Camping in Saudi Arabia: Bedouin Experiences for Tourists
Ever imagined yourself living a life like a Bedouin in a desert camping experience? Saudi Arabia offers exquisite desert camping that resonates with authentic cultural experiences. It is on most travelers’ bucket lists. In this blog, we are going to explore how you can camp in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and get an experience like Arab Bedouins.
Many travelers eye on desert camping to experience the cultural immersion, as most desert camps often offer traditional cultural experiences and adventure activities. Furthermore, camping allows visitors to experience the raw beauty of nature while staying out, staying away from the bustle of everyday life. Therefore, camping in Saudi Arabia excites many travelers.
But who are Bedouins? The Bedouins of Saudi Arabia are the Arabic-speaking nomadic people who traditionally live in the desert, herding animals like camels. They live in camps, and they are typically known for their deep hospitality traditions. These Bedouin camps deliver memorable experiences to the travelers. But what to expect from a Bedouin desert camping experience? Let’s find out.
What to Expect from a Bedouin Desert Camping Experience
In a typical Bedouin camp in Saudi Arabia, you will typically get authentic tent accommodations, traditional meals, camel rides, cultural entertainment, and stargazing, which would be a memorable experience for the travelers.
Authentic Tent Accommodations
The tents where Bedouins stay are typically made of goat or camel hair because of its insulating effects. Bedouins lead a very sustainable way of life, and their tents are of key part of their culture and tradition.
Traditional Meals
Most of the Saudi cuisine has derived from the traditional Bedouin culture, who are huge part of the country’s identity. Therefore, the meals offered in the desert camping in Saudi Arabia are large in platter size, reflecting the deeply engrossed Bedouin hospitality.
Camel Rides
Camel rides are one of the key attractions of desert camping in Saudi Arabia. You can experience the amazing sunset view while you are trekking on a camel on the highest dune. This is the best way to experience the environment of the desert, seeing the animals and vegetation of the desert.
Cultural Entertainment
The Bedouin culture in Saudi Arabia is very rich, as they are highly hospitable towards guests. You can also experience the traditional sandboarding, riding on an Arabian majestic horse. In the evening, you will also experience the soulful music of Rabadah, a traditional instrument of Bedouins. As the night approaches, you can gather around the warmth of a fire in a Bedouin tent, where stories and poetry are shared.
Stargazing
Stargazing in the clean desert sky would be an amazing experience for the visitors. Stargazing is also an amazing activity, which makes it a pristine experience.
Top Destinations for Bedouin Desert Camping
Here are some ideal destinations in Saudi Arabia that are good for camping, like the Bedouins of Saudi Arabia. With Saudi Arabia’s rapid transformation and increasing appeal to international travelers, the Bedouin heritage and cultures are becoming more enjoyable among foreign tourists.
Ashar Valley, AlUla
There are many tented resorts in Ashar Valley, AlUla, which offer redefined Bedouin hospitality for tourists. Here, the tents of Bedouins offer the best convenience to the foreign tourists. Guests can experience a memorable desert safari, camel rides, guided hikes, and an exclusive visit to the ancient tombs.
Some key highlights of the tour include:
- If asked prior, the camp hosts can arrange a private stargazing experience.
- Local musicians will perform in drum circles, showing the enriched local cultures
The Empty Quarter (Rub al Khali)
Spanning across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, and Yemen, this is the world’s largest sand desert, where camping experiences are provided by the traditional dwellers of the desert. Camping here will be a memorable experience for the foreign travelers.
Some key highlights of the tour include:
- You can book a camp for stargazing under the pristine starlit sky.
- Enjoying trekking, camel, and horse riding.
- Extreme dune bashing and sandboarding are also good ways of experiencing the amazing desert
Sharaan National Park
Located in the UNESCO-protected biosphere reserve, the camps in Sharaan National Parks allow you to explore the wildlife of Saudi Arabia. The high-quality of catering service to the guests offered by the local hosts will remain an all-time memorable experience for the travelers.
Some key highlights of the tour include:
- A sunset safari through the canyons and watching the sunset over the sandstone cliffs
- Enjoying a luxury dinner under the stars in the outdoor setting
- A night safari to see the nocturnal wildlife like foxes, owls, and other desert creatures.
