Al-Hada Mountain

Al-Hada Mountain rises above Taif, Saudi Arabia, and is part of the Al-Sarawat range, which curves for about 87 km between Taif and Makkah. Visitors come for the road that climbs it, the cooler air on the way up and the chance to ride a cable car to a mountainside village. The mountain is open 24 hours and there is no minimum age. Travelling up, you will feel the temperature fall gradually. Acacia and juniper trees and herbal plants line the road, and vendor booths sell Taif rose water, fruit, warm drinks and snacks. Al-Kar Tourist Village, reached by cable car or by road, has water games, a car race and a rope-hung flying carpet that carries riders between mountainsides. A hotel on the mountain looks over the mountains, gardens or the city. The road has long linked Makkah and Taif. Traditionally it was called Darb Al-Jammalah, the route of camel caravans carrying trade goods, and it is also known as Aqabat Al-Kurr, a winding mountain route over steep terrain. Its modern paved surface was built in the 20th century, though travellers used the way long before that.