Jabal Shada

Jabal Shada al-Ala rises to around two thousand metres out of the Tihama plain in Al-Bahah, a granite massif isolated from the main escarpment, and it is protected as a reserve because that isolation and the moisture it catches support a flora and fauna unlike the surrounding lowland: juniper and wild olive on the heights, Arabian leopard historically present, hamadryas baboons, and a bird list including species restricted to southwestern Arabia. Terraced farms on the lower and middle slopes grow coffee, the Khawlani-type arabica cultivated in southwestern Saudi Arabia, along with fruit. Villages sit on the terraces and the roads up are steep and narrow.

What you actually see

• The granite massif - the mountain rising from the coastal plain.
• Coffee terraces - the stepped farms on the flanks.
• Juniper and olive - the woodland on the higher ground.
• Baboon troops - the hamadryas on the slopes and roadsides.

When to go

October to April for the walking and the clearest views; summer on the Tihama below is severe though the heights stay cooler. The coffee harvest runs roughly October to January. Mist can cover the summit.

Honest expectations

The roads up are very steep and narrow with tight bends. There is no visitor infrastructure or marked trail. Leopards are effectively extinct here despite the reserve status. Farm terraces are private and permission should be asked.

Nearby

Al Mikhwah lies below; Dhee Ayn is north.