- A reserve tour to pay a visit to the hidden valleys and red-rock formations.
- A guided hiking trail to see rock art, desert flora, and breathtaking viewpoints.
Desert Camping in Hail
Located near Hail, an authentic Bedouin-style stay can be experienced in the desert camping. Here, tourists can experience an authentic feeling. This camp is an ideal experience, delivering an immersive feeling in the surroundings.
Some key highlights of this place include:
- Dune bashing and sandboarding in the red Nafud Desert dunes
- Overnight desert camping
- Off-road driving in 4 x 4 desert safaris
- Exploring the Shammar or Aja Mountains
What to Pack for a Desert Camping Trip
Considering the religious and cultural restrictions on clothing in Saudi Arabia, you have to consider respectful, yet comfortable clothing. Therefore, your packing should be properly planned. The compulsory things to be included in the luggage should not be too heavy.
The weather in the desert of Saudi Arabia can be extreme and uncertain. That is why Bedouins of Saudi Arabia wear full-sleeved clothes in layers. You should carry clothes in layers that you can easily add or remove as per the fluctuation in the weather conditions can be observed. Comfortable footwear, like hiking boots and closed-toe shoes, is also recommended.
Things you should also carry while camping in Saudi Arabia include:
- A high SPF sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- A head covering, or scarf
- Lip Balm to protect your lips from desert air
- Reusable water packs
- Groundsheet
- First-aid kit
- Essential Toiletries
- Camera and power banks
How to Get to the Desert Camps
The desert camps in Saudi Arabia can be booked through trusted tour operators or authentic local guides. Most of the desert camps offer pick up from nearby bigger cities like Riyadh, AlUla, and Sharaan.
Most of the desert camp offers packaged tours with different amenities. The tour packages may include a day tour and an overnight stay, including stargazing. Multi-day tours are also organized as per the demands of the tourists. Multiple-day safari and tours can also be arranged along with the guided tour.
Applying for an eVisa: What You Need to Know
To travel on a dream voyage to the amazing deserts of Saudi Arabia, you can get a tourist eVisa if you are from an eligible country. The Saudi Arabia tourist eVisa is a multiple-entry visa where tourists can spend up to 90 days to experience the life of Bedouins in Saudi Arabia. You can check the list of countries on a reputed eVisa portal for Saudi Arabia.
The eVisa is an electronic document serving the purpose of your embassy visa. The entire process of applying for the visa is online, and no embassy visit is required for this. Typical processing time of a tourist eVisa to Saudi Arabia ranges between 24 to 72 hours.
General eVisa Requirements
These documents are needed while applying for an eVisa:
- A passport with six months’ validity remaining from the date of entry in Saudi Arabia and at least two blank pages for stamping.
- Recent passport-sized photographs, taken on a white background.
- Travel itinerary, including round-trip flight reservation
- Accommodation proof, for example, the confirmed hotel reservation.
- Health insurance is a compulsory document, which is often added while you apply for the eVisa.
Steps of Applying for the tourist eVisa to Saudi Arabia
Step 1: Creating an eVisa account in Saudi Arabia’s eVisa portal and logging in
Step 2: Choose whether you are going to apply as an individual or a group
Step 3: Fill in the information as mentioned in the passport details. Inform about personal information and traveling purpose, show your agreement on the medical coverage and on the terms of conditions.
Step 4: Choose your payment method to pay the Visa fees.
Step 5: Submit the eVisa application form.
The eVisa will be under review, and if it is confirmed, then you will receive the eVisa through your registered email address. It is recommended to take a printout of the eVisa form to produce in the immigration department upon arrival.
Final Words
Visiting Saudi Arabia to experience the nomadic lifestyle of the Bedouin in Saudi Arabia is an unforgettable experience and milestone that you will remember for your life. More than just a photo-op, desert camping will make you observe the extreme form of nature, and still, you will find the beauty of life in it. So, pack your bags for a once-in-a-lifetime experience and pay a visit to Saudi Arabia.
Apply for a Saudi tourist eVisa to experience the Bedouin life in a Desert Camping!
Want to explore the life of Bedouins in Saudi Arabia? Make a tour plan for desert camping to the sand dunes of Saudi Arabia!