The land of sand. Off limits to non-muslim tourists for so long, Saudi Arabia has now opened its doors with warm and welcoming arms. I biked through the vast sand dune desert of Rub’al Khali and crossed the country until I reached the Red Sea Coast. It was a journey with many long solitary days on endless roads through magnificent open landscapes but it was also an unforgettable and positive encounter with the Saudi Arabs. Read on for my full story and experience of cycling through the birthplace of Islam for one and half months.
Recap of week 85 to 91The beginning of no-man’s land started already as I left Ibri in Oman and after two days of biking I found myself at the Rub' al Khali border crossing. Ahead of me was a vast land of sand dune as long as the eye could reach. After eight amazing days in this ocean of sand I had crossed the desert of The Empty Quarter.
It was a bit of an anti-climax leaving the sand dunes behind and biking along busy highways. I spent some long uneventful days passing Salwa and Al Hofuf before entering the Riyadh-Dammam highway. I was escorted by the police for two full days on my approach to Riyadh for road safety reasons.
I really longed for some scenic landscapes after Riyadh but the flat plains just kept on coming. A lot of Bedu tents appeared along the roads and I saw hundreds of camels a day which was the main highlight as I was closing in on Ha’il.
Biking around Ha’il and towards Al Ula was a breath of fresh air. It was still very much solitary biking in almost empty landscapes with the main difference being that mountains were slowly rising up in the horizon. I found the road 70 between Ha’il and Al Ula to be one of my highlights of my Saudi Arabian tour.
Al Ula is probably the most visited place in the country by western travellers. It boasts the only UNESCO world heritage site in the country and the city itself is located amongst an amazing desert mountain landscape. I took some days exploring the area before starting my approach to the Red Sea Coast and my ferry connection to Egypt. Along the way to Duba, the Saudi Arabian port city on the Red Sea Coast, I was treated with a true gem of nature called Wadi Disah.
Once I reached Duba, I was ready to get onwards towards Egypt. Duba was not really an attractive place for a rest so I decided to pick up my ferry ticket with the first available departure date. My Saudi Arabian adventure tour was over and as I boarded the ferry I already started to miss the warm welcomes, kindness and hospitality I had received from the local Saudis during my one and a half month of biketouring in the country.
Biking in no man’s land during my journey across The Empty QuarterIbri in Oman was the last sign of civilization I would see for many days. For some time I had mentally prepared myself for what was to come. It was the The Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia also known as the Rub’ al Khali. Made famous by Wilfred Thesiger, a pioneer explorer, who chronicled his crossings of the desert in his book titled Arabian Sands. Since then, only a few people have copied the achievement. Not that I would ever come close to being a similar desert wanderer, but when I heard about the possibility of biking across the desert on a newly built road (finished end 2021) I felt a certain calling. The distance is approximately 560 kilometers long and you only pass a couple of gas stations with water and food provisions. This was going to be my longest unsupported stretch so far. A big challenge. I couldn’t wait.
With my bike panniers filled up with food provisions, I left the city of Ibri behind me. On my second day I reached the Rub’al Khali border crossing and could glimpse the rising sand dunes behind the border control buildings. The Saudi border police were very keen on telling me just how empty The Empty Quarter really was. Of course I already knew all of this from valuable feedback from a couple of biketourers who did the stretch just some weeks before me. Still, I listened with great interest and assured them that I had planned food and water provisions for the trip in great detail. The border police still insisted on giving me food and water which I accepted with a big smile. This was my first experience of Saudi kindness and generosity and little did I know that this would define how the locals treat their visitors and become one of my most cherished experiences from my travels in the country. But more on that later.
One thing I very quickly realized was there is a lot of sand in The Empty Quarter. The second thing I realized was that this desert was not flat at all. For three days or so I was on roller coaster roads going up and down and in between sand dunes with amazing nuances of orange. I had seen photos of sand dune deserts but I always believed the vibrant colors were edited into the photo. The real thing is better. Way better. Trust me. Big promise. My jaw dropped each time I passed a new sand dune with a different nuance of orange. And as the sun traveled across the sand dunes, gliding shades would create a hypnotic kaleidoscopic image in super slow motion. I would sit and stare at this for long hours or so during my lunch break and again late afternoon when I had pitched my tent. Those nights in the desert were unforgettable. I was so amazed by the scenery that I hardly recognized the passing of the days and before I knew it I had reached the halfway point which was marked by a gas station with a grocery store and a basic Pakistani restaurant. Truly a modern day oasis.
