Google review
Me and my wife traveled from Bahrain to see Al Hofuf and obviously the Al Qara Hills/Al Qarah Mountain/Jabal Al-Qārah/Al-Shabaab Mountain (since many people seem to be posting pictures these days). It was the last stop during our journey to Hofuf and we decided to see it at night with all the lights (which we are glad we did).
We got there at around 6pm. It was a little difficult for a first timer to understand where the entrance is. So we did the obvious by following other visitors and saw the entrance sign. Once we got inside, there was no signage saying where to go next. On the left, I saw something like a reception desk and went and asked them if I can get tickets from here. Unfortunately, both men were not too good on eye contact however, they were respectful and addressed me as sir. I had heard that the per person charge is around 6 Bahraini Dinar but was a bit surprised when we were charged 150 Saudi Riyal in total which is about 7.5 Bahraini Dinar per person. I was kinda expecting a guided tour for that price tbh!
Anyway, once I made the payment, we were told to go up the stairs to the next floor (there is a lift available for those who need). When we got to the next floor, there is a security personnel who inspects your ticket and tells you which way to go. We go through a door and that's when the actual tour starts. The first few rooms are all ancient artifacts. It would interest those who are really interested in history (don't go with over expectations). Most of the artifacts have explanatory writing beside them (English & Arabic) and some of them don't have any writing sadly.
Once you are through 3-4 rooms of artifacts, you then walk into an open pathway which leads you to the hills and caves. This pathway is beautifully lit up. We then proceeded to the hills and then to the caves. All throughout, it was well lit up in multiple colors which added to the beauty of the hills. The caves were lit in one color to make the navigation easier. You do not feel any suffocation (for those who are claustrophobic). In fact, it felt cold and a bit windy as we walked through the caves/in between the hills (we went during mid-March).
The overall sight-seeing took about 1 and half hours (considering all the photos/selfies).
What we liked:
- The lighting of the pathway, hills and caves (night-experience was worth it).
- Neat and clean
What we didn't like:
- Our journey to Al Qara Hills wasn't that exciting. Had to take inside roads that didn't really look too tourist friendly.
- Surprisingly, we didn't notice we got there until we were right underneath it (night experience).
- There were no staff around to explain what some of the inscriptions on the hills or some caves signified. So it felt like we were blindly looking at huge random rocks and never understood what it meant.
- The pin drop silence was killing us. It would have been great if they played some light Arabic instrumental music in the background. All we could hear was silence until we reached the restaurant at the end.
- Expected a tour for the price we paid. Only wow factor by the end was the high price. There was a restaurant that was serving buffet at the end of the tour and I walked up to the reception and asked if that was included in the ticket. Sadly, it was a no :(
Was it worth the money: Nope. It was a good drive for those who enjoy that.
Overall: One time visit. Go with low expectations. Recommended time to visit is night time (lights add to the beauty of the place).
