Desert Safari in Dammam

Desert Safari & Dune Bashing in Dammam!

Bored of the same thing every day? Malls, coffee shops and drive through ATMs? Feeling claustrophobic seeing the same people at work and at home, living compound life? Do you dream of an opportunity to get a new adrenaline rush, breathe in some clean fresh air and meet some new faces?

Lets hear from Maddie:

Maddie is from U.K and recently moved to KSA. She is keen on exploring new places and activities in the Kingdom.

Some expats at Adventure Khobar felt just this way, Omar Wani answered our prayers and carefully sculpted a day that offered everything we’d been looking for. 

The trip started with an pleasant one hour drive out to our location in Alhasa. We were greeted & welcomed in bright colour traditional desert tents. Vast wide open spaces, fresh clean and instagram worthy landscapes surrounded us. 

We were given some time to introduce ourselves and mingle with the wide array of nationalities who had attended the event. From India,Pakistan Egypt, USA, Saudi, South Africa and U.K to name just a few.

Lunch time was announced and we rushed inside the tents. We were catapulted into a scene from Arabian nights as a traditional Saudi meal of chicken and rice was served, where we sat on the floor and got stuck in to the grub. 

After lunch the real fun began, a convoy of jeeps and 4x4 revved their engines announcing their arrival. We jumped in and buckled up. After a short safety briefing the cars got straight to the action.  Drifting, sliding, and crashing over dunes as we clung to the handles and each other. The cars were filled with screeches of delight and nervous giggles as the adrenaline kicked in. Just as we thought we were in the climax of the ride, we approached the large white dune. Towering above us like a golden mountain, we all looked at each other, thinking the same thing. There’s no way our cars could get up that? 

We jumped out, a photo opportunity posing in front of this glorious, sandy giant. What happened next, we couldn’t quite believe. One of the 4x4s came howling past revving all the way, the noise echoing across the sand dune, as it climbed the mountain before us. Sand sprayed across the dunes like fireworks. The skilled drivers navigating their way in unison, up and across this magnificent dune. 

Now, it was our turn! We hopped in and without hesitation the cars revved full force as we climbed this mountain and plummeted back down again. Our hearts pumping on this white knuckle ride.

The journey continued, as we thrashed and swerved amongst the dunes. We approached Al Asfar Lake and instantly we were filled with a sense of calm and tranquility amongst the chaos of the adrenaline filled ride. A range of colourful, tropical birds filled the sky, as our guide informed us of their migration journey. The infinite pool of water which makes up Alsfar is about 28 kilometers. Lake spans far into the distance. To see such beauty, a green nature in the middle of the baron desert was breath-taking.

A final opportunity for instagram selfies and portraits with a stunning sunset as our backdrop. Traditional tea and snacks were served. We sat and immersed ourselves in the culture, the nature and the humbling feeling that this was the real Saudi Arabia. At last we had experience it in this epic adventure. 

I would personally like to thanks Adventure Khobar team for this amazing experience and would definitely recommend this activity. They can be reached on these two platforms.

Facebook: Adventure khobar

Instagram: #adventurekhobar

The writer of this article can be reached at omer.wani@yahoo.com