On this day, the participants and the Ride Xpower team get to know each other and discuss the tour itinerary in the morning.

We pick up the motorcycles and ride the the first leg of the Meet Dakar Adventure Bike Tour to Yanbu, the location of the start of the Dakar Rally 2026 where we meet the Dakar racers for the first time.

We'll watch the racers' presentation at the bivouac and then drive to the start, finish, and action points. The prologue is a great opportunity to see the racers at various action points and experience firsthand what racing in the Dakar Rally means. Perhaps the day you'll get the best up-close and compressed impressions.

The first stage takes a loop around the starting bivouac in Yanbu.

The race has truly begun, and it's getting exciting. Now it's time to find the balance between attack and conserving resources. The Dakar isn't decided in the first stages, but a defect or crash can mean you lose everything right at the start. We stand at the starting line, feel the adrenaline pumping through the riders' veins, and are just as excited. You simply have to experience this racing feeling to be believed.

We'll stay in the Al-Ula area for two nights to allow enough time to visit the world-famous Elephant Rock, the beautiful valleys, and the old town.

The Dakar will loop around Al-Ula before embarking on its first marathon leg to Hail.

A magnificent location steeped in Saudi history.

The days leading up to the rest day, which concludes the first leg of the Dakar, demand everything from the riders: They have to conserve their energy and equipment while not losing any time.

It's exciting, and we watch it all relaxed as spectators while driving to Riyadh, stopping in Hail.

This day is one of the highlights of this trip. For one thing, we forget about the motorcycles for a day and sort ourselves out, get our laundry done, and get a good night's sleep before spending the day at the Dakar Bivouac, chatting with the teams and racers. In the evening, we attend the briefing for the second leg of the Dakar and experience firsthand how the racers and teams are prepared for the next stage.

After the rest day, during which the riders recharged their batteries and the teams repaired their vehicles, the Dakar begins its decisive second stage.

We continue to the Empty Quarter, another highlight in a very special landscape of Saudi Arabia, where we will spend three full days and two nights.

In the Empty Quarter, we will probably stay at the Meet Dakar Desert Camp; there are very few hotels in this region. A very special experience in a comfortable tented camp under the starry desert sky.

On these days we ride out of the Empty Quarter towards Yanbu. We pass the scenic pass road near Taif down to Mecca and further to Yanbu.

The Dakar is entering its final days, and it's not just the racers who are feeling a bit tired. So we're taking it easy over the next few days and, if possible, returning from the day's stage early to enjoy a relaxing evening.

The tension remains high until the last minute of the final stage, because that's when the drama surrounding victory in the world's toughest rally can still unfold, and we're right in the middle of it. The evening ceremony marks a fitting conclusion to the Dakar Rally.

Return to Jeddah, where we return the motorcycles. We debrief the tour over dinner and say our goodbyes.

Goodbye Saudi Arabia. You can take a taxi to the airport at the time you want to be there, without having to wait for a shared shuttle (not included).