Asir Mountain Escape

📍 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Airport - Al Bahah (45 m): 40 mins Al Bahah - Thee Ain (30 km): 40 mins

Al Bahah itself is another of Saudi Arabia’s highlights. The city, the capital of Al Bahah region, enjoys a pleasant climate at around 2200 metres above sea level and is surrounded by more than forty forests, including Raghdan, Al-Zareeb and Baidan. The views all around the city are spectacular. Some of the best vistas can be enjoyed from Raghdan park, which overlooks a deep wadi gorge. 

First visit today is a big one; the UNESCO-listed village of Thee Ain is one the region’s best preserved and hosts a fascinating visitors’ centre which offers insight to local life. Climb the steps in its steep alleyways and enter a house or two. Find the way up the narrow staircases and end up on a rooftop, viewing over the valley. A torchlight often comes in handy.  Get a sense of how life was 400 years ago when Thee Ain protected and supported the caravan roads. At the foot of the village is a little stream where a fresh drink can be enjoyed under the trees.

Drive back to Al Bahah, dinner at a local restaurant and conclude the day at a simple and scenic mountain lodge.

Overnight in Al Bahah.

Inclusions:

🍗 Dinner

📍 Al Baha - Al Shaaf homestay (125 km): 3 hrs

After breakfast, resume the overland journey with a first stop at Al Malad Castle, situated in the historic village of Al Malad, is a dual fortress perched on a hill along the commercial road to Asir. Constructed by two brothers four centuries ago, it served military functions and housed provisions.

Stop in Baljurashi, a town renowned for its Saturday historical market, where traditional Saudi produce, crafts, and honey are showcased—visible only if visiting on market day. Explore Baljurashi Heritage Village and its small museum followed by lunch before continuing the journey.

Arrive at a cliffside village known for terrace farming and stone architecture. Unlike desert regions, houses, mosques, and forts here are built from sturdy stone, often adorned with white marble. Interiors and doors feature vibrant patterns in white, red, yellow, and green, emphasizing geometric designs.

Enter one of those gems and be welcomed by the local family for the homestay experience. Meals will be seating on the floor, as will be the mattresses when time comes to sleep. At sunset, mist often sweeps in from the valley, momentarily obscuring the view before clearing to reveal a star-filled night sky on the rooftop. 

When there is time before sunset, take a stroll in and around the village and enjoy the views, the herds of goats and the occasional monkey. Watch out for them though!

Dinner and overnight in homestay

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Al Shaaf - Abha (240 km): 4 hrs

After a local breakfast prepared by the host family it is time to hit the road again.

Further south the scenery gets more rugged as the mountains get higher, culminating in the peak of Jabal Sawda: the highest summit in Saudi Arabia. Before reaching Abha, adventurers will encounter traditional Asir houses along with an impressive mosque and equally notable views at the village of Olayan and a fort-like ruler’s house that is now a museum in the town of Namas. A picnic lunch can be enjoyed in an airy park with a view into the deep valley outside town. 

End the day by exploring Abha. Stretch the legs at the city’s Art Street, a picturesque street lined with magnificent purple jacaranda trees. The area is decorated with colourful pieces of art and is a place where artists from all over the country catch up to share their creativity. Sunset or early evening is best spent on the Al Dabab walkway on the cliff edge that the city of Abha created for exercising and for social gatherings of its people. Gaze west and dream of more mountain scenery to come!

Overnight in Abha.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Abha - Rijal Alma (55 km): 1 hr Abha city centre - Abha Airport (20 km): 25 mins

Abha and the wider Asir region beg for deeper exploration. And the focus is on Asir culture with local traditions, architecture, and heritage to the fore as we uncover the area that surrounds Abha. Pass by Jabal Sawda, widely believed to be the highest in Saudi Arabia at 3,000 metres, before descending a hairpin road down the slopes of the mountain to Rijal Alma, a fascinating collection of around 60 multi storey traditional stone houses that hug the slopes. These large, fortress-like houses are designed vertically, which helps heat escape and trap the cool air. The site is UNESCO-listed.

Enjoy a refreshing drink in front of the village, then drive further into the mountains for lunch. After lunch, return to Abha. Delve deeper into the heritage of Asir at the Fatima Museum of Asir Women, an enthralling exploration of traditional design, home decoration and the natural painting techniques unique to Asir. Discover the art of creating Asir colours from nature and explore their distinctive patterns. In the afternoon, the program ends at Abha International Airport.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch