Taif

It's exciting just to go to Taif. Visitors take a meandering drive through the mountains, past fruit shops, rose fields, and deep valleys along the way, before arriving at Taif's plateau. Taif is renowned as the City of Roses because of the highly fragrant flowers that thrive in the surrounding wadis and mountains. It is also regarded as the unofficial summer capital of Saudi Arabia. Taif, due to its elevation, provides a pleasant respite from the heat. While the roses bloom in April, the city truly comes alive in August, when the Souq Okaz cultural festival and the Crown Prince Camel Festival are in full flow.

Al Hada, located high above the valley that leads to Makkah, is home to playful baboons, rose fields, and natural immensity. A serpentine road, as well as historic zig-zagging camel tracks, glide gently down the slope. The rows of mountains in the horizon fade into a grey ombré as the sun sets and residents assemble at vantage spots. The longest cable car in Saudi Arabia connects the summit to the wadi bottom, where the Hijazi-style Al Kar Tourist Village has a water park and toboggan slide. Every year, the beautiful aroma of Taif's famous 30-petal damask roses in bloom permeates the air. Over 900 rose farms generate over 300 million blooms, which are collected to make the world's most costly rose oil, or attar. Visit one of the city's rose factories for a guided tour, or travel to Taif's central market to explore and buy rose-scented oil, water, fragrance, and soaps.