Saudi Arabia’s Landscapes Explained: Mountains, Deserts, Coasts, Valleys & Volcanic Fields

When many travelers imagine Saudi Arabia, one image usually comes to mind: desert.

That image is not wrong. Saudi Arabia is home to some of the largest and most dramatic deserts on Earth. But it is far from the whole picture.

Travel across the Kingdom and the landscape can change completely. You can move from vast sand dunes to mountains rising more than 2,000 meters above sea level, from black volcanic fields to palm-filled valleys, and from rocky inland plateaus to long coastlines along two different seas.

For a first-time visitor, understanding Saudi Arabia’s geography makes trip planning much easier. The landscape affects the weather, the activities, the scenery, the roads and, most importantly, the best time of year to visit each part of the country.

Saudi Arabia at a Glance

In simple terms, travelers can think of Saudi Arabia through five major types of landscapes:

• Mountains and highlands
• Deserts and sand seas
• Plateaus, cliffs and rocky interior landscapes
• Red Sea and Arabian Gulf coastlines
• Valleys, oases and volcanic fields

Each one offers a completely different Saudi travel experience.

1. Mountains and Highlands

Saudi Arabia has extensive mountain ranges, particularly along its western and southwestern side.

The highlands run through parts of the Hijaz and continue south through Al Baha, Asir and Jazan. As you travel farther south, the landscape becomes higher, greener and, in some places, surprisingly lush.

Around destinations such as Abha, Al Soudah, Tanomah and Al Namas, travelers can find winding mountain roads, steep valleys, forests, agricultural terraces and dramatic viewpoints.

This is one of the parts of Saudi Arabia that surprises foreign visitors the most.

Because of the elevation, temperatures in the southwestern highlands can be noticeably cooler than in much of the rest of the Kingdom. That is why destinations in Asir and Al Baha are especially attractive during the warmer months.

If your mental picture of Saudi Arabia is endless sand and extreme heat, the southwestern mountains can change that impression very quickly.

2. The Great Deserts

Of course, the desert remains one of Saudi Arabia’s defining landscapes.

But even here, there is not just one type of desert.

The most famous is the Rub’ al Khali, or Empty Quarter, which covers an enormous area of southern and southeastern Saudi Arabia and extends beyond the Kingdom’s borders. It is one of the largest continuous sand deserts in the world.

Its enormous dunes and remote landscapes represent the Arabian desert at its most dramatic.

In northern Saudi Arabia lies An Nafud, known for its vast reddish sand dunes.

Then there is Ad Dahna, a long belt of sand stretching across the Kingdom and linking major desert regions.

Beyond these famous deserts, smaller dune systems and open desert landscapes surround many towns and cities throughout the country.

For travelers, the desert is not simply empty land between destinations. It can be the destination itself.

Depending on where you travel, desert experiences can include camping, stargazing, dune driving, hiking, camel experiences and quiet evenings far away from city lights.

And one thing surprises many visitors: Saudi deserts can become genuinely cold at night during winter.

3. Plateaus, Cliffs and the Central Interior

Not all of inland Saudi Arabia is covered in sand.

A large part of central Saudi Arabia, including much of Najd and the Riyadh region, consists of elevated plateaus, rocky plains, limestone formations, gravel terrain, cliffs and dry valleys.

This creates landscapes that can look completely different from the soft dunes of the Empty Quarter.

Around Riyadh, for example, dramatic escarpments rise above enormous open plains.

Drive across central Saudi Arabia and you may spend hours passing through rocky terrain, dry riverbeds, isolated formations and wide horizons.

It is also here that road travelers begin to understand the true scale of Saudi Arabia.

Distances between destinations can be huge, and the landscape can remain open and uninterrupted for hours.

Farther northwest, areas around Tabuk reveal yet another side of Saudi geography, with dramatic mountains, unusual rock formations and vast open landscapes.

4. Two Very Different Coastlines

Saudi Arabia has something many first-time visitors overlook: two long coastlines.

To the west lies the Red Sea.

To the east lies the Arabian Gulf.

And the two coasts offer very different experiences.

The Red Sea Coast

The Red Sea coastline includes destinations such as Jeddah, Yanbu, Umluj, Jazan and the Farasan Islands.

It is known for coral reefs, clear waters, islands, beaches and excellent opportunities for diving and snorkeling.

In some areas, the contrast is remarkable: mountains and dry landscapes can sit surprisingly close to the sea.

The farther south you travel toward Jazan and the Farasan Islands, the landscape changes again, with islands, mangroves and warmer tropical-looking coastal environments.

The Arabian Gulf Coast

On the other side of the country, the Arabian Gulf borders Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.

Cities such as Dammam, Al Khobar and Jubail sit along this coast.

The geography here is generally flatter, and the coastline is closely connected with urban life, beaches, corniches and marine environments.

For travelers, this means Saudi Arabia can be much more than a desert or cultural destination.

It can also be a destination for diving, islands, beaches and coastal road trips.

5. Valleys, Oases and Volcanic Fields

Some of Saudi Arabia’s most interesting landscapes do not fit neatly into the categories above.

Across the Kingdom are countless wadis — valleys and natural drainage systems cutting through mountains, plateaus and desert terrain.

Some remain dry for long periods, while others support vegetation, farms and settlements.

Saudi Arabia is also home to major oasis landscapes.

One of the most famous is Al Ahsa, where extensive palm groves create a striking green environment surrounded by generally arid terrain.

AlUla offers another fascinating combination. Sandstone formations, valleys, farms, palm trees and desert landscapes all exist relatively close together.

Ancient Volcanic Landscapes

There is another side of Saudi Arabia that many foreign visitors know almost nothing about: its volcanic landscapes.

Western Saudi Arabia contains enormous ancient lava fields known in Arabic as harrat.

These volcanic fields were created by lava flows over long periods of geological history.

In some places, dark volcanic rock stretches across the landscape for kilometers, creating scenery that looks completely different from the golden sand usually associated with Saudi Arabia.

The contrast can be dramatic: black lava fields alongside mountains, desert plains and settlements.

It is one of the clearest examples of why Saudi Arabia cannot simply be described as “a desert country.”

Saudi Arabia Is Not One Landscape

This diversity is one of the things that makes traveling around Saudi Arabia so interesting.

In one country, you can experience:

1. Cool mountain highlands
2. Enormous sand deserts
3. Rocky plateaus and dramatic cliffs
4. Two very different coastlines
5. Valleys, oases and ancient volcanic fields

And each creates a completely different journey.

A summer escape to the mountains of Asir feels nothing like a winter camping trip in the desert.

A diving trip in the Red Sea feels completely different from exploring AlUla’s sandstone valleys.

And a long drive across the central plateau reveals yet another side of the Kingdom.

That is why there is no single answer to the question:

“What is Saudi Arabia like?”

It depends entirely on where you go.

Saudi Arabia is not one landscape, one climate or one travel experience.

And understanding that diversity is one of the first steps to seeing the Kingdom differently.

What’s Next?

In the next guide, we will divide Saudi Arabia into its main climate regions and explain what the weather is really like throughout the year — and the best months to visit each part of the Kingdom.

The Bedouin Eye — Saudi Arabia, through a local’s eyes.