ThePlace: Shada mountains, a popular tourist attraction in Saudi Arabia

Photo/Saudi Press Agency

• The area is one of the largest wildlife reserves in Saudi Arabia

The Sarawat Mountain range — particularly the Shada mountains in Baha — is a popular tourist attraction in the Kingdom. The mountains are often shrouded in mist, due to the water vapor from the Red Sea.
Visitors can explore the region’s caves, in which ancient cave paintings have been found, and even spend the night in one — not as uncomfortable as it sounds, since they have been outfitted with carved olive- and juniper-wood doors, and modern specifications including electric lighting and Wi-Fi connections.
Fruit trees grow abundantly in the Shada mountains in Al-Makhwah governorate, thanks to regular rainfall, and visitors can sample fresh fruits straight from the trees.
The area is also one of the largest wildlife reserves in the Kingdom — home to the rare Arabian tiger as well as wolves, hyenas, lynxes, mongoose, foxes, porcupines, baboons, hyraxes, and numerous bird species, including crows, falcons and eagles.