Ash Shuara massif

A massif in the Nejd, in the heart of the country. Approximately 30 KM north to south and maybe 20 east to west. Surrounded by flat desert. I love this terrain and landscape.

Head for the village of Ash Shuara and take the dead-end asphalt road about 5 KMs in to the massif. Park the car anywhere off-road there and set off heading west into any wadi, taking care not to trespass on someone's land as there are a few scattered houses here.

If you like getting lost in wadi mazes, this place is fantastic. I used Google Earth beforehand but the terrain is not difficult so you can follow your nose and see where you end up. A wide wadi about 100 metres wide in places cuts right through the middle from east to west (4WD possible but I only saw or heard 1 over 2 nights). Wadis twist and turn in all directions. At 'wadi junctions', 3, 4, even 5 wadis merge like a busy road crossing in a city centre and head off in different directions. Some steep gorges with 30 metre high 'dry waterfalls' of smooth polished granite. I imagine in winter and spring, after rain, there are many water pools all over this massif. The highest peaks are about 1220 metres and the plateau is about 900 metres, so there is very little hard work involved and you can easily scramble up to the top of any peak for amazing views for 360 degree views across the range or for 50 KMs beyond across the desert (if visibility permits).

Lots of places to camp in wadis (for soft sandy comfort) or over wadis on the slopes of mountains (rocky). In 2 nights I saw just 1 snake, so the area is pretty devoid of wildlife as far as I can tell. November day temperatures perfect but nights required a sleeping bag. Occasionally clouded over but it didn't actually rain.

I put moderate for the length, the daytime heat and the many ups and downs, but there is nothing technical beyond scrambling over polished granite.

I highly recommend this massif.