In addition to a leisurely Red Sea coastal drive there were two major attractions ahead of us in the southern part of Saudi Arabia – historic Rijal Almaa ( just west of Abha ) and, “Inshallah” ( god willing ) with the necessary permits, a visit to the edge of Saudi’s famed Empty Quarter, the Protected Area of Uruq Bani Ma’arid. First, we had to continue down the Red Sea coast for a few hundred more kilometres.

For reasons, we still can’t explain everyone suggested that Abha was the ideal jumping off point for a  Rijal Alma visit so following the necessary layover en route we made Abha our first port of call in the south. The drive down the coast was uneventful – unfortunately only part of the time were we actually on the coast, but when we were, it was a pleasant relief from the endless desert inland.  Once again we were surprised by the absence of just about anyone on any of the beaches, especially given it was a calm, clear and very warm day. It seems that beach-going is just not really a very Saudi thing ( when we did find what looked like a great spot with a little privacy, there was a massive sign saying “No Swimming”  😟). Perhaps it will be easier in Oman.

Abha is a nice, smaller Saudi city located at a relatively high 2300 metres ( 7,500 feet ) ASL- the much cooler weather at this elevation attracts many Saudi’s, especially in the hot summer months and they all know Abha. It actually wasn’t very busy at all when we were there, much to our surprise and delight. Continuing on our recent history of personal stumbles ( I’d had a badly stubbed toe in Jeddah ), Lois then put her back out shortly after we arrived in Abha. Two of the three days there she was mostly bed ridden ( but is all well now ). On our last day there we made the excursion to majestic Rijal Almaa – the  VisitSaudi website describes it better than I could: “This stunning village, with its vibrant stone buildings and unique architecture, showcases 700 years of history. Recognized globally as one of the best tourist villages, Rijal is a treasure trove of cultural tales and rare exhibits”. Located at the intersection of old trade routes and a layover for pilgrims headed north to Mecca, Rijal is history preserved – fascinating to walk around it, explore the museum and wonder at bygone times. It is  indeed, as the Saudi website says, very well preserved. 

An additional thrill in going to ( or leaving from ) Rijal is the opportunity to drive one of the Middle East’s classic road trips – the short, but spectacular “Rijal to Al Soudha” road. We did the uphill run ( to Al Soudha ) and it really challenged our little rental car – but was a ton of fun ! Al Soudha is in fact Saudi’s highest peak so driving anything on that road is a serious grind.

Having come across an article written about Uruq Bani Ma’arid by a young European couple we were hell bent on getting there. I already knew about the vast expanse of the Empty Quarter and wondered how and where we might best get to explore it during this trip to the Middle East – I figured this was as good an opportunity as any. In fact, it was probably better than any other since the necessary permits are issued free by the Saudi National Centre for Wildlife and they throw in a two hour 4 x 4 tour of the sand dunes along with wildlife spotting  opportunities – incredibly, also free 😳. Just something you do not see very often. My guess is that right now they are simply testing this place for a broader “payable” inclusion into Saudi’s list of better known and nationally supported attractions – they certainly seem to be putting the infrastructure in place to do so. It definitely deserves to be more aggressively promoted.

We had website issues in obtaining the necessary permits, followed by a series of emails that were not promptly addressed, followed by some back-and-forth on WhatsApp, and finally followed via a phone call to confirm that, finally, we had, at the 11th hour, been issued the visit permits. Now pumped to see it, I can only say we were not disappointed.

To put the location in perspective, I have attached a map of the region. We were already almost at the very bottom of Saudi Arabia, then had to drive due  east ( just above the Yemen border), literally out to the middle of nowhere. Not hard to see why so few people who aren’t already in the south actually come here. A solid one and a half day drive east of Abha and we were finally on the Ranger Station doorstep. Passports checked, vehicle checked, and then parked, we were escorted by Saeed, the Saudi guide to his new Toyota 4 x 4, for the included two hour sand dunes  tour. We’d have thought the experience was worthwhile if we just got to look at the huge dunes up close and perhaps saw one or two animals, but there was more. Given that we were only guests for the day I think Saaed gave us a little more time than usual, and gave us an incredibly memorable, 4 x 4 sand dunes experience – actually drove up and down dunes that we simply did not think possible – amazing stuff…! Sighting an Arabian Oryx is the holy grail of wildlife viewing in this park and while we didn’t see the elusive oryx, we did manage to see four gazelle‘s, the animal next down on the list. Hard to imagine how any animal can live out here when we were told that it actually never rains in this region. Apparently they get the water  they need from plants. As beautiful as it is, there would definitely be easier places to live if you were a gazelle ( then again there are no predators here )..!

The Empty Quarter touches Saudi, Oman and Yemen and is a massive expanse of barren, dry desert, famous for the windswept dunes such as we saw here. We won’t be going to Yemen but Oman is on the agenda so perhaps we may even get to see it again from the other side. We’d jump at the chance.

Beyond Uruq Bani Ma’arid we head generally back to Riyadh now and one last geographic ( geological ? ) Saudi attraction.

Till next week ….