An Adventure trip to Fifa Mountains (Saudi Arabia)

It was Ramadan holidays and we decided to visit the Fifa Mountains, which is nearly 100 Km away from our accommodation at Baysh. We heard that it got lot of attractive sites.


Fifa Mountains situated in southwest Saudi Arabia near the southern province of Jazan close to the border with Yemen. The mountains are also the highest peak in Jizan.


I & my three friends included the team & we started at 8:30 in the morning. The trip was in my car, since I was the only one with a Saudi Driving license among the four of us.


From Baysh, we first drove to Sabiya (a small town between Baysh & Jizan) and from there, took left turn. (If you are coming from Jizan, you need to take Right turn, at the Sabiya Round about). The road is very much straight from there, going to Fifa, without any turns.

The only difficulty we faced during the travel, was the large number of Road humps, constructed to prevent speeding up of vehicles. Some humps are not in good shape, due to which I forced to take extra care in not hitting the bottom of my car in those humps. Still many times, the uneven high humps hit or scratch the bottom of my car.


After 50 minutes of driving, we reached at the bottom of the mountains. The climate and views changed as we ascent the mountains. Even I felt the change in atmospheric pressure, in my ears.

Fifa Mountains (also known as Fayfa or Faifa Mountains) is nearly 11,000 feet above sea level and is part of the Al-Sarawat mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Fifa has an area of around 225 square km and is visited by at least one million tourists every year, mostly from the Kingdom itself.


Fifa Mountains has several nicknames, including ‘Neighbor of the Moon’, ‘Heavens of the Earth’, and ‘Magical Fifa’. This mountainous region is known to charm tourists with its stunning landscape and fertile, green flora, a far cry from the vast barren deserts the rest of Saudi Arabia is. This region is one of the most beautiful and fertile places in the whole of Saudi Arabia.

There were some children’s parks can be seen on the right side of the road, at the valley of the mountains. We halted there for some time & took some photos.


Since it was a holiday, there were lot of vehicles and tourists (mostly Saudi Nationals) in the Valley and in the mountains. Many young Saudis drive very fast with crazy speed, which make me take extra care in the roads with defensive driving.


The landscape was beautiful. The area is one of the most beautiful and fertile regions in Saudi Arabia and is in sharp contrast with the other regions, which is mostly barren deserts.






As we ascent the mountains, the roads become narrow and steep, with dangerous curves and slopes. I forced to use either first or second gear to move up the slopes. Our car moved slowly with a maximum speed of 50 km/hour. It was a real adventure to drive the car in those mountains.

Fifa Mountains has many wonderful places such as the Valley of Qaa, Karthah, Thwayei Mountain, Hakamy Mountain, and Al-Abseyah. 

The mountains have mesmerized travelers and photographers with its beauty, its exceptional heights, it’s dreamy, fog-enveloped mountain tops and terraced landscaping, creating a breathtaking landscape, attractive for photographers who come to the region. The terraced hills peppered with houses are a sight you cannot take your eyes off, a real bounty for photography enthusiasts.

And besides its stunning landscape, Fifa Mountains also offers its visitors a view of ancient fortresses and construction that were used in the past to protect the land from aggressors.






People of Fifa are known for their daily struggle and the challenges they face as a result of the difficult nature of the land. The terrain here is so rugged that people struggle to move around, especially on narrow paths are that commonly seen here. The residents took on the transportation challenge quite creatively; they crafted hand-made carriages that can be used on high cable lines. The residents of Fifa use the cable system to transport commodities and also to quickly move sick people to health centers. The mountains are connected to the Jazan region while being 125 km far from the first provincial capital in the region


The Valley of Qaa is always covered in green due to the thickness and diversity of its trees. It is characterized by running water for most of the year. Unique waterfalls appear during times of rain. The area is 30 km to the south of the center of Fifa. You can also see many rock formations here.

The Thwayei mountain is one of the mountains of Faifa region. It is characterized by its steepness and gradient that provides beautiful prospects overlooking the valley of Jarrah and the Faifa region in general. 


The top of Hakamy Mountain overlooks a group of planted areas and the valley of Jooh. It is 1 km to the south of the center of Faifa.





Al-Abseyah is the highest peak that can be comfortably reached in the Faifa Mountains.

The beautiful addenium obesum, a tree that looks like a bottle of Perrier water blossoms in April.

Karthah is a mountain top overlooking the valley of Damad and the Faifa area. It is lush with vegetation & thick trees. Only 1 km south of Faifa, it can be reached by an unsealed dusty road.






The travel from top of mountains to the valley is also not an easy one. Your feet is to stay in the brakes all the time, with maximum speed of 25 km/hour. You need to be very careful while driving at the steep curves, since any time a fast moving vehicle can be expected from the other side of the curve. 


The trip ended by evening and it gave us a real pleasure of a holiday journey.

Without doubt we can say that, Fifa is one of the most beautiful spots in Saudi Arabia and is one of the most attractive areas in the region. It is a magnificent, fertile and stunning spot that constitutes a marvelous natural painting. Wherever you go in that mountain, you will find each place is more beautiful than the other.





If you love travelling and adventure, Fifa Mountains are a good recommendation.

But surely it is not for weak hearts....