Saudi Arabia: Sand dunes and the Edge of the World
- Where To Go Next By I&P
- Nov 7, 2022
- 2 min read
After a few days in Riyadh, we were very lucky to spend a night in the desert and visit the Edge of the World.
After a two-hour drive, we arrived at the beginning of the desert, between the towns of Marat and Rughabah, and had to stop to deflate the car's tires quite a bit to improve traction on the sand. And then we went for some very fun dune bashing!
Some tips we learned from our hosts and pro drivers when driving in the sand dunes:
When going up a dune, you need to make sure, before you reach the top, that you are able to see what’s on the other side - try turning slightly to your right just before reaching the top so you can see what’s ahead from the driver’s side; you may have to circle back and go up again once you know it’s safe;
Always cross the ridge perpendicularly to it;
If you need to park or stop, always do it on a slope or very hard sand to avoid getting stuck.
A couple of hours before sunset, we started setting up camp surrounded by nothing but dunes and absolute silence. We sat in front of a warm bonfire and ate barbecue salmon accompanied by some great music (Thank you JF!).
After an uncomfortably windy night in a tent (despite having an inflatable mattress and sleeping bags - yes, we are clearly more glamping than camping 😆), we woke up to a cool desert morning, a beautiful sunrise and even a few black desert beetles wandering around on the pristine sand.
After packing everything up, we headed towards a gas station to re-inflate the tires. We then went to visit the Ushaiqer Heritage village featuring a traditional village made of a maze of yellow mud houses and palm groves. It was much more authentic and wider than the one we saw in AlUla.
While visiting the village, we were invited by a friendly gentleman to visit his grandfather's house. We were offered dates, coffee and a story of how the village used to be.
While driving back towards Riyadh, we passed multiple deep canyons (called wadi as they used to be the bottom of rivers) and went up the high plateau where Riyadh is located. We could see our next stop in the distance: The Edge of the World.
The road to the Huraymila National Park does not go all the way up to the Edge, so we had to drive 20 mins off-road (with experienced drivers and big cars). But once we arrived, we were in awe of the view: majestic cliffs embracing the surrounding plains during sunset. We were like Simba watching from his cliff: everything the light touches is our Kingdom!
We ended the day with a crazy bonfire close to the cliff, eating delicious barbecue lamb chops.
Thank you so much to our hosts PM and JF that drove (crazy drivers!), guided and allowed us to be a part of this experience. We will always remember those moments in the dunes and at the Edge!
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