Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
NEOM The next ADVENTURE
Not heard of Neom yet? Get a sneak glimpse of Saudi Arabia’s brand-new region – created with adventurous travellers in mind……
One of the great joys of travel is being able to go somewhere that you previously couldn’t. We all want to break new ground, and when it comes to uncharted territory, Saudi Arabia tops plenty of travel lists.
Yet, since 2010 the country has largely been off-limits to UK travellers except for pilgrims on the Hajj or Umrah. It wasn’t that they couldn’t go, but visas were so hard to get as to be impossible. Now the rules are changing.
Late last year, 14-day visas coinciding with 2018’s Formula One event became available. Now plans to open up areas little-seen by visitors offer a way to discover some of the wildest mountains, desert and coast in the Middle East. At the centre of all this will be the sporting region of Neom.
LOOKING AHEAD
In the far north-west of Saudi Arabia lies Tabuk Province, a vast region bordering Jordan and gazing over the twinkling Gulf of Aqaba to Egypt. It’s a setting to whet the appetites of travellers: coral-filled waters, rust-red peaks, long stretches of white sand. Yet few make it this far.
This is the virgin setting for a US$500 billion project that will see the creation of a brand-new region about the size of Belgium. Here, travellers will be able to explore natural wonders, visit historic sites and see some of the planet’s biggest sporting events. It goes by the name of Neom.
Much of the investment is going into creating a coastal hub with a big focus on health and sport. Flexible new stadia geared to every event imaginable (beach football, wakeboarding, wingsuit displays) will draw the crowds, yet it’s the chance to dive (sky and scuba), hike and climb every inch of this region that will appeal to both travellers and sports fans.
It’s a project on a scale that’s unprecedented, with one of two
airports already having opened, and visitors soon able to apply for visas allowing access to the area. For most, it will be the first time they set foot here, and what awaits is untouched wilderness.
ALL AT SEA
World-class shores, where white sands trickle into limpid waters, skim the length of Saudi Arabia’s north-west coast. At its tip, Haql is the only spot from where Israel, Jordan and Egypt can all be seen, with the nearby crescent bay of Al Sultaniyyah Beach a fine spot for swimming due to the gradual drop-off that shaves into the sea. But offshore is the real lure.
Directly across from Saudi Arabia’s north-west coast lies Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh. It’s popular with divers because of its immaculate coral, but its shorelines are now filled with resorts. Neom offers access to the same magnificent stretch of Red Sea, yet remains completely untouched. It’s a chance to start afresh and do things correctly.
Wreck, dive and snorkel sites scatter the western coast of Tabuk Province, with Neom’s boundaries stretching out as far as the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, where the reefs of Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon rise to the surface as part of a giant underwater ridge. This area in particular is known for its reef plateaus, drop-offs and marine life, with hammerhead (Jun–Sept) and white-tip sharks (Oct–Jan) making yearly appearances.
Wild encounters are plentiful here, with dolphins, dugongs and sea turtles visiting yearround, but the greatest gasps are reserved for the whale sharks that make a seasonal return to the Red Sea from May to July. The opportunity to take boats out to deeper waters and paddle alongside these graceful giant fish is an unmissable one.
BACK ON DRY LAND
Inland, there are just as many wonders. The slopes of Jebel Al-Lawz (2,580m) climb so high that its tip even gets a dusting of snow in winter. It’s a remarkable sight when all else around you is sun-baked desert. Visits to its eastern slopes reveal groves of almond trees, and trails will leave you spellbound as you hike lush valleys and ancient quarries riddled with pre-Islamic carvings and petroglyphs (a rarity here).
To the west, exploring the coastal Valley of Wadi Tayeb Al-Ism reveals the sight of a 600m-high granite massif plunging into the Red Sea. The 5km-hike through rust-coloured rock, past reed-fringed oases and tiny palm groves, is one of the best in the region, and proof that while there is also incredible skydiving and rock climbing to be found here, the region’s slower pleasures offer just as many unblemished thrills.
Historic sites such as the cave tomb of the prophet Shoaib and the ancient ruins of Al Bada, one of a handful of major Nabataean cities found in the north of Saudi Arabia, offer yet another side to Neom. At the latter, a necropolis has been dug into the hillside of Jebel Mussalla, with around 30 tombs decorated in fine carvings that you can wander at will.
And then there’s the desert. Luxurious Bedouin-style camps under the pitch-black skies and starry heavens are planned for the near future, with the chance to soak up warm desert nights in one of Saudi Arabia’s wildest settings an irresistible lure.
It’s a fitting end to any escape, and a reminder that no matter how dazzling the multi-billion dollar plans for Neom and this incredible region are, what’s most exciting of all are the wild and historic lands and seas that it will give travellers access to – and that’s priceless.
‘The slopes of Jebel Al-Lawz climb so high that its tip even gets a dusting of snow in winter’