Things to do in Abha
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Abha
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall for green mountains, fog and Aseer Season, with 18 to 28C days, peak crowds and peak prices.
Clear skies, wildflowers and the April to May jacaranda bloom, with the best hiking light and fewer visitors.
Clear mornings and excellent visibility, the serious trekking window in a quiet city after the season.
Worst months, with nights near the peaks approaching freezing, view blocking fog and many facilities closed or weekend only.
What's on
- Aseer Season 1 July to 31 August
The flagship summer festival of concerts, heritage villages, adventure and markets across Abha and Al Soudah.
- Sound of Abha Fest 20 June to 15 September
The season's entertainment hub of live performances, food experiences, markets and family attractions.
- Abha Shopping Festival Summer, dates vary by year
A long running festival at the International Exhibition Centre with international vendors, folklore and rides.
- Jacaranda Season April to May
The city's purple weeks centred on Art Street and Al Muftaha, beloved by photographers.
Best things to do in Abha
Fog Walkway
A 600 metre walkway over the valley where on misty mornings you walk straight into the cloud above the green slopes.
New Abha Cable Car
The in city cable car up to Green Mountain, best ridden for the evening when the hill and the city below light up.
Al-Muftaha Village
A restored heritage village turned art quarter, and the best place to see Al Qatt Al Asiri painting in one walkable cluster.
Shada Palace
A traditional palace from around 1930 turned heritage museum, where the building itself explains Asiri architecture.
The Art Street
A mural lined street of coffee shops and jacaranda trees that is Abha at its best after dark and in spring bloom.
Souq Al Thulatha
The working Tuesday Market for mountain honey, herbs, baskets and silver, at its liveliest on a Tuesday morning.
Al-Basta
The oldest quarter of Abha, a quiet walk among restored stone and mud houses with slate rain courses along the wadi.
Abha Dam Lake
The lakeside corniche where Abha picnics at sunset, with walking paths, boats in season and green hills reflected in the water.
Where to stay in Abha
Lakeside and New Abha
first trip, all-round base
The lake corniche, the Green Mountain cable car and the easiest driving toward Al Soudah and Habala.
City Centre
culture and value
Walkable to Al Muftaha, Shada Palace, Art Street and the Tuesday Market, with the densest dining in the city.
Al Soudah road and the mountain
scenery, with a car, in summer
Five degrees cooler, inside juniper forest and cloud, best for a night or two inside a longer stay, with few properties and fog-bound roads after dark.
Al Mansak and airport side
budget and road trippers
Serviced apartments with parking and kitchenettes at the lowest rates, 15 to 20 minutes from the sights by car.
Think twice about
- Khamis Mushait
Hotter, flatter sprawl built around malls and highways. Booking there means commuting to every Abha sight through traffic.
- Al Soudah summit area in winter
Facilities close, fog locks the mountain road and every restaurant is a dark drive away. Magical in summer, isolating in winter.
- King Fahd Road highway outskirts
Isolated highway motels that are car dependent without the apartment quality or neighbourhood cafes of Al Mansak.
Best restaurants in Abha
Assalam Palace Hotel 10th Floor Revolving Restaurant
Abha's celebration room, a revolving tenth floor buffet restaurant bought for the view and the occasion.
Joy Venue
The most scenic table in Abha, with glass floor sections above the valley at the Fog Walkway, best at sunset.
Mahrani Restaurant
Abha's strongest food signal, a much loved Indian restaurant for biryani, tandoori grills and vegetarian dishes.
Al Sinara
The seafood address locals name first, for prawns and the freshest Red Sea fish grilled simply.
Alkarkand Restaurant
A long running Chinese and seafood house praised for prawn dishes and quick, friendly service.
Origin Burger
Abha's best evidenced burger chain, open very late, and the groups and late night pick in the city centre.
ALBAIK
The Saudi fried chicken institution with garlic sauce, the cheapest full meal and the most democratic queue in Abha.
Abo Tala For Fishes
A no frills local fish house where fish is chosen, weighed and cooked to order at below restaurant prices.