I reached the halfway point midday and decided to take the rest of the day off. I got my Saudi SIM card at the grocery store and connected with the people back home who were very excited to hear how I was progressing. The restaurant there definitely didn’t look like much but it’s a good sign when you see a group of Pakistani people in the kitchen. They know how to make mouth watering tasty dishes. I was so happy to eat food that I didn't have to prepare myself. Also, the gas station was a stopover place for many truck drivers and buses with travelers going to Mecca. They all wanted to take selfies and hear about my bike travels. To be honest, perhaps I was the one most excited about just getting someone to talk to after days on the road with little human contact. The day came to an end super fast with all these unexpected activities. I found a place for my tent down the road. I was not going to go too far away - I had a breakfast appointment with the Pakistani restaurant the following morning.
After the halfway gas station the hills slowly disappeared and so did the sand dunes. Instead the landscape flattened out and started to look like an ocean of sand. The sand color got more yellow and the wind had picked up big time. For two days I battled against the heavy side wind. Strong winds carry sand. I kind of knew that. But I didn’t realize just how annoying it would be when a gust of wind every other minute would hurl a handful of sand at you with great force. I covered myself from tip to toe with my neck buff over my mouth and face. Still I was chewing fine sand dust. There was no cooking without getting a bit of sand into your food. Sand would settle inside your tent and I was praising my inner tent for not having any mesh net. Otherwise, me and my sleeping bag would have been covered by sand dust. When I pitched my tent I made an effort to seal and close the gap between the ground and my outer tent. It solved most of the sand dust problem but still the sand managed to sneak inside my outer tent. There was just no winning the battle against the sand.
In a way I was happy about being challenged by the desert winds. If it would have been a walk in the park with all tailwinds, no scorching sun and no sand in the air, it wouldn’t have been a real desert experience. The desert is brutal and ruthless and I literally got a small taste of it. However content I was battling the forces of the desert I can’t tell you how happy I was to spot an abandoned factory building after some days with strong winds. I dragged my bike past the open gate and found shelter in a barrack outside the factory building. No wind. All shade. It was only midday but I just couldn’t give up the opportunity. I cooked a sand free meal and went exploring the abandoned factory hall before tucking myself into a silent tent that was not being violently shaken by the wind.
I slept like a baby that night in the factory barrack. My energy was topped up and as a gift from the desert for my days of struggles, the wind settled down the following day. I breezed through the last part of the desert and on my last day I even had a tailwind and it felt like I was flying over the finish line. Eight days after entering Saudi Arabia I had crossed an ocean of sand on my trusted bicycle. I celebrated by getting a double lunch and continuing onwards in the dark to the nearest park. How great it was being able to pitch my tent and sleep in a place without any sand for a change. It might sound like it but I was far off being tired of sand and I was actually hoping for more of it as I set off to continue my journey across Saudi Arabia.
Doing long days on the highways to Riyadh and getting a real feel of Saudi hospitalitySeeing as Saudi Arabia is 95% desert I expected to bike along many more sand dunes. But on the roads from Al Batha to Riyadh I only got to see very few. Leaving The Empty Quarter was actually quite an anti climax.
I followed the highways until Salwa where I reunited with a biketourer I met in Tbilisi (Georgia) many months ago. Funny thing is that we managed to cross paths after such a long time. We stayed at a city park and we all took a full rest day to hang out in the park doing chores such as laundry, shopping and planning. I spent the day looking at the route ahead of me. My plans about going east have been totally dropped. It has to happen at another time. The route was now going to follow the Cairo to Cape trail and I could enter Sudan from Saudi Arabia by ferry getting head start on the route. After several reported failed attempts by other travelers trying to do the same, I had given up any hope of getting my visa for Sudan in Saudi Arabia. The embassy and consulate here only deals with foreign applications if they have approvals and sponsors that seem to be impossible to obtain. My only option would be to bike to Egypt where I easily could get a Sudanese visa in Aswan.
Going to Egypt meant a long detour north in Saudi Arabia and as I was looking at the route options in the city park of Salwa, I realized I had a long way ahead of me. I could go to Ha’il and start to cycle north-west to the port city of Duba with a stopover in Al Ula. To do so I had to follow some very long stretches of highways. There are actually not so many options as only a single highway connects the major cities in many cases. First up was Riyadh. I really wanted to avoid going through the capital but it’s like the saying: “All roads lead to…” So I braced myself for some highway biking.
