High Adventure in Arabia - Hail, Tobuk, Al Ula

The Middle East's Best Climbing, Canyoning, Trekking, and Biking.

Dec 22, 2008 David Black

Northwest Saudi Arabia is the ultimate frontier for the Middle East explorer, luring with a combination of colossal stone giants and mysterious archeology.

This is the third and last in a series of articles on Arabia's climbing, hiking, and trekking opportunities. For travel logistics, see High Adventure in Arabia - Mecca and Riyadh. See also High Adventure in Arabia – Baja, Asir, Najran.

Hail

From Riyadh a climbing adventure in North Arabia starts in Hail, a four-hour drive on Highway 65. There are a number of excellent granite crags in the area, including Wadi Uqdah and Wadi Mashaar. Mashaar is located on the outskirts of town across form the Arab Open University.

The Red Sea Coast

From Jeddah a logical start for an adventure tour would be a drive north along Highway 5. At the junction of Highways 5 and 392, the road goes west through Miqnah into the Gulf of Aqhaba until it ends at the mouth of Wadi Tayyib Al Ism. This beautiful gorge can be driven with 4WD but is even better as a hike from the Red Sea or as a bike adventure from the head of the canyon near Al Bad. Many believe this gorge was Moses’ route out of Egypt.

Tobuk is a center for touring the mountains and wadis of northwest Arabia. The city is a merciless 8 or 9 hour drive from either Jeddah or Hail (Highways 5 or 70). Tobuk is an excellent place to rest a couple of days and stock up on supplies.

Ad Disah and Ash Shiq

The drive southwest from Tobuk via Highway 80 passes several nice sandstone arches. About 2.5 miles east of the village of Shigri a dirt track leads two miles north to the rim of Ash Shiq ("The Crack"), a giant split in the earth resembling the deep canyons of the American Southwest.

At a junction 65 miles SW of Tobuk, a paved road leads west to one of the most amazing sites on the Arabian Peninsula: Wadi Ain Al Zarqae and Wadi Gamir, just outside the village of Ad Disah. This is a potential climber's and hiker's paradise, although bikers will find it too sandy.

Similar formations are found along Highway 394, NW of Tobuk, just east of the village of Az Zeitah. These immense islands of stone are surrounded by miles of fine sand and are accessible only by 4wd or on foot.

Medein Saleh and Al Ula

No explorer's adventure in Arabia would be complete without a visit to Medein Saleh, the ancient sister-city of famed Petra, located midway between Medinah and Tobuk (Highways 5 and 70). On the outskirts of the nearby city of Al Ula are a maze of sandstone towers, arches, and monoliths, such as 1000-foot Jebal Huwarah, most of them unclimbed as of 2006.

The area also sports two excellent adventure combo plates: Wadi Abu A'ud, a short Class 2A slot canyon with incredible petroglyphs within and surrounding it, and Umm Ad Daraj, a sandstone mountain requiring a couple of brief 5.6 crack climbs to reach an extensive Lihyanite (pre-Nabatean) tomb site.

Throughout any journey on the Arabian Peninsula, climbers and other outdoor sports enthusiasts will be amazed at the potential for recreation. Visitors should take into account the immense geographic area and the cultural differences involved and allow themselves plenty of time - weeks or months rather than days - to access and enjoy this amazing region. Ma'a Salaama.

The copyright of the article High Adventure in Arabia - Hail, Tobuk, Al Ula in Rock Climbing is owned by David Black. Permission to republish High Adventure in Arabia - Hail, Tobuk, Al Ula in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Tayyib Al Ism Gorge	Sandstone giants near Az Zeitah	Bride and Groom Towers near Al Ula
Mammoth and Teapot (distant) Arches	Atlas Tower in Wadi Ain Az Zarqae