Saudi Arabia
Habala
A cliffside village once reachable only by rope, now swaying above the void by cable car.
The cable car descends over 300 metres in a near-vertical drop, and the Tihama escarpment falls away beneath you like a wall. At the bottom, stone houses cling to ledges that seem inadequate for habitation, with terraced gardens carved into rock faces so steep they would be called cliffs anywhere else. Before the cable car was built, the only way down was by rope — and the village's name reflects it.
Habala is a cliffside settlement in Saudi Arabia's Asir Mountains, perched on the Tihama escarpment at a point where the mountain drops abruptly to the coastal plain below. The village was historically accessed only by rope, isolating its residents from the plateau above and creating a distinct mountain culture. The Saudi government installed a cable car in the 1990s, connecting Habala to the road network for the first time. The stone houses and terraced gardens remain intact, and the views from the cable car — looking down the full drop of the escarpment — are among the most dramatic in the kingdom.
Solo
The cable car descent alone — dropping into the void with the escarpment wall beside you — is a solo experience that needs no companion.
Couple
The intimate scale of the village and the drama of the setting create a shared experience that feels private, even with other visitors present.
Family
The cable car ride is an attraction in itself for children, and the village's compact size makes it manageable for younger visitors.
Friends
The vertiginous descent and the story of the rope-access village give a group plenty to react to — and photograph — together.
- The cable car descends over 300 metres down the Tihama escarpment to the hanging village below.
- Before the cable car, the only access was by rope — the village's name means 'rope' in Arabic.
- Stone houses are built into the cliff face with terraced gardens watered by seasonal rainfall.
- The views from the cable car take in the full drop of the escarpment to the Tihama plain.
Mountain honey from Asir's wild-flower meadows, thick and fragrant, drizzled over warm flatbread.
Millet porridge with ghee and spiced coffee served in stone houses clinging to the cliff.
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