Biking on highways in Saudi Arabia was boring at times to say the least. The flat landscape didn’t give much to look at. For long parts the highway was fenced off to keep camels off the road. I fully understand the need for it. Camels are big animals and you don’t want to collide with one at high speeds. As a consequence I had to pitch my tent up against the fence and sleep with the noise from the highway. If I was lucky I managed to reach a gas station late afternoon. At one gas station I slept next to a small living quarter of a group of Pakistani workers whose job it was to fill trucks with water. They kept me company during the night and they even woke me up the next morning to invite me for breakfast in their small bedroom which also acted as living room and kitchen for a total of four people. Encounters like these made the long days on the highway worth it.
You see, biking on the highway was not such a lonesome experience as you might think. Several times a day I was stopped by locals pulling over to give me food and water and ask if I needed any help. They also really wanted to do TikTok videos and Snapchats which sometimes was a bit awkward but since they always asked for permission it was fine by me. At the end of the conversation, I often got invited to stay at someone's guest house.
This happened in Al Hasa where I ended up staying four days. Saud, my lovely host, took me around town showing me all the sights and made sure I was well fed throughout the day. Saud even took me shopping before I went onto the roads again, filling my bike panniers with food so I wouldn’t go hungry for the next couple of days. I was never allowed to pay for any of it. Saud worked as a teacher in a city far away and he would drive in the middle of the night to reach the school in time to do his classes in the morning. He would then return late afternoon to keep me company at night and then again drive back to his school after midnight. Normally he would stay in the city where he worked and only return on the weekends due to the long commute. During the mornings and afternoons he arranged for his cousin to keep me company and give me both breakfast and lunch. That is genuine Saudi hospitality and kindness. It’s a unique thing about Saudi Arabia and something I will never forget.
During my long days on the highways I also got to zone out. There was something meditative about just biking on straight roads for hours and hours and hours. I always had a wide shoulder to ride on and didn’t need to concentrace much on traffic. When there is little to look at around you, you have time to look inside of you. Guess that’s also a part of biketouring you can appreciate. On the first day out of Al Hasa several police cars started to stopme on the road breaking my zone of zen and asked for papers and permissions and all sorts of documents I didn’t have. For some time I didn’t think they would let me bike onwards to Riyadh.
Embracing the experience of a Saudi police escortIt turns out the police cars stopping me were actually traffic police. They were not at all used to seeing a biketourer on the road and no formal procedure was in place on how to handle such an exotic creature. Every time I was stopped I just kept telling them the only thing I had was a tourist visa. No other documents were required for me to travel around the country. After a bit of back and forth they always ended up calling their captain which sorted things out and I was allowed to keep on cycling. All was good until I pitched my tent that night.
I had tucked myself snug and thigh into my sleeping bag. Nights were really cold at this time of year. I was about to finish my diary for the day when I heard the sound of a car approaching and then a strong projector pierced the darkness of my tents. Soon after I had the unmistakable colored lights of a police car turning my tent into a fully fledged disco dance floor. I couldn’t be bothered getting out of my warm sleeping bag so I just stayed put waiting for a police officer to show up. He never came and the car drove away. Next morning I saw the police car some hundred meters away and realized they had been there all night long.
After packing down my tent I went over to the police car to say good morning. They explained to me they were here to keep me safe and that they would follow me to Riyadh. For the next two full days I had a police car driving slowly behind making sure traffic didn’t get too close. At night they made sure my camp site was secured.
I decided to truly treat this as VIP treatment. During the day we had some communications issues and I called some Saudi friends to help me translate and they convinced me that the police escort was 100% for my safety only. And I absolutely needed it as I closed in on Riyadh. What a chaotic nightmare of a highway. My police escort acted as a crucial shield for cars passing me and a couple of times they actually stopped the traffic on lanes merging onto the highway so I could cross over to the far right side of the road. It was like a free ride in an amusement park. What a thrilling experience.
This being Saudi Arabia a random car had of course stopped me a couple of days ago and handed me the keys to his house in Riyadh. He was going to Qatar but said I was all free to stay at his house even though he was not there. So I safely landed at his house and took some well deserved rest days.
