals, abaya free area and no reservations required.

8. Take your bike out on the walking trail for an amazing work out with the best scenery in Riyadh! Make use of the numerous exercise stations along the track. Women can bicycle her freely without having to worry about their abaya getting caught in the wheels.

9. Feast your eyes on the eclectic and fascinating architecture of the Diplomatic Quarter buildings. World renowned architects contributed to the diverse albeit unique architectural style faithful to the Najdi region. Be sure to check out the Cultural Palace, Tuwaiq Palace on the edge of Wadi Hanifa, the Fortress America,and Kindy Plaza mosque and surroundings. From the embassies special mention goes to the Japanese, Ethiopian, and Indonesian embassies and the official residences of Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.

10. Play a game of football, basketball, cricket or any of your favorite sports at the Yamamah park located off circle 8. The park has a large and shady fountain area, various different children’s playgrounds, a large grass field, a soccer and basketball court, a mosque and a track perfect for walks and bicycling in the shade.

11. Enjoy the cooling breeze and fantastic views down to Wadi Hanifa with its hundreds of palm trees and historical Diriyah in the distance from the Annafel park. This park, located on the walking track close to Tuwaiq Kindergarten off circle 8 has three waterfalls and is the perfect place for a picnic!

12. Take horse riding lessons at the Al Aghar Equestrian club. The club also has a closed off poolside area available for renting by the hour, open to non members and families. Separate ladies and men’s days and family day is Friday.

13. Enjoy lunch or a refreshing drink on Riyadh’s only non- segregated outside terrace located on the plaza off circle 7. Choose your refreshments between Crepe World, Starbucks, Subway and Dunkin Donuts and sit under the cooling mists feeling worlds away from Riyadh’s hustle and bustle.

Riyadh's Hidden Gems-The Diplomatic Quarter Gardens

Riyadh's expatriates are always looking for new and exciting things to do on weekends.  There are many places in and around Riyadh which are mostly unknown to the public and expats. One of them is the Diplomatic Quarter parks, the most relaxing and serene places within the city limits. Clean, green surroundings, open spaces to walk freely in and let the children play outdoors are a rarity in the desert Kingdom. All this can be found in the Diplomatic Quarters, just a five minute drive from the Riyadh city center.

Here's my article on the DQ parks including directions how to find one of the most beautiful and scenic ones with plenty of activities for the little ones to enjoy as well.  This article was published in the Women's Skills Bureau February Newsletter:

Riyadh’s hidden gems-the Diplomatic Quarter gardens

The Diplomatic Quarters hosts some of the most beautiful, green landscape and fascinating architecture in Riyadh. The Diplomatic Quarters was built on the edge of Wadi Hanifa in the 1970’s as living quarters for diplomats and the embassy area. Today the “DQ” is like a Green Eden midst the harsh surrounding desert, its parks like a refuge from the pollution and noise of bustling Riyadh.

What many if not most expats miss from our home countries is being able to walk, those free open spaces and green scenery. All of these can be found in the Diplomatic Quarters gardens. The entire DQ is an abaya free zone and resident expats can often be seen in regular clothing here. Unlike the rest of Riyadh public parks, the DQ parks are well maintained and trash-free.

There are over 30 parks, deemed gardens in the DQ, scattered over the different residential areas and along the walking track. The track is about 20 km long and runs around the entire perimeter of the DQ. Views from the walking trail down to the Wadi Hanifa valley and its hundreds of date palm trees are spectacular. The edge of the wadi itself resembles a canyon, creating a stark contrast with the sea of palm trees below. In the distance, the palaces and mosques of old Diriyah can be seen.  All that can be heard is the song of birds and the sound of a cooling breeze from the wadi.

The gardens were designed by a group of international landscape architects, their aim to preserve the natural environment using only native plants and natural materials. The seeds for the plants were gathered in the deserts and then planted in the gardens and all around the DQ area. The idea was to create a sustainable environment keeping in mind the natural flow of water and the existing formations in the landscape.

All of the plants that have been used in the DQ parks are endemic to the Arabian peninsula. Juniper, Acacia trees, Aloe Vera, Jasmine, Fig trees, Jujube trees, Prickly Pear cactus, and many others. The gardens have different flowers in bloom year round.

The gardens have been designed to have something for everyone. There are tranquil and serene areas for a more peaceful experience as well as children’s playgrounds, football fields, basketball courts and skating rinks to please the more active visitors.

There are grass fields, fountains, picnic areas, pavilions, courtyards, benches, shaded walkways, private seating areas, beautiful fragrant flowers and interesting rock formations for the visitors to enjoy. Each park has a distinct theme in design and vegetation which makes discovering new parks interesting and rewarding.

What makes the parks even more relaxing is the presence of water. The countless fountains, water channels and waterfalls create a constant calming sound of running water. This is like music to the ears for Riyadh’s desert dwellers.  Every park has at least one fountain and the larger ones have sections of the park completely dedicated to different kinds of fountains.

For families with children these gardens make for an enjoyable day out. Children of all ages will enjoy the playgrounds which have everything from swings, slides and suspension bridges to imaginative climbing gyms. The grass fields are perfect for running around and picnics. The largest parks have mosques adjacent to them and all parks have toilet facilities.

The best time to visit the gardens is in the mornings or late afternoons when lots of children come to the playgrounds. They’re open all day and everyday of the week and open to everyone, free of charge. The easiest way to pass the DQ security is to say you’re visiting your embassy during working hours and on evenings the sports club or ladies spa there.

