Desert Treks from Riyadh has long been the standard bestseller for desert travel from Riyadh. While it has never ceased to be used by intrepid travellers in the years since it was first printed, the book itself is now hard to find and its directions need updating with so many developments on the ground around Riyadh. We are fortunate in that Ellie Whittaker and her husband, also long-term residents of Riyadh, have travelled every route in the book and updated every direction, and, most importantly, have added GPS coordinates to every destination. In addition to that, Jim Stabler has updated his excellent maps. So we are republishing the book with Ionis Thompson's trip descriptions also brought more up-to-date, to encourage the modern trekker to explore further the lovely wadis, sand dunes and ancient sites that lie within reach of the city of Riyadh.

Ionis Thompson and Ellie Whittaker both traveled widely in Saudi Arabia at different times: Ionis was there in the 1990's and Ellie some 10 years later, when she was able to update the directions given in the earlier version. Both, when they left Saudi Arabia, wanted to leave a record of interesting and attractive places to visit for those who venture out of Riyadh to explore the desert landscape beyond.