THUMAMAH NATIONAL PARK

Thumamah National Park begins just outside Riyadh, just north of King Khalid International Airport. It is a long, rather narrow strip of red sand that stretches for miles on a north-south axis. With its many campsites over-lit at night, it shows the idea that Saudis have of a relaxing weekend: BBQ, chicha and 4x4 in the dunes. A notion quite far from the western criteria, we must admit.