Outdoor things to do in Abha
Jabal Soudah
Saudi Arabia's highest peak area, with free escarpment viewpoints and an 8 km juniper forest loop trail on the plateau.
Al Soudah Cable Car
The dramatic cable car that descends the escarpment from the summit plateau, about 20 minutes each way when it runs.
Rijal Almaa Heritage Village
A 900 year old village of stone tower houses with white quartz and painted interiors, the best day trip from Abha.
Habala
The hanging village on a cliff ledge once reached only by rope, viewed from the rim and by seasonal cable car.
Al Soudah Paragliding
A tandem paraglide off the escarpment above the juniper forest, Abha's one true splurge adventure at around SAR 400.
Al Sahab Park
The Cloud Park on the Soudah road, where summer fog rolls through the picnic terraces at ground level in the afternoon.
Al-Dalghan Park
A shaded juniper picnic park with a summer Adventure Hub of ziplining and ATV rides, the easiest active family day.
Tanomah and Al Namas
The quiet northern highlands day trip, two hours from Abha, with cloud parks, fog walks and Al Maqar Palace.
Best hotels in Abha
Abha Palace Hotel
The landmark lakeside hotel with full service and mountain views, booked for location rather than flawless upkeep.
Citadines Abha
Modern serviced apartments with kitchens and living space, the smarter luxury spend for families and longer stays.
Braira Abha Hotel
The best evidenced hotel in Abha, a modern four star with pool and sauna a short walk from the Muftaha quarter.
Blue Inn
A good value centre city hotel with two restaurants, a spa and a pool, walkable to the main sights.
Sarwat Park Hotel Abha
A dependable locally popular mid range hotel with parking and a local food restaurant, a sound second choice.
Aber Abha
Clean, top rated serviced apartments at budget prices, the best evidenced cheap base if you have a car.
Is Abha expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | SAR 250 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | SAR 550 a person |
| Splurge | SAR 1,200 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Al Soudah Cable Car: a few days ahead
- Rijal Almaa Heritage Village: a few days ahead
- Al Soudah Paragliding: a few days ahead
- Asir National Park: weeks ahead
- Abha Palace Hotel: weeks ahead
- Citadines Abha: weeks ahead
- Braira Abha Hotel: a few days ahead
- Blue Inn: a few days ahead
- For Aseer Season and school holidays, book flights and hotels at least two weeks ahead and festival tickets as soon as they are listed.
- Confirm all three cable cars on the day, as operation is seasonal, weather sensitive and affected by Soudah Peaks construction.
- Book paragliding the day before with a spare afternoon in case weather cancels, and pre arrange any Rijal Almaa pickup or guide.
Is Abha safe?
- Fog on the escarpment can cut visibility to under ten metres in minutes, so drive slowly and carry warm layers and water year round.
- Never feed the baboon troops on the escarpment roads and keep car windows up, as fines apply.
- Abha lies well away from the Yemen border zone, but check your own government's current guidance before booking.
- Modest dress is the respectful default in this conservative province, alcohol is illegal, and cash is needed for village museums and market stalls.
Abha travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- High City restaurants charge very high prices for ordinary food, so take a coffee and the view there and dine back in the city.
- Green Mountain by day without the cable car and evening lights is a modest hill, and Shamsan Ottoman Castle is poorly preserved.
- Viewpoint honey stalls charge a premium over the Tuesday Market for the same jars.
- One night in Abha is too short, as two nights is the minimum and three to four days is right.
Getting around Abha: public transport and more
- Fly into Abha International Airport and rent a car at roughly SAR 150 to 250 per day, as there is no practical public transport to Rijal Almaa, Habala or Al Soudah.
- Use Uber and Careem for evening hops inside the city between the centre, Art Street and the lake.
- Mountain roads are paved but steep and suddenly foggy in summer, so allow extra time and avoid the switchbacks after dark.
- No 4x4 is needed for anything, and an international driving licence is accepted for rentals.
Who Abha suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Abha your trip
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