Abha
Saudi Arabia · Asir · 2270 m
Description
Abha is the capital of Asir, a highland province on the escarpment above the Red Sea coast that catches monsoon cloud from the south and stays green when the rest of the country is stone. At twenty-two hundred metres it is the coolest place in Saudi Arabia and the main domestic summer destination, filling up between June and August when mist rolls through the juniper forests. Cable cars run from the town to the Green Mountain and down the cliff to the abandoned hanging village of Habala, and the stone-and-quartz painted houses of Rijal Almaa are an hour to the west.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 5 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Green Mountain and its cable car
- Al Soudah and Jabal Sawda, the highest point in Saudi Arabia
- Rijal Almaa heritage village and its painted houses(Day trip)
- Habala hanging village and its cliff cable car(Day trip)
- Abha Dam lake and its promenade
- Art Street and the Al Muftaha artists' village
- Shada Palace, the mudbrick governor's house
- Asir National Park and its juniper forests
- Soudah Season summer festival (June - August)
- Souq Al Thulatha, the Tuesday market (every Tuesday)
- Paragliding off the Soudah escarpment
- Hamadryas baboons on the escarpment road
- Asir coffee terraces and the Khawlani beans
- Al Basta old quarter of Abha
- Tanoumah and Al Namas cloud forests(Day trip)
Getting there
- Airports:
- AHB