Jabal Sawda
The highest peak in Saudi Arabia, in the Asir range above Abha, with cool air, mist and wide views. Visitors come for the mountain scenery, hiking and viewing platforms.
Abha (Asir)
Set in the southwest, this cool mountain city is known for cable car views, painted village houses and green highlands.
Attractive locations
Asir National Park
A protected area of juniper forest, steep valleys and terraced hills in the Asir highlands, with trails and viewpoints. Wildlife such as baboons can sometimes be seen.
Asir Mountains
A green mountain range in south-western Saudi Arabia that catches seasonal rain and mist. Villages, terraced farms and cool-weather escapes make it very different from the rest of the kingdom.
Habala
A cliff-edge village in the Asir mountains whose houses once hung above a deep valley and were reached by ropes. Today a cable car and paths lead down to it, with views over terraced slopes.
Al-Muftaha Village
A heritage art village in Abha where traditional Asiri stone buildings now hold galleries, workshops and shops. Murals and carved doors show the region's craft traditions.
Rijal Almaa
A mountain village known for tall stone and slate towers banded with white quartz and fitted with colourful window shutters. It forms an open-air display of Asiri highland architecture.
Airports
Abha International Airport AHB
It is about 17 km in a straight line from Abha (Asir).
Jizan Regional Airport / King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport GIZ
It is about 147 km in a straight line from Abha (Asir).
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Saudi Arabia page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan19.5 °C4 mm
- Feb21.1 °C5 mm
- Mar23.1 °C4 mm
- Apr25.4 °C15 mm
- May28.2 °C7 mm
- Jun30.2 °C1 mm
- Jul29.6 °C8 mm
- Aug28.9 °C8 mm
- Sep28.9 °C1 mm
- Oct25.4 °C1 mm
- Nov22.3 °C4 mm
- Dec20.1 °C4 mm
Driest months: Jun, Sep, Oct. Wettest months: Apr, Jul, Aug.
Costs
Prices here are about 47% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency and help
911 is the unified emergency number in most regions. Police 999. Ambulance 997. Civil defence / fire 998.
local government
Ministry of Health Call Center 937
Helps with: The health ministry's call center, listed for medical consultations and receiving reports from inside the Kingdom, 24/7. A separate number is listed for calls from outside the Kingdom.
Who qualifies: Callers inside Saudi Arabia needing medical consultation; the page does not say which languages are offered.
Phone: 937
Email: [email protected]
local government
Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Guests Care
Helps with: The ministry that serves pilgrims and visitors for Hajj and Umrah. Its contact page lists phone lines marked 24/7, an email address and several Guests Care Centers in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah.
Who qualifies: Pilgrims and visitors served by the ministry; the page sets no further conditions.
Phone: +966 920002814
Email: [email protected]
local government
Emergency number 911 (police, ambulance and fire)
Helps with: Reaches police, ambulance and fire services. UK government travel advice lists this number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors.
Phone: 911
local government
Emergency number 112 for phones without a Saudi SIM
Helps with: Emergency number for callers without a Saudi SIM card. UK government travel advice says to call 112 in that case.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors.
Phone: 112
ngo
Saudi Red Crescent Authority
Helps with: The contact page lists 997 as the ambulance number and a beneficiary services call centre. It also offers first aid training through its Ambassador of Life programme.
Who qualifies: The page does not say who can use it. It gives a public contact form and the phone numbers listed.
Phone: 00966112805555
Email: [email protected]
Address: PO Box 11129, Riyadh