Why this ride
78 km from Al Hufūf to Al Hufūf, about 1 h 28 of riding. On the way it passes Northern Oasis, Al-`Oyun village and back through Northern Oasis. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Qasr Khuzam and Al-`Oyun village
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 78 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 28
- 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Qasr Khuzam
Hofuf is the capital of the Al-Ahsa oasis, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and Al-Ahsa is a surprise: a green island in a desert of sand and salt flats. It is the largest date-palm oasis in the world, with some two and a half million palms growing on land watered by natural springs that rise from deep aquifers beneath the Arabian Peninsula. Springs and channels have fed farms here for thousands of years, and in 2018 the oasis was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. Hofuf, with nearly three hundred thousand people, and neighbouring Mubarraz stand at its heart.
Read the complete Qasr Khuzam write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Qasr Khuzam 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 21 km into the recorded legs. Next is Al-`Oyun village.
3. 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
about 43 km into the recorded legs you reach Al-`Oyun village. 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 Qasr Khuzam.
5. Qasr Khuzam
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Qasr Khuzam write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Qasr Khuzam. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Qasr Khuzam to Northern Oasis
Qasr Khuzam → Northern Oasis is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Northern Oasis to Al-`Oyun village
Northern Oasis → Al-`Oyun village is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Al-`Oyun village to back through Northern Oasis
Al-`Oyun village → back through Northern Oasis is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Northern Oasis to Qasr Khuzam
back through Northern Oasis → Qasr Khuzam is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- As-Seef and Al-`Oyun village · 77 km
- Suq al-Qaysariyah and Al-`Oyun village · 75 km
- Northern Oasis and Jawatha Mosque · 81 km
- Al-Asfar Lake and As-Seef · 206 km