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Saudi Arabian Adventure Tour

First Ever in January 2000

Mountain Travel-Sobek is thrilled to announce what they believe will be the first ever adventure tour of Saudi Arabia. This exploratory trip is the result of years of negotiations and cultivating relationships with friends in Saudi Arabia who, like us, are committed to opening the country up to small groups of sophisticated and culturally sensitive adventure travelers.

The 17-day trip departs from New York City on January 14, 2000, via Saudia Airlines. We can accommodate a maximum of 16 participants. Travel within the country will be by both airplane and vehicle. You’ll spend 11 nights in hotels, and 4 nights camping. Some of the highlights of this cultural adventure include

• Riyadh, where you’ll visit D’Iriyah, the former capital of the Al Saud royal family, and National Museum
• Abha, located in the southwest corner of the country and part of the ancient Frankincense Route
• The hanging village of Al Habbla (you’ll take a cable car down to the village)
• Jeddah, the old city with its incredible architecture
• Khayber, with its ancient Acropolis
• Wadi Al Ula, a beautiful old town situated in a wadi (riverbed) of date palms
• Mada’in Saleh, a sister city to Jordan’s Petra
• Following the tracks of the Hijaz Railway, built by the Ottomans to carry pilgrims from Mecca to Damascus, and
• Al Jouf, one of the major crossroads of the caravan routes and location of historic ruins dating back 6,000 years

This Islamic country has been closed to almost all Westerners with the Saudi government imposing a number of travel restrictions that we must adhere to. Among others, this includes no travelers under the age of 40, adherence to a conservative dress code, no alcohol being available during the trip, and no deviations from the itinerary.

Despite these restrictions, we believe this is a fabulous opportunity to explore one of the world’s few remaining "forbidden" lands. The trip will be led by Tom Stanley, MTS’s Director of Africa operations and veteran world traveler (95 countries and counting), and Brid Beeler, who lived in Saudi Arabia for nine years where she ran her own desert safari company.

The land cost for this extraordinary journey is $6,500 per person, plus $700 for internal air flights. Round trip New York-Riyadh airfare is estimated to be $1,800-$2,000 per person. A deposit of $3,250 is required at the time of booking, and your visa application must be applied for upon making your deposit.

For reservations call Sandy Jonas, MTS Director of Sales at 1-800-282-8747, ext. 3035, or e-mail her at sandyj@mtsobek.com

Edited by Dave Shultz

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