On my way out of Riyadh I passed a police checkpoint and a few moments later I noticed a police car driving slowly behind me. I stopped and waved and greeted the police officers making sure to thank them for their service. However, halfway through the day they stopped following me and I was actually both a bit sad to lose my safety escort but also a bit relieved. I never tried to escape them and I welcomed their presence, but being followed like that was a bit awkward or perhaps stressful at times. In my home country such a thing would only happen if they tried to arrest you for something and I couldn’t really shake off that feeling entirely. I did my best to embrace the experience and tried to picture myself as a Tour de France rider with a support car behind me. That actually helped.
Reaching for Ha’il and the mountain landscapeSo I was left to myself again as I biked towards Ha’il. I was still on long stretches of a main road but I had opted out of taking the highway in exchange for route 505 via Shaqra. I didn't visit the Edge of the World just outside of Riyadh. Instead I had a view of it from a distance which was not so bad actually. The plateaus around route 505 was surprisingly green with a lot of Bedu tents and herding flocks of camels. Before I entered Shaqra, where I slept in their city park, I took a few glimpses of some sand dunes which I had longed missed since leaving The Empty Quarter.
Not much happened until I reached the outskirts of Ha’il. For a short distance I biked along some really high sand dunes between Umm Hazim and Al Mithnab which more or less was the only highlight for many days. After Al Mithnab I was again on a stretch of highway towards Ha’il. I could have taken a longer detour on backroads but there were a couple of days with perfect tailwinds I couldn’t say no to. I biked as long as I could those days. All the way into the sunset. The camels along the highway (on the other side of the fence of course) made a postcard perfect silhouette against the setting sun. A magical moment to dwell on as I pitched my tent along the highway and took an early night trying to ignore the constant car noise which actually wasn’t that hard when you are dead tired. I was on a fast approach to Ha’il.
Just before Ha’il the scenery changed drastically. The shape of mountains started to shape the horizon in a ragged contour. I decided to leave the highway to explore the area. Besides the reddish mountain rocks I had joker hidden up my sleeve. While laying in my tent along the highway I had looked for a place to shop for groceries when I accidently stumbled upon a crater not far away. It was the Al Hatima Crater. Only a short detour on the backroads to Ha’il. It was a no brianer for me. I had to check the place out. After fighting my way through 7 kilometers of loose gravel and sand I made it to the crater edge. Oh boy was I happy to see the view. Words can’t explain in so you have to watch the photo below. All in all, I was able to pitch my tent on the edge and I was completely alone in a world of silence. Pure magic served on a silver plate by mother earth. Thank you.
I ended up spending all morning just sitting and watching the sun rise over the crater. It was like a sleeping bag on a cold winter morning that you just didn’t want to leave. My only regret coming here was that I didn’t bring enough water. So I was actually forced to leave midday to go get more water at the nearest village. My magic crater time was up and I did the last part to Ha’il in between the reddish mountains signaling the begin of great scenery to come.
Solitary biking on the desert plateau to Al UlaSince I was on a roll with spending time on long deserted roads I didn’t feel the urge for urban dwelling in Ha’il. To be honest, the cities of Saudi Arabia didn’t do much for me. I guess the main ones like Mecca, Jeddah and Medina are the ones to visit but they were all far away from my route. My only Ha’il experience was a caramel coffee from McDonald’s (don’t judge me please but I’m a sucker for coffees and milkshakes). By the way, in Saudi Arabia McDonald’s have separated sections where one is for singles and the other is for families. Perhaps the singles section of McDonald’s is where you go to mingle - there was always a bunch of teenagers hanging around.
McDonald’s experience aside I had only one other thing in mind. With mountains come wadis. These dried out river beds are perfect wild camping spots as long as you don’t expect rain and I couldn’t wait to explore some in the backyard of Ha’il. The mountain backdrop of Ha’il is not far off and I just had to drop a few minutes out of town before I was in a completely different setting. No busy roads and very few people. Saudis come to these wadis to do picnics and enjoy nature but they usually leave at sunset. I didn’t have to look for long before I found a compact riverbed solid enough for me to bike on. For some time I went around the area and was very surprised about just how deep this wadi was. In a hidden corner I found an elevated plateau where I was comfortable to pitch a tent even though it would rain. Sunsets here are not to miss. The golden sun completely transforms the colors of the rocks. They turn into an intense reddish color for a short period of time. That night a forceful thunderstorm came that shook the ground beneath me. For a minute I was a bit worried the wadi would flood but a short peak out the tent provided some relief. I was far away from the trickle of water.
