Self-drive tips for Saudi Arabia

Hello, we are Amy and Jeroen, in our thirties who traveled the world for a year in 2022. Not with a backpack, but with our self-built 4×4 van with which we made a self-drive. We spent a large part of this trip in the Middle East, including 7 weeks in Saudi Arabia. A country that wasn't really on our radar beforehand as a cool travel destination, but that surprised us in an incredibly positive way!

Hospitable locals

Why we enjoyed our time in the country so much?
We would really have to start with the people - because of how warm-hearted and hospitable they are! Hardly a day went by when we didn't hear the phrase "Welcome to Saudi". Sometimes this resulted in a short chat and a photo together, but more than once the chat ended in a joint picnic or even an invitation to people's homes. For example, we stayed for two days at a luxury farm where we learned how to grow crops in the desert and Amy taught the women of a Bedouin family to "dance" the polonaise. So that part of our concerns - about how Amy would be treated as a woman here - turned out to be completely unjustified. Of course in the Middle East they have partially different norms and values than we do, but in our experience the locals accept and respect the choices we make - as long as we don't condemn theirs either.

Here is our first tip for a trip through Saudi Arabia: Accept invitations from locals. Have tea with them and show interest in what their lives are like. That's how you really get to know the country!

Impressive diverse nature

Another - unjustified - prejudice we had is that nature would be "boring. After all, what is there to see in a country that is 95 percent sand? As it turns out. A whole lot! First of all, the desert itself is a lot more varied and alive than we had expected beforehand. Driving through the beautiful rock formations in the Hisma desert is a totally different experience than tearing across the soft sand dunes in the Rub al Khali (translation: "The Empty Quarter"). After several adventures in the desert, we felt almost Bedouin ourselves: deflating our tires (for more grip in the loose sand) became a daily routine, and we found out that the best way to find firewood is to dig next to the roots of small plants. But in addition to vast deserts, Saudi Arabia also surprised us with its green mountains in the southwest (where wild monkeys tried to steal our food from the bus) and long beaches where we used our snorkels to find beautiful coral off the coast. And did you know that the country has more than 2,000 (dormant) volcanoes? A wonderful off-road route allowed us to drive our bus right up to the edge and sleep there. Because that is perhaps the biggest advantage of so much (untouched) land: an endless supply of beautiful places to wildcamp!

Tip #2: We understand that not everyone has the time and space to drive all the way from The Netherlands to Saudi Arabia. However, we really do recommend renting a 4×4 in Saudi Arabia and bringing a tent with you. Explore the vast landscapes by yourself, spot the most beautiful rock formations and enjoy the peace & beautiful starry skies!

Pioneering in Saudi Arabia

On the days when we did get quite done with all the sand in the bus, fortunately there was also plenty of (ancient) culture to explore. Even though the current kingdom was only founded in the 20th century, there are many well-preserved remains of previous inhabitants to be found. For example, we wandered among 10,000-year-old hieroglyphics in Jubbah and admired in the old center of Jeddah the Ottoman-style houses. But the most impressive thing in this list, is the legacy of the Nabataeans: nomadic people who made a fortune 2,000 years ago trading in incense and built a kingdom among the steep desert rocks. Their capital was the well-known Petra in Jordan. But did you know that the second city of their kingdom - Hegra - is located in present-day Saudi Arabia? These tombs are (at least) just as beautifully preserved - due to an ingenious drainage system - but much less frequented by tourists. This allowed us to admire them in peace!

Tip #3: What made our visits to these "attractions" extra special is that they are often not yet set up for tourism and you can sometimes find yourself walking around all by yourself! This probably won't stay that way for long (we noticed that the government is investing heavily in tourism), so don't wait too long to book your trip to Saudi Arabia!

All in all, we are extremely happy with our choice to "winter" in Saudi Arabia and can say that the country was the biggest surprise of the 15 countries we visited on our trip. If you would like to know more about our experiences: on our Instagram @countless_roads you can find even more photos and stories! Here you may also always message us with further questions.