ADVENTURES IN SAUDIA ARABIA

By : Hassan Zubair

Besides visiting Holy Sites of Saudi Arabia which are located in Mecca and Medina. Saudia has much more to feast your eyes. Muslims have sentiments attached to the place for numerous reasons. However there have been several adventurous experiences for a person to enjoy and make the trip to Saudi much more memorable. The overwhelming landscape with variable variety of tourist attractions makes it hard to believe that ‘Saudia’ is one country. The sand dunes of World’s largest desert, coral reefs carpeting the red sea and the impressive sandstone mountains makes one wonder for the precious gifts GOD Almighty has blessed this planet with. Those atheists who seek evidence for GOD’s existence need not read any old scriptures or books, instead they need to only look around them. If they have the eyes to see and heart to feel, there is no way that GOD’s presence cannot be seen or felt in the things around us. The sand and the trees are evidently enough for one to believe HIS existence.

Without further ado and going astray from our topic. The adventurous deep sea diving with hidden shipwrecks along the coast line of Jeddah and cycling expeditions in the mountains of ALULA need to be explored. Amongst many adventurous plans there are five most astonishing wonders, which intrigued our officials of iPak currently present in ‘Saudia‘ , are worth sharing with the World.

DIVE WITH THE RAYS AND SHARKS NEAR JEDDAH

The Saudi’s Red Sea is home to worlds most beautiful diving sites. The mild temperature of water is preferable by diver from around the world as it stays the same for entire year. In the depths of Jeddah’s coastal line lies the ancient ship wrecks which are spectacular to watch. Divers often mention the beautiful marine life in the depths of the Red sea where there are hammerhead sharks, moray eels and clownfish.

CAMPING IN RAWDAT TINHAT

Saudi is full of unexpected ventures. On a two hour drive up north  from Riyadh, there is a flourishing forest that lies on the edge of the desert. The dunes happen to be most staggering landscape for camping. However the months of October and November are worth camping because the winters of December are very cold and unbearably windy. Camp set up by the fire pit with a blanket to lie down beneath the stars is worth a-while and once in a life time experience.

ALULA’S SANDSTONE MOUNTAINS ON TWO WHEELS WORTH EXPLORING

The Sandstone Mountains of Alula are worth exploring. The mountains are located in the region of Medina. The eight mile cycling trail attracts adrenaline junkies from around the world each year. It is home to its first UNESCO World Heritage Site (Hegra Tombs). Alula is one of the oldest cities in Saudi. The sandy tracks and downhill slopes and peaks attracts archaeologists from the world to explore the oldest city of the World. The Sandstone Mountains are only accessible by foot or by a Bi-cycle. The hike to the peak of the ‘Alfath Mountain’ is an unforgettable experience with a startling view of Alula oasis.

THE HEART OF AL-WAHBAH CRATER

Amongst a few natural wonders of Saudi, the volcanic ‘Al-Wahbah Crater’ is almost two and a half-mile wide and 850 ft deep. The landscape almost feels like a film set . On a four hour drive from  Jeddah the crater is the most dramatic place on Earth. The descending track of the crater takes an hour to a pearly lake in rainy days . It take an hour to climb up and an hour to descend  but its worth the effort even though its a bit challenging. According to our exploration team the crater holds a beautiful picnic spot at the heart of the crater. However the view is admirably impressive and jaw dropping without question.

EMBARK ON YOUR OWN ADVENTURE IN THE DUNES

The dunes of Saudi are without a doubt dazzling landscape for desert rally racers. An ideal area where you can let your imagination run wild. When there is sand as far as your eyes can see, no doubt a racer would not be able to resist to test his/her skills on the dunes of the desert.  The highest of the dunes reaches up to 850 ft. Sand boarding, quad bikes and SUV’s are usually found in these dunes for unforgettable experience. The racing across the peaks and valleys of ‘Rub’ al Khali’ is an experience of a life time.