On Jan. 1, 2025, adventurer, writer, and BBC presenter Alice Morrison will set off from the Jordanian border to cross the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on foot. Expected to take five months over two winters, the north-to-south trek will pass through deserts, mountain ranges, and cultural sites before ending at the Saudi border with Yemen.
Saudi Arabia began issuing tourism visas in 2019, and Morrison jumped at the chance to explore it.
“I have been studying Arabic and the Middle East for 45 years, but Saudi has always
been closed to me. Now, I get to explore the heart of Arabia. I want to get past the politics and meet the people,” Morrison said in a press release.
Women-centered adventuring
The politics of Saudi Arabia — and relatively limited opportunities for women in the country — will make for an adventure that explores the social as much as the physical terrain. Morrison will make a point of seeking out Saudi women to interact with. She’ll be accompanied at various stages by Princess Abeer Al Saud, racing driver Mashael Obadain, guide Sara Omar, and a group of Saudi’s first female wildlife rangers. Morrison is fluent in Arabic.
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Due to the extreme temperatures in Saudi Arabia during much of the year, Morrison will split her expedition over two separate winters.
Extensively traveled in the Middle East and North Africa, she has past experience trekking long-distance with camels. She’s also cycled the length of Africa and walked across Jordan. Her book Walking with Nomads chronicles the effects of climate change on Saharian nomadic people.
“I am a mid-life woman (61), and I hope my adventure inspires others to get out and follow their dreams. I couldn’t have attempted this at 25; I needed the life experience to get me here,” she said.
The Saudi Arabian trek will become a BBC series and a book when she’s finished, but she’ll certainly be making posts along the way. You can follow along here.
