Taif

Taif sits at around 1,800 metres in the Hejaz mountains, which makes it noticeably cooler than the coast and historically the summer capital. Its reputation rests on roses: terraced farms around the city grow damask roses that are harvested before dawn in a short season centred on April, and distilled in small factories where copper stills run for hours to produce rose water and, in tiny quantity, the oil. The yield is famously poor, with an enormous number of flowers needed for a very small volume, which is why Taif rose oil is among the most expensive in the world and much of it goes to perfume houses and to the Kaaba. Factories welcome visitors during the season and the smell inside is extraordinary.

What you actually see

• Rose farms at harvest - picking before dawn in April on the terraced slopes.
• A distillery visit - copper stills, the distillation process and the finished oil.
• Al Rudaf park and the escarpment - cool green space and the road down to the coast.
• Taif souq - honey, rose products and the mountain produce market.

When to go

April is the rose harvest and the only time to see the whole process, from dawn picking to distillation. Outside it the factories still run tours but the farms are quiet. The city is a pleasant escape from lowland heat from October to March.

Honest expectations

Outside the April season the rose experience is a shop and a still rather than a landscape. Note that the direct route from Jeddah passes close to Mecca, and non-Muslims must use the designated bypass road; check the routing before driving. Genuine Taif rose oil is extremely expensive and heavily adulterated in the market, so buy from a distillery.

Nearby

Jeddah and the Red Sea are two hours west; Al Shafa's mountain viewpoints are above the city.