The Hada road
Hairpins down towards Mecca.
Prof. Mortel — CC BY 2.0 · Sajith Erattupetta — CC BY 4.0 · Jamal Nazar from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nick Shields — CC BY 2.0 · Prof. Mortel — CC BY 2.0 · Prof. Mortel — CC BY 2.0 · Prof. Mortel — CC BY 2.0 · عباد ديرانية — CC BY-SA 3.0
A mountain resort area west of Taif, about 2,000 metres above sea level on the western rim of the Sarawat mountains, looking straight down onto the Tihamah plains. Holidaymakers from across the Kingdom come for its mild summers: the highest temperatures stay around 32 °C. Its best-known sight is the road that drops from here towards Mecca in a chain of hairpin bends across steep rocky slopes, a dual carriageway about 87 kilometres long to Mecca. At night its lights trace a winding ribbon down the mountain, and lay-bys along the way look out over the valleys and the sunset. From Al Hada a cable car runs about four kilometres down to the Al Kar tourist village in the valley, a panoramic ride above the cliffs. The area also has resorts, chalets, amusement parks and family seating areas, and its farms are known for fruit and for rose products. Wandering Al Hada is free, while the cable car and rides charge separately. You may meet baboons along the roadside: don't feed them or go near them, and drive the bends carefully, especially in fog or rain.
Hairpins down towards Mecca.
About 4 km to Al Kar village.
Around 32 °C at most.
About 20 km west of Taif, on the Mecca road
About four kilometres, from Al Hada down to the Al Kar tourist village in the valley; its ticket is separate from wandering the area.