Saudi Arabia Overland Exploration - Coast to Coast: Dubai to the Gulf of Aqaba and back

[Anoop Nair]

Hi Ale @Ale Vallecchi The picture is amazing.

Are you going through Al Ula which is around 3 hrs from Tabuk I believe. I was there in Dec for a business trip (unfortunately not with the Jeep). The terrain was breath taking and really ripe for driving between the large rocks they have.

[Ale Vallecchi]

Day 3 - Edge of the World to Al Hait, via Al Hatima Crater (839 Km)

We have already told of the dramatic wake up of Day 3 (windstorm following a night of heavy rains). Having overcome the shock of such an unexpected and unbelievable weather, we set out to reach the Hatima Crater, near the small village of Tabah. Wadis were full of water, making crossings more fun than challenging, due to their relatively shallow depth. Huge bodies of water filled up, although for a likely short time, the lower points of the many valleys and plains we crossed. Dark and grey clouds filled the sky. A very unusual sight, indeed. 

After 557 Km of a rather boring drive (so far it seems that most significant sites in Saudi are separated by huge stretches of rather insignificant areas) the road finally led to an interesting, vast and green plain, with jagged mountains on one side, and what looked like low hills on the other. One dirt track led to the closest of these "low hills". At its end, as the track reached the top, an incredibly huge crater revealed itself, with an almost perfectly round shaped rim, and a small, reddish lake at its center. In the distance beyond, what appeared like at least another volcano, perfectly framed at the center of an opening in the crater's opposite rim. The lunch we had on top of this prehistoric looking place is one of the most memorable I ever had. Simply spectacular.

After driving on the rim for about one fourth of its length, we got back on the road nearby, headed for our overnight resting place, in the small town of Al Hait, from which tomorrow we will move to visit another volcanic area, and then on to Al Ula. On the way, in the spur of the moment, we took a detour into an area of big boulders and small rocky outcrops, off-roading along the canyons separating these masterpieces of erosion. A very fun moment of improvisation, which provided a perfect opportunity to admire an unexpected sunset. 

Just to make sure that we wouldn't get used to too many clear skys, as soon as dusk started to descend, dark clouds gathered again, unleashing more heavy rains in the distance on our left side, while an amazing lightning storm blazed in the direction of our final destination. Our day ended as it had begun, with another incredible downpour of rain and hail...... luckily just as we were reaching the hotel. 

On 4/16/2023 at 10:43 PM, Anoop Nair said:

Hi Ale @Ale Vallecchi The picture is amazing.

Are you going through Al Ula which is around 3 hrs from Tabuk I believe. I was there in Dec for a business trip (unfortunately not with the Jeep). The terrain was breath taking and really ripe for driving between the large rocks they have.

Yes @Anoop Nair. Planning to reach it tomorrow, and spend 2 days around there, including off-roading. Will tell you how it goes.

[Ale Vallecchi]

First of all, yes ..... I am still alive. Simply, I had not expected to have such hectic days, so packed, and going through relatively remote areas, that I would not have time to recount the events of the day. Now that I am finally back, I have the time to relive, with you, the highlights of the past days.

Day 4 - Al Hait - Al Ula (537 Km)

A sunny start of the day saw us driving across a huge field of lava stones, clearly announcing the approaching of a significant group of volcanoes, strung along a semi-circle, just a few kilometers off a secondary road to Al Ula. As the stones turned to gravel, under the effect of prolonged erosion, the plains at the foot of this ring of volcanoes revealed itself, reddish black as the color of lava, and stunningly green as the color of the thin grass that carpeted the valley, after the heavy rains.

After a coffee break on the lush yet barren plain, we launched on a 60 Km. off-road exploration of the volcanos. As we were driving in a clockwise direction around the edges of what appeared as different lava flows, we realized that the lava was actually all part of a giant eruption, that may have lasted years, if not decades, coming from the tall black volcano looming to our right. The goal was to reach and climb the most "advertised" site in this area, the so called "White Mountain", which we reached just as the black crusts of lava ended at its base. It was indeed a whiteish looking mountain, with a flat top, and no lava whatsoever either on its slopes or near its base. As we climbed to the top of the plateau, we actually landed on the rim of what appeared as a volcanic crater, with a small hilly outcrop at its center. The color of the rocks was white with pink hues, in stark contrast with the black mountains surrounding this site. A closer, even though hasty, analysis of the mountain's material and layout of its visible layers, completely devoid of any volcanic origin, led to the conclusion that this must have actually been an impact crater, pre-dating the volcanic activity which laid at its feet, in relatively more recent times, the huge lava field we had just crossed, originated from the huge black volcano. Done with the geological survey, we proceeded to complete the drive of the entire rim of this incredible White Mountain, drawing a perfectly circular track on the map, before descending its slopes, and crossing, once again, the huge black lava field. Just before exiting on the original dirt track, we detoured toward a gap between two tall hills, where we found a beautiful herd of black camels enjoying the fresh green grass, pasturing on the rims of another beautiful, smaller, crater, hidden from the view from below. Another spectacular site, with an unspoiled, almost pre-historic look and feel.