After Ha’il I followed a busy road for a short period of the day. Apparently a lot of the traffic was headed for Medina and after the turnoff I looked ahead on an almost desolate road - route 70 to Al Ula. For the next few days I was left to solitary biking on roads with only a few small settlements. My favorite kind of biking. Once a day I would pass a gas station or a small town with a basic grocery store or small eatery. At dusk I would drag my bike away from the road and pitch my tent. Literally everywhere is a perfect wild camp spot here. Just take your pick, the desert is yours.
This high plateau was not unbearably hot in March due to the altitude. Frequent signs warning of sand storms reminded me to take care and check the weather forecast when I had sufficient mobile data coverage. I didn’t know if these sandstorms were that predictable to be included accurately in the forecasts so I would look for places to seek cover if I was so unlucky to be caught in a sand storm. There are very few places to seek cover in the open landscape so I figured my best option would be to flag down a truck or car or better yet find a drainage canal underneath the road and crawl into it and curl myself into a protective ball. I did have two nights in a row where I was pummeled by violent thunderstorms that made my tent shake so much I thought it was the end of my dear old shelter. The weather here is no joke. With rain and strong winds you also get sand mixed into it all making it a dangerous cocktail for your drivetrain and bearings and other moveable parts on your bike. I made good use of my wet wipes and any water I could spare was used to wash and wipe off the sand from my bike.
Biking on route 70 from Ha’il to Al Ula was one of my favorite parts of Saudi Arabia. I saw black majestic mountains almost being swallowed by golden sand crawling onto the entire side of the mountain. A day away from Al Ula mushroom mountains popped out of the sand. Round in shape they looked more like a melted liquid frozen in time as it was trying to make its way downwards of the rock sides. Hard to explain. You got to experience it for yourself. I had some magic nights here and it was with a reluctant mindset that I entered the touristic Al Ula.
Al Ula is home to Hegra which is Saudi Arabia's only UNESCO world heritage site. It’s the second main city of the ancient Nabataean kingdom. The Nabateans are perhaps more known for Petra in Jordan which is one of the seven ancient world wonders. Hegra is dwarfed in comparison to Petra but it’s still very much worth a visit. I at least enjoyed wandering around the tombs and imagining life here many many centuries ago.
The Red Sea Coast approachI was not far away from the Red Sea Coast now. The area from Al Ula down to the coast is mountainous and hilly and magnificent in all ways possible. The monotonous landscape totally disappears here in the variety offered by the mountains. You have a free pick of quiet backroads and you can bike a full day only passing a small village. This is kind of what defined my touring in Saudi Arabia. A lot of me-time on the roads in open landscape. If this is your thing, then Saudi Arabia is a perfect destination for you. I had one more highlight to do before heading to Egypt.
As I wrote previously, with mountains come wadis. If you only do one wadi in Saudi Arabia, then make it Wadi Disah. A large area with an abundance of palm trees and other vegetation. A myriad of birds brings this place to life which seems impossible in a desert landscape. High rising cliff towers and vertical rock walls frame this little paradise oasis. I camped in between palm trees and fell asleep to the song of birds.
After Wadi Disah, the mountains slowly disappeared and I was slowly descending to the coast line and the port city of Duba. The magic of the landscape faded away as I started to smell the saltwater in the air. Duba is everything a port city should be, which is not at all very charming. I immediately went for my ferry ticket and got one for the next day. I spent the last night in the city park located just next to the ocean. As I was settling for the night I sat in my camp chair and watched across the ocean. It’s going to be a sad goodbye to the Arabian peninsula. I had such a great time here. The Omanis and Saudis made it an unforgettable journey together with amazing nature landscapes. On the other side of the ocean is Egypt. A whole new continent and a new chapter of my biketouring adventure is waiting for me.
cycling across the empty quarter in saudi arabia
2023-02-14 | guide
A biketouring guide on how to cycle across the Empty Quarters in Saudi Arabia
planning and travel toolkit saudi arabia
2023-03-15 | toolkit
A practical biketouring guide for Saudi Arabia giving you info on visa, border crossings, SIM card, budget, wild camping, ATM, dresscode, when to travel and more
Hi, I am Dani Kainoa. Summer of 2021, I set out on a journey to explore the world on a bicycle. Join my world biketour and follow my travel blog for stories, reviews, guides and more. Visit my photo journal on Instagram to keep up with more of my adventures.
