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Located on the steep slope below Jebel Sawdah, the highest point in Saudi Arabia and covering only 14 square kilometres, Raidah Park is managed by NCWCD but there is some public access possible for education groups. Hamadryas baboons are widespread along the escarpment and are considered a prob- lem by local farmers, as they raid crops, but they have considerable appeal to tourists.
Harrat Landscapes
Saudi Arabia also has volcanic (harrat) land- scapes with Wabha Crater and Wadi Al Lith in Makkah Province particularly fascinating. Some liken the Wabha Crater, in Madina al-Munawwara, to a cross between the Grand Canyon and Death Valley, albeit smaller, with only an 11 kilometre circumference. The crater stands out against the black lava flows and at the bottom, some 400 metres below, is a white salt bed made up of sodium phosphate crystals.
There are two theories as to how the crater was formed. Some believe it came about from volcanic activity in the form of an under- ground explosion, while others believe that a meteorite struck the region.
Wadi Al Lith, in Taif, Jeddah, is another vol- canic landscape. The wadi is abundant in fish, birds, sheep, goats, cows and even donkeys.
Jabal Qaraqir Plateau Jabal Qaraqir Plateau is a spectacular sandstone site cut by deeply incised canyons, rising abruptly from the sandy coastal plain, overlaid by lava flows.
Approximately 80 km south of Tabuk, this is a protected area with some of the most spectacular scenery in Saudi Arabia. There are majestic red and yellow sand- stone canyons under the lava escarpment of Harrat ar-Raha. Permanent water means it is brimming with life and the main canyons con- tain perennial streams and permanent pools. Archaeological sites include the Roman ru- ined temple of Ar-Rawafah, with inscriptions and petroglyphs.
There are many opportunities for wildlife viewing, botanic and photographic tours, as well as hiking, trail riding and rock climbing.
Sand dunes
There are five main categories of sand dunes, being crescentic, linear, star, dome, and parabolic. Crescent-shaped dunes look like rolling waves of sand and they are the ones most associated with desert landscapes, and the ones best suited to sand-boarding and dune bashing.
Linear dunes are typically much longer than they are wide and at their most extreme can be more than 100 km long. Star dunes look like a pyramid from the ground, and a star fish from above and they are fairly rare. They tend to form in areas where the wind blows from different sides. Dome dunes are oval or circular mounds that generally lack a slipface and parabolic dunes are sometimes called U-shaped, blow- out, or hairpin dunes and they are well known in coastal areas like beaches.
The protected area of Nafud al Urayq in the south west of the province and the Alsa'afeeq Al Ghada Nature Park located south of Unayzah are popular dune spots for general recreation such as picnicking, camping, rid- ing and hiking.
The wind swept sand dunes of Nafud al Kabir, in the eastern part of the province, and western Al Asyah, located northwest of Buraydah, offer an iconic experience of Saudi Arabia.
There is also unserviced camping, picnicking and hiking to be found in Qatan in the western part of the province.
Asir National Park
The Asir National Park, which opened in 1981, was the first of its kind in the Kingdom. It covers an extensive tract of land from west of Abha in the mountains, through the Tihamah Plain, and ends at the Red Sea Coast. It is of great ecologi- cal importance and archaeological interest. The park incorporates six recreational areas totalling 2,000 hectares. The main access points are at: Al Hadba, Al Qara, and Al Sudah, Dalgan, The National Park Visitor Centre, Abha, Prince Sultan Park and Toor Al-Masquareah Park. The park includes Jebel Sawdah, which at 2,910 metres is the highest point in Saudi Arabia. On the edge of the escarpment there is a mu- seum and exhibition centre. It has seven exhibit rooms illustrating a visual presentation of the park's habitats. From the centre, visitors get a panoramic view of the surrounding peaks, Wadi Dila, some 3,000 feet below and, on a clear day, the sparkling waters of the Red Sea. È
saudiarabia 2011
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