Why this ride
A 70 km round trip from Julayjilah - roughly 1 h 27 in the saddle. On the way it passes Northern Oasis, As-Seef and back through Northern Oasis.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Al-`Oyun village and As-Seef
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 70 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 27
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Northern Oasis → As-Seef
16 km on Northern Oasis → As-Seef.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 16 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Al-`Oyun village
Al-Uyun means the springs, and this village in the Al-Ahsa oasis is named for the water that has made life possible here for centuries. Rising from deep aquifers, the springs fed channels that ran through the palm groves and gave Al-Ahsa the reputation of being one of the greenest places in Arabia. Travellers who crossed the desert described the sound of running water and the smell of damp earth as a kind of miracle, and the village still has an air of coolness and shade even when the sun beats down on the surrounding sand.
Read the complete Al-`Oyun village write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Al-`Oyun village is where the day begins. Next is Northern Oasis.
2. Northern Oasis
The northern edge of the Al-Ahsa oasis is where the groves thin out and you can see the join between farmland and desert. Al Qurayn, a town of about 12,000 people, lies right next to this point, with Julayjilah and Al Mutayrifi close behind, and the whole cluster is one continuous patchwork of date gardens, walls, irrigation channels and low flat-roofed houses. The label talks about a northern oasis, and from the ground the point is simply that the green does not stop abruptly: it frays into scrub, then dunes.
Read the complete Northern Oasis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Northern Oasis comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is As-Seef.
3. As-Seef
Al-Ahsa is the biggest natural oasis on the planet, and it looks like a mistake in the middle of the Eastern Province: a dark green carpet of date palms, millions of them, spread across a flat plain of pale desert. The oasis exists because springs rise from deep underground and water the whole area. Hofuf, the main city, and Mubarraz, its neighbour, sit within the palms, and the two together hold close to six hundred thousand people. UNESCO listed the oasis in 2018.
Read the complete As-Seef write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 34 km into the recorded legs you reach As-Seef. Next is back through Northern Oasis.
4. back through Northern Oasis
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Northern Oasis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Northern Oasis, late in the day. Next is Al-`Oyun village.
5. Al-`Oyun village
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Al-`Oyun village write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Al-`Oyun village. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Al-`Oyun village to Northern Oasis
Al-`Oyun village → Northern Oasis is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Northern Oasis to As-Seef
Northern Oasis → As-Seef is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
As-Seef to back through Northern Oasis
As-Seef → back through Northern Oasis is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Northern Oasis to Al-`Oyun village
back through Northern Oasis → Al-`Oyun village is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Qasr Sahood and Al-Asfar Lake · 138 km
- Qasr Sahood and Jawatha archaeological site · 115 km
- As-Seef and Al-Asfar Lake · 149 km