Saudi Arabia
when we started our adventure, we did not know how we could continue our journey once we reached uae. at that time, we had laboriously tried everything to get a permission to travel through saudi arabia to enter africa (a trip through egypt was also not possible as foreign 4x4 vehicles were banished to the country at this time point). one has to know that saudi arabia was not open for ordinary tourism, only for pilgrimage to mecca or for business. there have already been rumors that the country will probably open up and offer tourist visa. but nobody knew if this would really take place and when. therefore, we decided just to start and to assess our possibilities at a later given time point. we were still in iran when we had read for the first time about the announcement in the overlander community that saudi arabia will offer tourist visa from now on. and later this breaking news reached us from various channels. was this really true and the online application process that straightforward as promised? in fact, it was pretty easy and within one week we got our visa for saudi arabia. we were so amazed and very happy at the same time! only few weeks ago we could not imagine that we could proceed with the route as we had planned it. but we were always quite confident that a good solution will wait for us. our optimism was rewarded not only with the possibility to travel through saudi arabia and not to ship Flora to a port somewhere at the african east coast, but also by the great opportunity to get to know this beautiful country that is so much more than just heat and sand.
after a relatively short customs process of two hours at the border, we were warmly welcomed to saudi arabia by the customs officials and we happily entered a country that seemed untouched and a mystery for many travelers. by driving on endless seeming roads lined by ornate sand dunes, within shortest time we recognized that we were kind of rock stars of the roads: to belong to the first tourists in this country would have been extraordinary enough. but driving with a swiss plate number gave us a certain celebrity status, which was proofed by all the passing drivers, who joyfully freaked out and warmly welcomed us. in fact, we could not count on how many video recordings, pictures and social media channels we made it on in the end - and always with great joy and humility from our side.
not sure about the dress code regulations (no tourist guidebook about saudi arabia has been published yet), we had chosen the safe way and dressed up with a black abaya, scarfs and a traditional emirati thobe. but as we had reached our first stop, the oasis town al-hasa located in a rural region of east saudi, we got teached about the country’s loosened dress code regulations: scarfs are no longer mandatory, and tourists must just make sure to have their shoulders and knees covered. it was not this information that amazed us but rather the fact that even a small rural town was already aware about the upcoming invading tourism. al-hasa is an oasis town and not only famous for its palm trees and delicious dates but also for its al qarah mountain, which bears hidden caves out of limestone. there, we have got an excellence introduction into saudi culture and heritage from perfectly english-speaking students – another example how ready they are for tourism.
the way to riyadh was characterized by a picturesque desert landscape showing an impressive variety: from a rocky moon landscape to sandy dunes with colors ranging from white/yellow to saturated orange/red. when we arrived in the capital of saudi arabia, we were not only surrounded by huge building complexes, but also by multi-lane streets, which to cross resembles an act of suicide. and here as well: everywhere we passed, we were warmly welcomed, and our swiss Flora was hyped like a star. what really impressed us was this positive energy of change, which one could feel intensively. the change in society can be recognized by the fact that the first cinemas for the public have opened just recently, school classes are mixed since the current school year has started and by the government introduced event calendars like «riyadh season» offer tremendous attractions for the people. moreover, there was an omnipresent crackle in the air and to witness this was a unique experience for us. riyadh is not only the place, where everything is happening now, it also offers an impressive heritage like the al murabba palace, the al masmak fortress and its old town dir’iyah. due to preparations for the upcoming tourist attraction opening ceremonies, most of the sights were temporary closed and we were not able to visit them. no problem, a reason more to return to this marvelous country! as we joined a hiking trip to the edge of the world, saudi arabia’s stunning canyon, we got to know wonderful friends, in particular faisal, yazeed and ahmed, with whom we have not only spent this great day but also following moments in riyadh.
our 600 km trip from riyadh to ha’il turned out as one of the most challenging drives so far. we were not only accompanied by sandstorms, thunderstorms and - believe it or not - the very first rain since we have started our journey (and this in saudi arabia!), moreover we were suddenly confronted with a steering problem, which turned out as a defect at the panhard. by having temporary fixed it with a rope, we drove the remaining kilometers to ha’il, where we checked completely exhausted in to a hotel. it happened that we got recognized immediately by the receptionist because a friend had sent him a picture from us driving on the road without knowing that we would check in there later. and again, we were blessed by the saudis’ great hospitality: reda, the receptionist and car lover offered us his help. on the next day, he led us to his garage, where Flora’s problem got solved with a nissan spare part within shortest time. after the repair part was over, we were invited to arabian coffee and dates in the beautiful bedouin tent of reda, his brothers and cousins. it was a cozy get-together that was followed by an adventurous off-road ride through the desert by which we could improve our desert driving skills and where we have experienced an absolutely outstanding nature spectacle: rainfall in the desert! within a wink the sandy ground was floated by streams and waterfalls paved their way through the rocks. being into such a scenery was a tremendous experience, especially for nature lovers like we are.
after the rain was over, we stopped at a nice spot and got invited to a freshly cooked and very delicious dinner out in the desert. we enjoyed it a lot and are enormously grateful for the mutual exchange, the time together and this wonderful friendship.
our route brought us further northwest of saudi. and on the way to another spectacular landscape, where huge round-shaped rocks define the surroundings, we have passed hundreds of camel herds, which can be smelled already some meters before. they always impress us by their elegant appearance, calm behavior and wise expression on their faces. we love them a lot and we are never fed up by watching them. in the end of this driving day, we have got rewarded by another wise animal: the first elephant along our journey. indeed, it might be the tallest elephant on earth, and it is made out of rocks. by standing in the middle of the desert and enlightened by the sun, it exudes a mystical appearance. we have spent two nights camping there and explored the beautiful surroundings of another oasis town, al’ulah. unfortunately, saudi’s spectacular mada’in saleh («the petra» of saudi arabia) was closed because of the same reason as mentioned above.
while we were heading in direction to the coast of the red sea, again we have experienced massive rainfalls, which had turned the roads into torrential streams hardly to pass. we were always happy when we had successfully passed the water and also when we could watch the people’s happy smiles because of the rain.
we spent our last camping night in saudi directly at the sea and felt like a part of all the saudi families there, who enjoyed their weekend evening together. the saudi’s care about each other and their sense for unity and solidarity in their families deeply touched our hearts. on the way to our last destination in saudi, we stopped at a shopping mall in order to fill up the small storage of Flora. attracted by their spoken high-german, we started talking to a lovely family turning out as a saudi-german-italian couple with their twin girls, who previously had lived in germany. talking to these wonderful people was another eye-opening moment and we are very much looking forward seeing them again.
arrived in jeddah, our days were filled with duties like organizing our «household» inclusively laundry, ordering defender spare parts and most important organizing our ferry trip to sudan. and although we have used so much time in coping with the traffic there, we could still get a bit of the flavor of this open-minded port city with its international touch. fortunately, we also had the opportunity to meet ahmad, a friend of our friend melanie from home. not only did he recommend to us which places to visit in saudi, but also introduced us to his home city jeddah and to some tasteful yemeni food and gave us insights into saudi arabia's daily life. we are so grateful having met such an exceptional friend and travel lover too.
by having boarded the ferry boat from jeddah to sudan, an incredible time in saudi arabia had ended. we might have been the first overlanding tourists in this amazing country, and we are very delighted having had the chance to get to know it! we have experienced such an outstanding hospitality, enriching encounters and seen such incredible landscapes and treasures heritages. thank you so much, it was a great pleasure and honor for us, and we will certainly return!
