Four Days In The Hidden Pearl Of The South: The Asir Region

Day 1: Abha - Al Namas - Tanuma Tour 

Our Abha tour begins today at 10 am with a visit to the popular Tuesday market in the center of Abha. This popular market presents itself as a continuous activity in Abha over the past quarter of a century. This market was a media center in which news of rain and harvest were known in the past. The Tuesday market is also the ideal place for tourists looking for ancient artifacts such as pottery, iron, clothes, jewelry, ghee, honey, plants and aromatic flowers.

After lunch, we will head to one of the most important museums in the Asir region, the Al-Jahal Museum. Founded in 1976 AD in the Al-Souda region, the museum is an old house whose walls are made of heavy, cohesive stones decorated with traditional carvings and lit from the inside by old lanterns of different sizes. The museum includes more than 14,000 ancient artifacts, each of which has an identification card. The museum also contains many utensils, stones, ornaments, metals, clothes and many others.

Our Abha tour continues towards Al-Namas or as locals call it (the city of fog), we visit Al-Maqar Palace or Al-Namas City Palace, or as it is also known as the Astronomical Palace, which is two hours away from the city of Abha. It is a heritage village that holds thousands of manuscripts and heritage pieces dating back hundreds of years. This palace also carries thousands of Islamic decorations and manuscripts. This palace is considered the first record in Islamic history of the handwritten manuscripts of the Holy Qur’an, as it contains more than a thousand manuscripts of the Qur’an from a thousand scholars in a thousand different dates.

We leave Al-Namas and head south to Tanuma, which is 20 minutes away from Al-Namas, where we start a mountain hike for one to two hours. With its stone houses and minarets, high-altitude Tanomah is encircled by juniper trees and craggy peaks, with a cascading waterfall right in the middle of the city. To the west, the area around the Al Sharaf Mountain is a draw for hikers, bird watchers and rock climbers, with its reddish peaks home to the kingdom’s first bolted climbing route and many of its rarest bird species. 

Today’s trip includes: BBQ dinner. 

Day 2: Rija Al-Ma’a - Abha High City Tour 

We continue our trip at noon where we take a mountain road and head down to the heritage village of Rijal Al-Ma’a. A trip to the Asir region is not complete without going through it and passing through its multicolored stone buildings and castles, as it was ranked among the best tourist villages around the world.

Afterwards, we travel to Al-Soudah, which is the highest mountain peak in the Kingdom, as it is located at an altitude of 3000 meters above sea level. The trip includes a visit to the Asir National Park, which is a wonderful tourist destination for camping, hiking and mountaineering enthusiasts. We will watch the sunset after that above the clouds in a breathtaking, relaxing panoramic view. 

We will then return to Abha, and specifically to the high city, where we will take a tour of the city and walk around its cafes and restaurants. Inside the city, the infrastructure gives off a cozy look. Nestled in the middle of mountains that are riddled with valleys, the city offers fresh air and stunning views of the surrounding hilly areas. Due to its location, this place is known as the 'High City.' At times the mountains can get foggy with clouds reaching the city, providing tourists with a surreal view. In summers, this is a popular destination for many tourists escaping the desert heat. 

Includes: coffee and dinner

Day 3: Abha City Tour: Shamsan Castle - Cable Car and more

We start the third day by visiting the Ottoman Shamsan Castle, this castle was built during the Ottomans era in the sixteenth century. Some of its walls and buildings still exist to this day, despite the demolition and destruction it has been subjected to over the years.

The history of Shamsan Castle tells how it was used as a military barracks to defend the city throughout the different eras. For example, you will find that the castle was used by the Ottoman governor until the Turkish soldiers left Asir, as it prevented any attacks from the north and remained a source of protection for the region. Until parts of it were destroyed in 1933.

After lunch, we go to Art Street, which is a street decorated with amazing pieces of art, and it is a popular pick-up point for artists and art lovers all over the Kingdom, as it includes about 10 galleries, a theater for concerts, and many distinctive restaurants and cafes.

A trip to Abha would not be complete without riding the city's famous cable car to enjoy panoramic views of the Sarawat mountain range. It is said that this cable car is the only suspended station in the world between two columns located a kilometer away from each other, as its length extends to more than 30 meters, and the cable car gives a comprehensive view on all sides as it transports its passengers over the parks of Abha.

Day four: Departure 

End of the trip.

Includes:
- Transport
- Local professional English speaking guide
- All activities and entrance fees as per itinerary