The country beyond Madinah is covered in old lava fields, and this full day goes out into them. You drive the tracks across black rock, stop to walk short sections where the surface allows it, and spend most of the day well outside the city with nothing built in sight.
This is a landscape day rather than a monuments day: hard dark rock against pale sand, a horizon with almost nothing on it, and long light at either end. Travellers who want more rock country afterwards usually carry on to AlUla, where Elephant Rock rises 52 metres out of the sand.
Day by day
Morning
An early pick-up from your hotel, because the light and the temperature are both better at the start of the day. The tarmac gives way to track and the vehicle works its way onto the lava field. The first stops are short: out of the vehicle, onto the rock, and a look at how the ground is put together.
Afternoon
A longer stop for lunch and shade in the middle of the day, then more driving with walking sections where the footing is good. Boots are better than trainers here, since the rock is sharp underfoot. The return drive is timed so the last of the light falls on the plain, and you are back in the city in the evening.
What is included
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off in Madinah
- 4x4 vehicle with an experienced desert driver
- English-speaking guide for the full day
- Packed lunch and drinking water
- Walking stops on the lava field
- Fuel and permits for the driving route
- Recovery equipment carried in the vehicle
What is not
- Hiking boots and personal kit
- Dinner after the return
- Tips for the guide and driver
- Travel insurance
- Personal spending
The places on this trip
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