Saudi Arabia > Overnight in Wadi Al Disah

In our own apartment, we prepare breakfast with the groceries we bought at the supermarket. We are getting the hang of it. A flat round bread, topped with three slices of cheese. Then we roll the sandwich up into a wrap. A wrap with banana also tastes great. We don’t have a kettle or a pot to boil water, so we skip the tea and have orange juice instead. On Saturdays, the Hejaz Railway Station museum is open. We park in front of the huge building. Inside we find a large but mostly empty hall. A boy behind the counter is startled. When we ask about the museum, he points outside and then to the left. It’s not clear to us what the purpose of this enormous building is. Presumably a future museum? Like much in Saudi Arabia, a lot is being built for the future—let’s say “built for growth.” In the old engine shed stands a locomotive and a train carriage.

Saudi Arabia - Construction of the railway began in 1900 and the train reached Tabuk in 1906

At the end of the 19th century, the goal was to make all parts of the Ottoman Empire accessible by train. For this, a railway was built from Damascus in Syria via Tabuk to Mecca. Construction started in 1900, and by 1906 the train had reached Tabuk. The railway didn’t operate long. During World War I, many bridges were damaged during the Arab revolt against the Ottomans. The railway was never repaired afterward. When we enter another building, someone is startled. “Office, office,” says the man, as if he just woke up. We walk on. From Tabuk, we head toward the coast and halfway turn off toward Wadi Al Disah, one of the most beautiful oases in the country. The landscape outside Tabuk is different from what we’ve seen in recent days. The road is surrounded by mountains. We slowly ascend. The outside temperature drops as we get higher. Once over the mountain pass, a long winding descent begins. Trucks drive down slowly. At the bottom of the descent is the turnoff to Al Disah. Funny that Google Maps doesn’t recognize this junction. We couldn’t plan a route via this point. The travel advice first goes to the coastal town 40 kilometers away, then turn around and take this turnoff anyway. As an alternative, we first set the specific turnoff as a temporary destination. At the intersection is also a gas station. Although we haven’t driven much yet, we fill the car completely. We don’t know when there will be another opportunity. Many gas stations line the road, but almost all are closed. It seems these stations were also built for future use. They don’t look like they’ll open anytime soon. So filling up in time is not a bad idea. As soon as we turn onto the side road to Al Disah, the road is flanked on both sides by rugged mountains and rock formations. A beautiful sight. After several dozen kilometers, we turn into the valley. The gorge narrows and the rock formations get more and more beautiful. We stop several times to take photos. At one of the photo stops, a boy approaches us. Would we like to go further into the valley with a 4x4? In the Wadi itself, there are only sandy paths where a terrain vehicle is necessary. So we are willing to accept his offer, but first we want to find our apartment for tonight in the village. We couldn’t find the address via Google Maps. Before we realize it, we pass a sign saying “end of the road.” This means we have already passed the village. That was probably the point where we were approached. At this end of the paved road, several off-road vehicles wait for customers. We decide to have some lunch first. At the car’s tailgate, we make our flatbreads and have some juice. What a beautiful environment. Everything around us is green. We haven’t seen this in Saudi Arabia before. The boy who approached us earlier stayed behind us. He points to one of the open off-road vehicles. “With this one you can go into the wadi,” he says. Bargaining the price is pointless.

Saudi Arabia - The Wadi Al Disah oasis is beautiful to drive through

The drivers of the other two cars charge the same prices. Everyone knows each other. We get into the car with Abu. He introduces himself with a longer name but is fine with us calling him Abu. An older, friendly man. Although he doesn’t speak a word of English, that doesn’t lessen his enthusiasm. He drives the car through a deep water puddle and follows the sandy cart track. To our left and right, the rocks seem to become more beautiful and rugged. It’s amazing how erosion shaped the rocks. Because of the water in the valley, the valley is green and lush. Abu takes a path through the reeds. The car pushes aside the two-meter-high stalks. At a flat rock, Abu stops and gestures for us to get out. He leads us up the rock. From the top, we have a beautiful view over the valley and surrounding rocks. We drive a few more minutes to the end of the valley. Abu shows us on foot some special spots—a rock with a view-through and some carved basins. Then we drive back through the valley. It’s still early afternoon when we get out again. We want to walk a bit further into the valley. Only, how do we get through the first deep water puddle dry? Abu points out there is also a path between the bushes. By this path, we keep our feet dry. The wadi is also a recreation place for many Saudis. They drive their cars into the gorge for a picnic. We are waved over by a group of men at the foot of a steep rock. “Would you like some Arabic coffee?” Not much later, we sit on their carpet having coffee. We share our dried dates, which we received earlier. The men look at them somewhat disapprovingly but take some out of politeness.

Saudi Arabia - A group of men offers coffee in the Wadi Al Disah

They offer us their fresh dates. We cannot compete with those. Our small coffee cups are refilled several times. Then someone offers tea as well. The men come from Tabuk. Some are family, but mostly friends. We thank them warmly and continue walking. On the way back, three boys come toward us. Where are we from? They gesture that we should come with them and make eating gestures. We follow them. To be sure, we ask the adults if they appreciate our visit. “Of course!” Before we can take off our shoes, the children offer us all sorts of things—dates, chips, and camel meat from the barbecue. Meanwhile, tea is poured. “May we take a photo?” Phones quickly appear. Back at the car, we search for our accommodation address. We booked an apartment in the valley via Booking.com. We just can’t find the address on Google Maps. We stop in the village to ask. Some men bend over our booking confirmation printed in Arabic. One of the men points out the house on the map. We have to take an unpaved path a bit further on. At the house we think it is, we ask again for certainty. A boy on the street nods affirmatively. We drive the car through the gate. Two men come walking over and gesture that this is not accommodation. At least, that’s what we think they mean. They call the neighbor across the street. He speaks Italian and Spanish. In Spanish, the man says it is the right address, but it hasn’t been rented for two years. What now? He asks if we have already paid. We haven’t. He has a friend with an apartment in the village. Shortly after, the man gets in our car and leads us to the alternative address. It is offered for the same price as the original booking. It’s a detached little house with two bedrooms. An employee rushes in to mop the hallway and shower. Although it may not be perfectly clean, we agree to the accommodation. Finding something else is difficult. On the veranda of the house, we watch the sun slowly set in Wadi Al Disah. What a magnificent environment to stay in. Luckily, we had already done groceries yesterday for a simple salad, tuna, and sausage. That comes in handy now. There are no restaurants in this village and valley. Meanwhile, darkness falls.

Saudi Arabia - A simple meal on the veranda of our own cottage