Desert safari The Excitement and Intrigue of Arabia's Great Outdoors

The claim that Saudi Arabia is one of the great travel destinations of the Middle East may raise eyebrows among the many current and ex- OFWs now based in the Kingdom; but for me, it's a fact.

I know that "must sees" on a weekend in the Middle East include Egypt's King Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings and the pyramids; Jordan's City of Petra, and the great deserts of Arabia.

Most people, including OFWs based in this region, take a break from the solemnity of visiting an Arab Islamic country to have some sun and fun at Red Sea resorts. Some take advantage of the region's rich biblical history and climb Mount Sinai.

A few phrases in my personal Riyadh guidebook caught my eye: "Arabia's desert is a world of desolation and beauty . . . and a safari into the open desert beyond the oases is one of the last great adventures to be had in this region."

That was it, I was hooked! Luckily, it didn't take much to convince my friends. There is something about deserts which has a peculiar hold over our imagination and they don't come any more evocative than the Arabia's deserts. Having drawn such eminent explorers as Wilfred Thesiger and Bertran Thomas, and fed some of the finest pieces of travel literature, the Arabian deserts are home to everything that is curiously different to those who don't live there - sand dunes as if sculpted by an artist, an abundance of solitude and the fleeting footprints of nomads and camels.

We merely dipped our toes into that vast sea of sand, so to speak, but it was such an exhilarating experience that I have difficulty picking out the highlights of our two-day desert trek.

hours were spent enjoying the camels as the nomads took the herd to pasture. Other hours were spent hiking around the camp site.

It's a fact

Over 95% of Saudi Arabia is desert or semi-desert. The country is home to some of the largest desert areas in the world, including the Al-Nafud desert in the North and the Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) in the south and southeast. The ideal time to go on a desert expedition is between November and February when the summer heat is over. From mid-April until October, you'll swelter under average daily temperatures of more than 40 degrees Centigrade, with high humidity.

Traveling from the capital city of Riyadh

Although most of the deserts at the east of Riyadh is uninhabited (and outwardly uninhabitable), there are some oasis towns. The oasis towns are linked by a well-paved, albeit sparsely traveled road. When you leave those oasis towns, you are overwhelmed by the desert's totality. Some areas are dominated by glorious sand dunes, evocative of movies such as "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The English Patient." Others consist of gritty expanses of pebbles and rocks that stretch to the horizon, lacking any romance or adventure. Often, the terrain is somewhere in between. And then there is the red desert, where magic takes over.

Surreal Evening

"Oliver, wake up," my friends muttered. It was 7 in the evening, somewhere in the red desert, about 30 minutes off the paved Riyadh-Dammam highway via four-wheel drive. I was inside a thin sleeping bag. I had awakened, perhaps from the cold. And then I saw the stars.

Living in Manila for several years, I would get excited on those all-too-rare nights when the city lights were not powerful enough to drown out the Big Dipper and the North Star. Yet, here in the desert, stretched above me, was a group of stars. Sleeping under desert stars is a rare chance of a lifetime. I forgot the cold and burned my eyes into the sky, hoping to permanently preserve the memory of this starlit night.

Fast Facts

Desert safari in the Arabian peninsula require more planning than other trips - partly because of language and cultural issues, partly because of heightened security. My friends had been to many desert safaris as teenagers and adults. As a result, I felt safe and comfortable. Many people, especially Westerners, opt for guided tours, whether by van or 4-wheel drive. For comments and suggestions, kindly send them to [email protected]