Back on the main road, just in time to avoid yet another burst of rainfall, we headed toward Al Ula, a couple hundred kilometers away. After refueling, having noticed the first signs of the red, boulder shaped, outcrops that have made this area famous (actually, common to a great deal of the vast expanse from here to Wadi Rum in Jordan), we detoured, to enter one of its canyons, beginning what turned out to be almost 100 Kms of off roading, along the wadis and small valleys separating the broken massif. 

Having spent the last part of the afternoon off-roading just south-east of Al Ula, we reached our destination well after sunset. Another day full of surprises, the highlight of which (and with hindsight, perhaps of the whole trip) was the huge black volcano's immense lava flow spreading its wings and hugging the base of the incredible White Mountain. An unreal testimonial of ancient times of upheaval and dramatic change, and a stunning reminder of Mother Earth's immense power.

 

[Ale Vallecchi]

Day 5 - Al Ula Exploration (114 Km.)

As one of Saudi's most developed tourist destinations, with direct flights reaching it twice a week from Dubai, it'll be much easier to find a commentary on Al Ula's beauties, natural, archeological and architectural, on guidebooks, or traveler's blogs. 

I'n terms of off-roading, Al Ula is no longer the "free for all" paradise that apparently was until just a few years back, as most of the areas surrounding the old town, the archeological sites and many of its monumental rock formations and canyons are now fenced off. Therefore, our day was spent mostly visiting the UNESCO Heritage Site of Hegra, with its Nabatean tombs, and the ancient city, which is the twin sister of Petra, in neighboring Jordan. We enjoyed a relaxing lunch in the gorgeous Habitas Hotel, splendidly located in the secluded Ashar Valley, with a guarded access, where 3 luxury facilities are nested between the red canyons. The afternoon went quickly by, with a very leisurely off-road drive dedicated to finding a nice camping spot in one of the canyons north of Al Ula. 

The whole area is an amazing labyrinth of red rock cliffs, made of extremely weathered and oxidized sandstone, with honeycombed walls, where the alternation of wind and rain erosion has carved niches and ledges alternating throughout their length. Wadis, mostly dry in spite of the recent heavy rains, have cut their way through the rocks, while the winds have created dunes on the windward side of the canyons.

We finally decided to stop on one of these dunes, overlooking a small "oasis" at its bottom, the wadi just beyond, and the opposite walls of the canyon starting to glow red from the sunset's light. An idyllic campsite, where we took all the time we needed to stretch, relax, set up camp, and prepare a light but succulent dinner, next to a crackling campfire. A most relaxing day indeed. 

[Benjamin]

@Ale Vallecchi I’ve been following along your off-road diary and it’s truly amazing some of the things you have seen especially through the eyes of a camera lens  enjoy the rest of your holiday! 

[JeromeFJ]

Thank you @Ale Vallecchi for sharing this amazing trip! The narrative and the photos are a great incentive to discover more! I'm sure you will have more beautiful photos after sorting them. Let us know if you can put a few of them on a shared drive or gallery.

[Ale Vallecchi]

Day 6: Al Ula - Wadi Deesah (263 Km.)

After waking up in The Tent with a View, we headed further North-West, toward Tabuk province, with the goal of reaching a fabulous wadi, located just past the small village of Al Deesah. The two-lane road climbs a plateau, on very uneven surface. From its top, as the road descends, a dramatic scenery unveils one turn at the time: successive mountain ridges outlined against the light, fronted by a wide wadi dotted with savannah-like vegetation, and a thin, low lying, layer of dust, lifted by the blowing winds. A stunning, wild view, of a prehistoric, scorched land awaits us at the bottom of the plateau.

At the bottom, we follow wide riverbeds, cross a few patches of sand, and finally reach the last of the canyons, before its ending just at the beginning of a narrow opening, from which palms trees and flowered bushes loom colorfully. That's where the tarmac turns into gravelly sand, and the track dives deep into the canyon, with walls getting closer and closer. 

It's a scene from Jurassic Park, or Indiana Jones, with the scenery that changes at every turn of the road, alternating palm groves with reed fields and pink oleanders. The surface of the track goes from wet gravel to soft dry sand patches, to water filled pools and narrow lanes. The wall of the canyon, orange red in the sunset light, open up just before closing in again, at some points forcing the car into narrow tunnels, almost completely covered overhead by protruding rocks. While one could expect a small dinosaur to pop out of the papyrus at any moment, we only manage to encounter the occasional goat herd. 

At the end of the Wadi, the road opens up into a much wider riverbed, quite rocky and devoid of vegetation. At this point we turn around, trace our tracks back to the village of Deesah through the magic tunnel, that manages to show yet another version of itself, thanks to the light striking from the opposite angle as before, thus changing all the previously soft hues into sharp contrasts.

