Wandering a city on your own can be a memorable experience, but exploring it with someone who holds deep-rooted knowledge of the place can unravel the tapestry of its past, present and future.
Riyadh's vastness and palpable energy can be daunting for both locals and newcomers. But, thankfully, the bustling metropolis is home to trained guides with an innate talent for transforming any ordinary visit into an adventure – bringing historical sites to life, revealing spots you’d otherwise miss, and telling stories to make you fall in love with the city.
For this piece, we met and spoke with two of the best tour guides in the city; they offer insights, anecdotes, and insider knowledge to help visitors delve deeper into the heart and soul of the capital.
Ali Al-Ailigi
Riyadh-based licensed tour guide
@manof_thedesert
If you’re looking for someone who can cater to a diverse array of visitor profiles, Ali Al-Ailigi is your man. With a penchant for travel, Ali’s guide journey started out as a hobby – taking relatives and friends on tours of the city. Then in 2013, he decided to become a certified guide, while simultaneously focusing on advancing his proficiency in English.
“I did not want to miss the chance on following my passion and embarking on this journey,” he says. Today, not only does Ali lead groups of wide-eyed visitors through the capital, he’s also known as one of the first tour guides in the Kingdom to work alongside corporations, curating tailored excursions for businesspeople, investors, and so on.
What to Expect
Ali’s angle is the captivating storyteller. As he sees it, “working as a tour guide doesn’t stop at historical and cultural sites. My work begins almost a year in advance, working alongside tourism and travel companies to design curated tours for different interests and with several locations included – to create a story.”
Usually, his standard trip begins in the heart of Riyadh, at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia. From there, tourists are taken on a journey to the city’s centre, stopping by Al Thumairi, Diriyah, and Al Bujairi.
For those looking to venture beyond the capital, Ali also offers Kingdom-wide tours, with places like Hail, AlUla, NEOM, Madinah, Makkah, and Jeddah on the itinerary. His shortest trip is a five-day tour and the longest can extend to two weeks.
“The importance of showcasing experiences and culture is that it helps tourists gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the places they’re visiting,” he explains. “Saudi identity is rich
with stories. If you can narrate this long history with accuracy and interesting details, and link it to
different parts in the Kingdom, you will correct the misconceptions of the region.”
For Ali, however, the most important destination in the Kingdom are its people. “Our hospitable character represents our culture and traditions. We are our own ambassadors showing visitors the essence of Saudi.
Tips for Travellers
- Keep your schedule light: To get the most out of your experience, avoid overloading your itinerary and stick to visiting no more than three locations each day.
- Be open to learning: Try new food and experiences, or deep dive into the culture by visiting local souks and even farms.
- Have a travel buddy: You’ll learn from each other, explore destinations that weren’t on your itinerary, and divide responsibilities to reduce any stress.
Tips for Tour Guides
- Educate yourself: To provide visitors with a well-rounded experience, a tour guide must stay up-to-date with local and travel culture, and explore different travel related social media pages.
- Get you license: In Saudi, this is issued by the Ministry of Tourism and is a key first step in your journey as a tour guide.
- Collaborate: Sure, they may be competition, but collaborating with other local guides can build you skills and increase your expertise, and can be an invaluable learning experience.
Faisal Al-Meshar
CNN-featured tour guide
@riyadhtours
Charismatic and socially dynamic, Faisal Al Meshar spent his pre-guide years showing people around his city and adventuring around the Kingdom, so much so that his close friends insisted he give a career in tourism a go.
“I remember back in 2015, someone had just arrived in the Kingdom and wanted to explore the city. I gave him a list and offered to take him around,” he says. Since then, the word has spread about Faisal’s skills, which led him to take visitors and tourists around Riyadh (at no cost), helping them to delve into its history and discover its landmarks. In 2018, his informal guided tours finally evolved into a business.
What to Expect
As a tour guide, Faisal offers an array of exhilarating experiences, including rock and mountain climbing, hiking, and camping in the desert or mountains. He’s even added scuba diving to his Jeddah tour. Faisal’s tour of Riyadh is a one-day affair, but his camping trips in places like Abha, Tabuk, and Jeddah span over two to three days.
The heart of Riyadh, where Al Masmak Fortress is located, is where Faisal ideally likes to begin his tours, allowing visitors to experience the old city. His guided tours are sprinkled with little-known stories and the history of Riyadh, revealing just enough to keep visitors engaged and excited about their next journey.
Although he enjoys the Kingdom’s many offerings, Faisal feels one of the most worthwhile visits to make is to the Tuwaiq Mountains. “It’s one of the most beautiful mountains, with a lot to see especially after rainfall. You get to witness magnificent waterfalls and picturesque views.”
Faisal believes the role of any tour guide “is to shed light on what Saudi’s history and culture looks like.
We want to inform tourists on how the Kingdom was founded by King Abdulaziz, and how our ancestors lived.”
Tips for Travellers
- Seek local know-how: For the best places to visit, reach out to travel agencies or local tour guides.
- Make a list: Jot down the places and activities you’d like to experience, so you have a clearer picture of how to go about your trip.
- Mingle with the locals: There’s no better way to experience the authenticity of a place – from its food to its culture and history – than through the eyes of its people.
Tips for Tour Guides
- Act like a local: Work on emulating local and cultural norms, such as the kindness and generosity of a city’s people, as you’re essentially an ambassador during your time there.
- Seek knowledge: Learn about the culture from local history books and Saudi historians. Valuable information can also be found on the Saudi Tourism Authority’s website.
- Go for it!: What’s great about being a tour guide is that you don’t need funds to begin, and there are always courses provided by the Ministry of Tourism.
