The Asir Mountains

The Asir escarpment runs along the southwest of the country, rising to around 3,000 metres, and it catches enough moisture from the Red Sea to support juniper woodland, terraced agriculture and regular cloud. It is the part of Saudi Arabia that most contradicts the country's image. Abha sits on the plateau at around 2,200 metres, cool enough that Saudis holiday there in summer to escape forty-degree lowlands, and cable cars drop from the rim towards the villages below. Rijal Almaa's stone towers, the terraced farms of Habala clinging to the cliffs, and the juniper forests of Asir National Park are all within reach, and the mountain roads that connect them are among the most dramatic drives in the region.

What you actually see

• Abha and the rim viewpoints - the escarpment edge with cloud pouring over it.
• Cable cars - descents from the plateau rim towards the valleys, several operators.
• Asir National Park - juniper woodland and high grassland with baboons and birds.
• Habala - a cliff-hanging former village, historically reached by rope ladders.

When to go

The escarpment is mild year-round. June to August is the domestic holiday season, when it is green, misty and busy. Winter is clear and cold, with occasional frost at altitude.

Honest expectations

Cloud sits on the escarpment for much of the summer, so the famous views are often white. Public transport is minimal and a car is essential. This is a conservative region and visitors should dress and behave accordingly. Tourist infrastructure is developing quickly but remains uneven, with English-language information patchy outside Abha.

Nearby

Rijal Almaa is below the escarpment; the Farasan Islands lie off the coast at Jazan.