Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
During the summer season cable cars link the top of Green Mountain with the Asir Na-
tional Park Abha visitors centre and the New Abha hotel (one-way/return SR35/70).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Around Abha
Asir National Park
This
national park
( summer)
was Saudi Arabia's first and contains some of the
Kingdom's most spectacular scenery, with mountains reaching nearly 3000m before
plunging down to the coast. The park encompasses some 450,000 hectares stretching from
the Red Sea, across the mountains and east into the desert. The park's territory is not con-
tiguous, with pockets of land (separated by towns, villages and farmlands) fenced off for
protection.
Al-Soudah
Al-Soudah, or 'the black one', so named for the black clouds that so often surround it, is
jaw-droppingly beautiful. Located close to the summit of the Kingdom's highest peak,
Jebel Soudah
(2910m), about 22km west of Abha, this is the place to come for precipitous
cliffs, deep valleys and mountain-tops disappearing behind the clouds.
There's no better way to enjoy the views than taking the
As-Sawdah Cable Car
( 229 1111;
return ticket SR80; 9am-9pm Apr-Sep, winter by special request)
. It's well signposted from Abha. It
drops down off the escarpment to the traditional mudbrick village of
Rejal Al-Maa
, with
wonderful views to accompany you all the way, including stone villages, terraced fields,
juniper forests off in the distance and even the occasional defensive watchtower.
Habalah
The old village of Habalah sits precariously halfway down a cliff face about 63km south-
east from Abha. To reach the village, you can take the
cable car
( 253 1919; adult/child return
SR60/40; 9am-9pm Jun-Aug, public holidays & weekends Sep-May)
. Though it's only a short ride
(600m, 3½ minutes), the views en route are impressive.
Habalah is a place apart. The name means 'rope valley' or 'the ropes', a reference to
the fact that this village, built of stone hewn from the rock at the foot of sheer 300m cliffs,
was once accessible only by rope ladders (habal). The village was settled about 350 years