As the clouds started to fill the sky again, and raindrops started to fall, we decided not to camp, and found refuge in a local farmhouse, where locals usually rent 2 spacious rooms to stranded (or lazy) travelers. With that, we ended a very relaxing day, filled with the memory of this primitive yet exotic wadi still very vivid.

[Simon D]

@Ale Vallecchi thank you for sharing with us these marvellous pictures and experience.  enjoy the rest of your trip.

 

[Ale Vallecchi]

Day 7: Wadi Deesah - Tabuk (419 Km)

By far, the most spectacular day, with the most astonishing views (that no photo can encapsulate), and with the most off-roading of the whole trip. 

After leaving our shelter, in the farmstead at the entrance of Wadi Deesah, we had the pleasure of taking our breakfast under a sunny sky, in a small palm grove just on the side of an imperceptible sand knoll, between the red canyon's walls, surrounded by oleander flowers, chirping birds (and the occasional bleating goat). Omelette and coffee, brewed with our faithful Bialetti moka, put us in the right mood to start the day, blessed by yet another crossing (the third) of the fantastic wadi, to finally exit on a narrow road, climbing the heights of the plateau that divided us from the Tabuk plain. In the outskirts of Tabuk we did the last shopping of fresh eggs and drinking water, before heading West, along Road 8784. Just before reaching the village of Bajdah we turned right into the sand and tried to proceed undeflated (as we had managed to do most of the time, so far, on the wadis floors and on the hard, rain packed sand) only to discover a super soft, almost powdery yellow sand, that got us stuck, and demanded deflating to not more than 11 Psi. 

From here, first stop the so called "Two Arches", a pair of rock arches on top of each other, at the top of a short climb, through which an immense expanse of red rocks, strewn on yellow, red and white sand, opened up as if from a spaceship's viewing deck. We had a quick lunch at the bottom of the Two Arches, on their wind protected side.

With that done, we begun an exhilarating cavalcade on the vast plains, into a red sand canyon snaking its way through a vast plateau, then out again around succeeding sets of very tall slip-faces, each hugging the side of one of the plateaus that seemed to come at us, one after another, separated by white, very flat, mud-cracked plains, lurking past the hard-faces of each giant dune. Safety required that we drove our way around these huge dunes, and yet this took nothing away from the thrill of the drive. Occasionally we managed to drive the ridges of fatter, flatter dunes, descending sharply from them onto the mud-cracked plains. 

After four hours of this marvelous adventure, we found a magic site to camp, just at the entrance of a deep, very narrow canyon, protected from the wind by the warm sides of a red cliff, and still with a perfect sunset view, through the canyon's entrance, looking onto a dune to the west. 

With a sense of wander and awe, we cooked, chatted, and prepared to go to bed under the stars, in the deep, deafening silence that only the desert can offer.

[Ale Vallecchi]

Day 8 - Tabuk - Tayma via The Red Sea at Al Humidah (673 Km)

Excited and energized by the exhilarating off roading of the day, over dinner we started toying with the idea of extending the trip to the ultimate arrival point: a small village on the Red Sea, just a few kilometers south of the Jordanian border.  This would materialize a true "coast to coast", from the shores of the Arabian Gulf to the beaches of the Gulf of Aqaba. Unplanned, thus even more satisfying. It would take a detour of around 150 Km round trip, on Road 394, after a couple more hours of off-roading needed to reach the tarmac from our campsite, inside the Tabuk red sands. 

 After waking up at the entrance of the canyon where we slept, we took a short trip to explore its depths. The gorge got tighter and tighter, with the red walls closing in above our head. About halfway through its length a bottleneck blocked the passage of the car, but a few steps beyond the gap the tunnel fanned out, ending up in a small oasis, full of trees and flowers, reachable by car from an entrance on the opposite side. After less than an hour enjoying the coolness of this miniature paradise, we finally decided to head to the coast. Off we went, to the Red Sea.

A long climb took us to the top of the plateau on which, further to the south, one of the Neom project's landmarks will soon be developed (Trojena, on the slopes of Jabel al Lawz). From there a gentle descent took us to the rim of the mountainous area, and as soon as the road begun to descend more steeply, it revealed, firstly through the haze, then clearer and clearer the blue stripe of the waters of the Gulf of Aqaba, and the dark cliffs of the Sinai Peninsula, just a few kilometers beyond. At the end of the road laid the small village of Al Humidah: going right we would reach the Jordan border (just 38 Km away), while going left we would follow the coast, all the way to the southern tip of the gulf. Left we went, to reach a rocky and sandy beach, where we enjoyed a quick lunch, feet in the water. 

The stop was more symbolic than anything else, but it really gave us a sense of accomplishment. Going back home would entail driving a direct distance of 2,485 kilometers. With this daunting task in mind, we started to head back to the initially intended rest area for the night, in the town of Tayma, which we would reach just after dusk. As memories of this so far fantastic trip started to flood back, we happily turned around, heading for the center of the Arab peninsula, and to our final destination, back home.