Adventure seekers drawn to activity tours amid Saudi Arabia’s natural landscapes

Adventure seekers drawn to activity tours amid Saudi Arabia’s natural landscapes

JEDDAH: Droves of adventure seekers are turning to Saudi Arabia’s natural landscapes for their summer activity holidays. Desert safaris, scuba diving, hiking, and paragliding are among the wide range of experiences available in the Kingdom not only to visitors from abroad but those opting for a staycation. And tour operators have been taking advantage of the push to promote tourism in the country by running a host of exciting excursions with mountain treks, Red Sea diving expeditions, and camping trips proving particularly popular. Favorite destinations for hiking tours include Moon Valley situated next to Jabal Al-Jadib in Jeddah, Elephant Rock in AlUla, Al-Nafud desert in the Kingdom’s north, and the Edge of the World, an escarpment northwest of Riyadh with stunning views. Other intrepid travelers can choose to take to the air, paragliding over the remote landscape of Jabal Sawda in Abha. Meanwhile, camel safaris, windsurfing, and 4x4 mountain riding trips are being run at desert locations such as Wadi Al-Disah in northwestern Tabuk, Ad-Dahna on the Dammam highway, Jubbah in Hail, and the dunes of Al-Araqana east of Tabuk. Mohammed Saeed, a resident of Riyadh, recently visited Moon Valley. He said: “The whole experience was one of those life-altering