Saudi Pioneers Landscapes Adventure

Our 8 night Saudi Landscapes Adventure explores the stunning beauty of this incredible land.  A goldmine for geologists, a paradise for photographers or for those with an adventurous spirit, a playground full of undiscovered cultural and historical treasures. 

Saudi has only recently opened up to tourists and few have ventured there. It will be unfamiliar territory for most travellers but Marina and her local guides will navigate you through the historical, cultural and physical landscapes to ensure that you return with a lifetime of treasured memories. 

• Approx 2000 kms – mainly on backroads with daily offroad forays
• Estimated 30 hours behind the wheel
• 2 Nights at a 4 or 5* hotel
• 1 night at a private villa with exclusive use for our group
• 1 nights at 4* hotel apartments
• 4 nights wild camping
• No previous offroad driving experience is required.
• Minimum 8 full price adults (driver/passenger 1)
• Maximum 8 guest cars/12 full price adults.

Tour Dates

Sunday 5th February – Monday 13th February 2023 (space for 3 cars/6 people)

Meet in Medina before 6pm on Day 1, Arrive back in Medina late afternoon on day 8 for an overnight stay.  Tour ends after we have breakfast on day 9.

Travelling to Medina

Our Saudi Pioneers Landscapes Edition starts and finishes in the ancient city of Medina.

Guests who are joining us from overseas can fly from Edinburgh, Manchester, London and also many other European cities with a number of airlines, including Emirates (our favourite) .  There are also daily flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat.

We will give guests who are travelling from the UAE/Oman with their own vehicles, a recommended route with suggested stops and tried and tested accommodation options.  The main road from the UAE to Medina is predominantly highway with speed limits of 120-140kph.

Day Two launches our adventure as we leave behind the city lights. We’re off to Yanbu to pay a visit to the home of Lawrence of Arabia which has now been restored. We’ll discover other century old buildings that are undergoing conservation and get a feel for a bygone time in the old quarter. 

Next, we’ll take an offroad route around the shore of the Red Sea to visit the mangroves just outside the town and enjoy a short refreshment break. 

We’ll setup camp in the wadi close to Jebel Khayshum and enjoy a barbeque supper around the campfire. 

Waking up surrounded by imposing red rocks, we will have breakfast then spend some time exploring the rocky outcrops and sandy valleys, before getting back on the tarmac.  If time allows, we’ll stop at a small private Saudi Museum, before continuing on to the area’s major city, Tabuk.  We will overnight in the 4* Holiday Inn and have dinner at a local restaurant. 

After a hearty breakfast we will continue on the track, emerging near the village of Abu Rakah.  A visit to Mushroom Rock is an absolute must, marvelling at the natural forces that shaped this rock and its nearby neighbours. Now heading towards  Al Ula,  we will endeavour to do a little off-roading enroute, and hope to be in the city by mid-afternoon, giving you 3-6 hours of leisure time.  We will have dinner down in the Old Town, before retiring for the night at a nearby villa, which is hired for our exclusive use.

Today is the last day of our tour but we stil have some amazing sights to share with you.  Leaving Khaybar early, we will journey to the White Mountain Park, where we will spend some time exploring the black and twisted Lava fields. An easy hike through this amazing volcanic area will give ample opportunity to wonder at the eruption that created such a landscape. 

Before we head back to Medina, we will visit the Al Bint Dam, the best in a series of dams in the Khaybar areal, hinting at a lost land where water flowed and communities thrived. 

Our tour ends in Medina with an overnight in a carefully selected hotel to the east of the city.  Our farewell supper will be in lovely Saudi restaurant