Here are directions to the “Al Aarudh” garden, one of the largest in the Diplomatic Quarters with three different playground areas, two fountain areas, a grass field and mosque. Enter DQ from the North gate (access from Mecca rd.) immediately after entering you will see roundabout number 1. Go around it so that you take a left (the third exit) and continue on this street which goes into Hajar residential area. Drive on this street past the Indian and Guinean embassies on your right until you see the walls of the garden and shortly after the entrance to the park also on the right hand side. Park your car anywhere on the street.

WSB Newsletter can be downloaded from here:
http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1107647512759-41/WSBNewsletterFinal-Feb2013.pdf

Rawdhat Khuraim- An Oasis In The Desert

The beautiful gardens of Rawdhat Khuraim can be found about 100 km outside Riyadh in the middle of the desert. An abundance of trees, bushes, birds and flowers welcome the visitor.

Rawdhat Khuraim is like a green oasis suddenly appearing from the desert. The area is so large that driving around it would take many hours. The best thing about this area is motor vehicles are not allowed inside. No quad bikes and suv's madly racing around! Just peaceful silence interrupted by only the chorus of the birds and sound of the leaves rustling from the wind.

Rawdhat Khureim is fenced all the way around and accessible by foot only. You must drive next to the fence and when you find a spot you like park your car and then proceed on foot. The further away you walk from the fence into the garden, the greener and quieter the area gets. Saudis usually stay close to the fence and don't walk further inside the garden.

The area inside is clean and free of trash, which is unfortunately a rarity for picnic places in Saudi. It's a lovely place to go walking, bird watching or just for a picnic and women can take their abayas off. On a weekday you can have the entire place to yourself.

The best time to visit the Rawhdat is during the cooler winter months and spring when the garden is in full bloom. The vegetation is green year round and many interesting plants can be found there. Migratory birds stop here and it's a bird watchers paradise.

After rains in the winter and spring months small "lakes" and streams form in the Rawdhat. This is when lots of Riyadhiens will come to the area for picnicking on weekends. If it gets crowded it's best to drive up North around the gardens, a trail runs next to the fence all the way around the area. A 4x4 vehicle is needed when driving on this trail!

Overnight camping is not allowed here and visitors should leave the park before 10 p.m when the rangers start roaming the area. Caution should be practiced when making open fires and visitors are expected to keep the place clean. Don't leave any trash behind and try to pick up anything you see. There are large trash cans outside the area.

Directions: From Riyadh take the Dammam highway (route 40E) toward Rumah. After about 40 km turn left to Rumah. Then drive another 55km and you will see signs for Rawdhat Khuraim on the right, just follow the signs and the gardens are easy to spot from the highway.
Turn towards Rawdhat Khuraim and by following this road you can the enter the park from anywhere you like, left or right hand side of the road. If you continue straight on this road you will reach the King's farm which is off limits to public and closed off with a large gate. To the left of this road the red sand dunes can be seen behind the garden.

For the most quiet places drive off to the right from the road, around to the back of the area beside the fence until you see a nice spot. The area is so huge you can drive for half an hour along the fence and still not see an end to the park. Alternatively you can go left from the road next to the red sand dunes but this place usually is more crowded because it's easier to reach. You can drive here with a normal car but if you wish to venture further you will need a 4x4.

 Warnings and tips: 
-Watch out for the thorny bushes especially at night. Don't wear flip-flops or crocs the thorns might puncture the shoes (believe me it hurts)

-It's best to leave the area before dark if your car is far away from you, carrying all the stuff back to the car in the dark is a nightmare (been there done that, see above)

-Don't take a strollers here that have air filled tyres, the thorns will puncture the wheels. Strollers with very small wheels might be hard to maneuver in the terrain. (pushing a stroller with flat tyres in the desert makes for a good work-out though)

-If you make a fire, use one of the fire trays that you can buy at all of the gas stations on the way to the desert. They are much safer. It's not allowed to use the garden trees for firewood so bring your own, it can be purchased on the road to the garden. (remember to bring a lighter so you don't have to rub sticks together  until your hands get blisters in them and then walk around the rawdhat looking for someone to borrow a lighter from and then get lost in the process and end up scaring your wife into thinking you got eaten up by some desert lizzards)

-Make sure you know where your car is parked. If you walk around and don't pay attention to your surroundings you WILL get lost. (not fun especially in the dark and carrying a baby, see part one)

-If you have children with you make sure they are wearing proper shoes like sneakers and long sleeve trousers. Don't let them out of your site they might easily get lost. (no need to call child protection services, we did not loose our kids there)

-Don't leave food lying on the ground, ants will soon take over your picnic. Instead, hang the foods packed in plastic bags on tree branches or keep them in the cooler. (ants especially enjoy climbing into opened cans of 7 Up in the dark)

-Don't play loud music here. It annoys the heck out of people who drove 100 km to enjoy the song of BIRDS not your crap. (includes watching loud Youtube videos from your iPhone)

-If you sit under a big acacia tree, check first if it has birds nests in it. You don't want bird poo-sauce on your sandwich (or any other food for that matter, trust me on this)

-Before you leave, try to check the weather forecast for sandstorm warnings. Check this post to find out what happened to us once: http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/2012/03/stuff-that-annoys-me.html

-Pick up all the trash you can carry out, do a good deed and you will feel good, promise!