Image: Amit Zaveri ji, Reyvika and me, trying to imitate the 'Titanic' stance in our own way. Shot with Amit Zaveri ji's 8 mm lens.

We were about to start the Cricket match when Amit Zaveri ji said, “Today it is not windy and excellent weather for a trip to desert”. I was ready to say ‘OK’….well almost. After the match, the thought remained with me and I finally decided to skip the cricket matches and go exploring. Since then we are three trips down and going steady. We look forward to each weekend for going out, exploring the region. Around Riyadh, there are many locations worth visiting and they present a new look each time I go calling. The following details are about the first weekend we started this series. 

Image: Amit Zaveri ji poses for me while Reyvika enjoys the long view

It was month-end (January 31) and we (Amit Zaveri ji, me and Reyvika) started the trip around 0730 hrs. Now picture this: when you descend from Riyadh after the check point on Jeddah Road (Highway No. 40), you have three options – you may choose to go left towards Dirab region, which is very beautiful, or you may choose to go straight towards Jeddah, which is a long journey with many diversions, each one bringing a new region worth exploring, or you may turn right and go towards Dhurma region. It is the road after turning right, which gives best view of the Tuwaiq escarpment from below. In fact most the escarpment extends along this road which ultimately merges into highway no. 50.

Image: Multi-segmented lamella-like branches jutting out of the escarpment

But you might ask, “how about the view from above the escarpment?”

So, that was our interest. Inspired by my two previous visits, I thought it would be fun to view the region from above. Tuwaiq’s geological formations (branches jutting out of the main escarpment) provide a sort of a ramp, something similar to a paragliding ramp. You can stand around 100 m outside the escarpment into the plain and can enjoy the view of escarpment and the plains below. It is like the scene in the movie, ‘Titanic’, where the couple stands at the bow-tip of the ship on the deck. You actually get that feeling.

Image: Each such point is exhilarating to stand with both hands in the air.

We drove to each such branch. The high hanging cliffs are safe places for nesting and we found Vultures circling the sky above the escarpment. In fact, we missed capturing one, whose majestic silhouetted perch on a rock cliff is the reason we want to go there again. It flew, perhaps due to noise of the vehicle. Each branch brings forth a new vista. Plains stretched far beyond Al Muzahmiyah look pretty much the same though.

Image: Amit Zaveri ji and Reyvika touching the tip of 'Faisal Finger'.

The last branch we visited was the one I have been waiting for since two years. I never prioritized it. My loss, because it gives one of the best views of ‘Faisal Finger’, an erstwhile part of the escarpment but now an independent finger-like structure. It was a mesmerizing view. Height-wise, we were standing above ‘Faisal-finger’. When I visited it two years ago, it was from below (plains) and it looked huge. But from the escarpment, it is another story. Plus, we get the backdrop of plains and virtually no distraction, except on our sides, where many other escarpment branches flanked the one we were standing on. It is worth noting here that this entire branch of escarpment with a vantage point for ‘Faisal Finger’ is owned by Prince Mishal (Al Baha) and entry to it is prohibited. You will need permission from his office to enter it. Another way is to request the guard there. He let us in and our trip was saved. But it may not be the case always. 

Image: Reyvika enjoying the view from a ridge filled with flowers.

As we always try to do, we made our return journey from a different route and that also turned out to be quite a discovery.

Image: We had fun! From left: Katyayni, Reyvika, Karan, Amit Zaveri ji, Shyam ji, Amit Sharma ji and me.
After our last exploratory trip, it was time to revisit some more interesting sections of the route. The difference was entry into the region which we made from where we exited last time (Please check the map in this post). Two reasons for such a decision – first, the sections near to the point we exited are more interesting than the sections from where we entered. Also, the route has a food joint we like. It is difficult for anyone been to Middle-East not to have had a breakfast of “Fuul-Tameez-Gulaaba-Falafel” (Arabic-Afghan origin), which is stew of crushed Faba beans (Fava bean; Vicia faba; we prefer fried one), an Afghan large, thick, round bread, a stew of crushed lentils, and ‘pakora’ (deep fried ball / patty) of grounded chickpeas / fava beans (sometimes both). It is a staple pan-Arabian meal – a low fat and a tasty one. We just love it. So the breakfast was laid out on the car bonnet and we devoured it like hungry wolves to our respective capacities, while the Sun facilitated synthesis of Vitamin D under our skins.

