Saudi Arabia

Situated at the centre of the Middle East and taking up most of the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia is a place of deserts, Islamic history and cities modernising at a remarkable pace. Home to the sacred Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabians are some of the world’s youngest people on average and it’s fair to say that many Western perceptions of the country may no longer be up to speed with what is a rapidly modernising nation.

The tour starts in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with its old town going back millenia, and from here, we’ll drive to the rock formations of Jebel Fihrayn. Also known as ‘the edge of the world’, the view here is so expansive you’ll see the earth’s curvature. The UNESCO World Heritage site of Hegra follows, along with the archaeological site of Ikmah, home to an open-air library with thousands of stone inscriptions. Medina is an inevitable highlight of the trip, considered by many to be the cradle of Islamic culture and civilization.