• Watch the King's Camel Race in April or May during the national Heritage and Cultural Festival at Jenadriyah. The annual event is one of the world's most important camel races, with something between 20,000 and 30,000 spectators, plus 2,000 camels and riders.

• See the ragged, coral-coloured Ottoman buildings of the ancient city of Jeddah. Its hotels and restaurants are cosmopolitan and there are good fish and meat markets.

• Witness the astonishing landscape and wildlife of the Asir, a range of coastal mountains and the only part of the kingdom where there is significant wild vegetation. Baboon, gazelle and leopard inhabit remoter areas.

• Whilst in the region, see the ancient gasaba towers, the ancient caravan city of Qaryat-al-Fau, the great dam and temple at Najran.

• See an ancient saltmine in use. The 5,000-year-old one in Abqaiq is still in operation.

• Look around in Taif to see pink palaces in between the stunning cliff-tops. Such beauty and a mild climate have made this town Saudi Arabia's the official summer capital.

• View a picturesque settlement of fishermen and weavers on Tarut Island. It is also the site of the oldest town on the peninsula.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.