You shouldn’t miss a trip down from the Al Hada plateau into the valley by cable car.
The ticket office of Taif Cable Cars, also known as Telefric Al Hada, is situated on the ring road right next to the Ramada by Wyndham Hotel, which has been built right up to the edge of the steep slope. The cable car ride is by far the easiest and most pleasant way to travel from the high plateau to Al Kar, a tourist village in the Naaman Valley, and back again. The journey ends right at Al Kar Tourist Village. The journey, which takes about 20 minutes each way in the cable car’s small gondolas up and down the mountain, offers spectacular views of the mountains, the valley – and an ancient, steep trade path.
The latter is remarkable, as it is one of the few old stone paths that once connected Taif with many of the surrounding villages and areas. The partly paved, serpentine path, which you cross several times by gondola, was the original route connecting the Naaman Valley (and thus ultimately Mecca) via Al Hada to Taif. It is hard to imagine today, but two or three generations ago, camels (dromedaries) laden with goods were still driven up and down this path. Historic paths such as this one, which wind their way between valleys, mountain peaks and plains, reflect the economic, civilisational and cultural significance of the regional transport routes across the entire region.