Image: Camels being herded to their foraging grounds. They are curious to see a vehicle tailing them.
A murmuration of Pied Myna greeted us at our arrival as we left the main road and entered into the section of our interest. We continued on the dirt track, intermittently going over the dry beds of seasonal streams / channels and stopping sometimes to capture the sightings of foraging Camels, ‘Butcher Bird’ (Grey Shrike), Bulbuls (White-eared or White-spectacled, I don’t know), Crested Larks, Doves, Robins, Warblers, Buntings and Whitethroats (could not specifically identify the last five).

Image: Amit Sharma ji turns to make a point while we walk on the bund of the artificial lake.
We reached the lake bed and the adjoining meadow by 10 a.m. It is an unbelievably amazing sight to view a water body in the middle of the desert. It had dried, as suspected, to its half of the area we saw last Friday. A few picnickers were busy cooking food and hiking around the area. Effusing enthusiasm, we strolled leisurely, chatting on various topics and photographing extravagantly. Portrait shoots were done and the customary group photographs were taken on a timer. Then we scouted for a trek location, leaving the dirt-track and off-roading deeper into the mini-canyon by driving on the thicker and rarely-packed stones. I think Amit Zaveri ji drove on intuition and it worked. We reached a location of a dried waterfall – a huge one and needless to mention, a gorgeous location for photo-shoots.

Image: Katyayni, Karan and Reyvika posing on the bed of dried waterfall.
A Robin was alarmed but we didn’t bother. We combined photography with a small trek to the top of the ridge, a panning view from where afforded a wide panorama of the region’s topography. Climb down was tricky due to loose stones. The girls, Katyayni and Reyvika, had fun and continued to entertain us throughout the trip with their attention seeking ‘Uncle’ and our back query, ‘Which Uncle?’, which was sometimes prolonged by their answer, ‘Amit Uncle’ to which we queried, ‘Which Amit Uncle?’. Shivaraman ji couldn’t make it this time but a new entrant to the scene is Shyam ji, who is enjoying his bachelorhood for last few months ;~))

Image: From your left: Amit Sharma ji, Shivaraman ji and Amit Zaveri ji. At Lake Bed and Meadow Point, not far from Riyadh

I was following this road-in-making on 'Google Maps' since two months. Last Friday opportunity came knocking when we decided to explore this unknown terrain. Interestingly, I did not read anything about it on the active travelogue websites or blogs about Riyadh and its surrounding regions. So it was totally a new experience for us. We found excellent picnic spots, picturesque secluded camping locations and above-all, easy accessibility. The entire route has diversions worth exploring for bird-watching due to scattered water-holes. Since the route is interspersed with water channels (dry beds), a 4x4 vehicle is recommended for coursing it but not really needed. Please look at the pictures and decide for yourself.
For us, we had a gala time with a breakfast of Idli-Vada, Sambhar, Pongal and Coconut Chutney (all staple Indian dishes popular for breakfast in southern part of the country), courtesy Shivaraman ji, and preparation of 'Chennai Spice Kitchen', an Indian food joint in Malaz area. My daughter Reyvika and Amit Sharma ji's daughter Katyayni also had a great time bonding over the trip and enjoying the vistas. They even trekked to apogee of a pyramid-shaped hillock en route. We had fun with their addressing one of us as 'Uncle' and our quick retorts as 'Which Uncle?'

Image: We were fortunate to choose spring time as the whole route was dotted with wild flowering plants.

Image: Katyayni and Reyvika waving from the pyramid-shaped hillock

Image: Amit Zaveri ji trying to make panorama at Pyramid Point