As one of the Forties for 40 challenges, I went on not one but two road trips that were over 440 kilometres!

Road Trip #1 Escape from Riyadh Road Trip: Camp, Climb, Freedive, Hike & Ride!

With three days free to explore my multi-talented friend and I set off on a unique road trip of Saudi Arabia that would cover almost 2,400 kilometres. Starting in Riyadh, the trip included a hike of the Wahbah Crater, horse riding at King Abdullah Economic City, freediving in the Red Sea, hiking and camping in the Moon Valley and climbing Moon Mountain to see the sunset – what an absolute blast, in the best of company.

This full-length video can be broken down into some component parts, as follows:

Hiking the Wahbah Crater:

Freediving in the Red Sea:

Sunset from the Summit of Moon Mountain:

Road Trip #2 to Al Ula, Hegra, Madain Saleh, Jabal Ikmah & Alfil, Dadan & Lihyan Kingdoms, Saudi Arabia

Whilst I had booked the necessary time off work, I did agree to dial into an important meeting. This was supposed to be easy with my mobile internet and having the huge rear bench to myself. However, there was a technical glitch and try as I might (as you see above) I simply could not connect and resorted to indirect supporting communication via telephone and WhatsApp.

During my struggle, we drove from Tabuk to Al Ula alongside what was the route of the Hijaz railway and the pilgrimage and incense route from Damascus to Makkah. The route took us past old Ottoman forts, the Hijaz railway lines and stations, magnificent rocks, geology and environments that are unique to this area of the Arabian desert.

We visited the Old Town in Al Ula and the ruins of the Dadan kingdom plus Hegra / Mada’in Salih / Madain Saleh – an archaeological site located in Al-Ula within Al Madinah Region in the Hejaz, Saudi Arabia and could well be the most iconic historical site in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Madain Saleh was listed as a UNESCO Word Heritage site, back in 2008. The majority of the remains date from the Nabatean era and it is the southernmost and second largest city of the Nabatean Kingdom after Petra in Jordan. Madain Saleh means the “cities of Saleh” after the name of the Prophet Saleh who attempted to convert the ancient people of Thamud to Islam. The name Madain Saleh started to be used during the Ottoman occupation of the Hejaz but the Nabateans called it Hijra and the Romans used to call it Hegra. The historical site is known in Arabic as Al-Hijr, after which a Surat of the Holy Quran is named. The site incorporates Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Arabic styles in its architecture and excavations have shown that the south of the city probably hosted a military garrison. The Romans participated to its development by taking control of the frankincense trade and by maintaining and even renovating parts of the city such as its compound walls. In the early 19th century the Ottomans built a railway station at Madain Saleh that was along the Hijaz Railway linking Damascus to the holy city of Makkah. This ground to a halt as a result of the second world war. The city was populated until the 6th century until the people moved to the city of Al-Ula.

Nothing I can say or write can do this place justice.

Specific video on Madain Saleh:

Massive thanks and respect to my friends Jack and Tom for their efforts and to Anwar for sharing her knowledge.

More information:

Dadan: https://www.experiencealula.com/en/di…

Hegra: https://www.experiencealula.com/en/di…

Jabal Ikmah: https://www.experiencealula.com/en/di…

Al Ula Old Town: https://www.experiencealula.com/en/di…

Jabal Alfil / Elephant Rock: https://www.experiencealula.com/en/di…