On January 1, 2025, explorer Alice Morrison embarks on an expedition to become the first recorded person to cross Saudi Arabia from north to south on foot.

LONDON, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, December 11, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On January 1, 2025, Alice Morrison, Scottish explorer, BBC TV presenter and writer will embark on a historic expedition to become the first recorded person to cross the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from north to south on foot. Accompanied by camels and local guides, the five-month journey will span an epic 2,500km, taking her through the Kingdom’s vast deserts, oases, and mountains.

Saudi Arabia has only recently opened its gates to tourism. As a solo female explorer, crossing the Kingdom where women only won the right to drive seven years ago, is an extraordinary endeavour. Women are at the heart of this adventure. During her journey, Alice will meet a wide range of women to hear and reflect the diversity of their stories.

Saudi women who have expressed an interest in walking part of the way with her include explorer Princess Abeer Al Saud, racing driver Mashael Obadain and the first female travel business owner and guide Sara Omar.

She will also spend a week walking with Saudi’s first ever female wildlife rangers, learning how they are bringing back extinct plants and animals in the desert areas.

Alice’s expedition is driven by three main objectives: making new discoveries, amplifying the voices of Saudi women and shedding light on the Kingdom’s climate, landscapes, and conservation efforts. By retracing the ancient caravan routes, she aims to unearth hidden stories from the land’s rich history while offering fresh insights into the rapidly evolving Saudi Arabia of today.

One of the highlights of the first stage of the expedition will be AlUla, with its rich heritage of ancient civilisations and trade. Alice is no stranger to AlUla, which was featured in her most recent BBC show, Arabian Adventures: The Secrets of the Nabateans.

Alice says, “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.

I’ve got an explorer superpower: being a woman. The view of Saudi women in the West is very one dimensional. As a female explorer, I’m uniquely able to spend time with Saudi women and tell their stories.

The route I am taking is stuffed with history so I’ll be searching for new sites. I’m also walking through climate change and will be recording my findings.

The desert is a harsh mistress and I am sure she will be teaching me many lessons along the route.

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."

Alice Morrison is an accomplished adventurer who speaks fluent Arabic. She was the first woman to walk the length of the Draa River as part of crossing Morocco and the Sahara on foot with camels. She has recently filmed a two-part series for the BBC in Petra, Jordan and AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Already a best-selling author of 4 travel books, she will be writing another book about this expedition as well as making a film.

END

Notes to Editors:
Expedition Route
The route begins at the Jordan border near Halat Anmar, the crossing point of the historic Jejaz Railway. It continues through the mountains, hitting points of interest such as Darb al Haj, notably the traditional Attabukiya Hajj Pilgrimage Route, Prince Mohamed Bin Salman Royal Reserve, the volcanic regions of Harrat Ar Raha and Harrat Uwayrid, and ancient regional centres of Tabuk and AlUla. From Madinah, the route will cross towards the coast and down to Jeddah, turning eastwards for the approach to Makkah and Taif. Heading south, Alice will pass through Rijal Almaa and the Uruq Bani Ma’arid wildlife sanctuary. The expedition will end near Najran at the border with Yemen.

As the route is too long to accomplish in one season due to hot weather and the month of Ramadan, Alice will do it in two halves over two winter seasons. The first stage will take 7 weeks over January and February 2025 and will take her from the border with Jordan to Madinah.

Sarah Lloyd-Morrison
Magenta PR
+44 7971 411212
sarah@magentapublicrelations.co.uk
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