Mist at 2,800 metres above sea level at the Jabal Marir park in Al Namas in Saudi Arabia. All photos: AFP
At Al Namas, humid monsoon weather keeps temperatures below 30°C, dropping as low as 15°C at night, as fog blocks out the sun over verdant hills.
The area is a stark contrast to much of the vast, largely desert country where summer temperatures of up to 50°C are an annual challenge.
Holidaymakers – some of whom have driven 12 hours from Riyadh to escape the heat – in raincoats and woolly hats.
'Before we came, we packed all our winter things,' says Nouf, who did not want to give her surname.
Tourist authorities built a 'fog road' for hikers and cyclists traversing a high summit that overlooks the mist-shrouded mountains.
In 2020, a study published by 'Science Advances' magazine showed that the Gulf region has the hottest and most humid climate on the planet.
Thanks to its altitude and strong winds, Al Namas escapes the worst of the heat, says Hassan Abdullah, a Jordan-based official from the Wasm weather technology company.
The area has become a top destination at a time when Saudi authorities, searching for new, non-oil income streams, are heavily promoting domestic and international tourism.
As airfares surge after the pandemic, Saudi families spent 80 billion riyals (about $21 billion) on domestic travel last year, a 30 per cent increase from 2019, ministry of tourism figures show.
'Summer is the peak tourist season, going from May to October," says Abdullah Al-Shahri, a hotelier at Al Namas, where winter temperatures sometimes plunge to 0°C.
At the top of a hill that overlooks the valley, Mushabab Al-Omari takes in the view, sitting next to his wife. 'I've been here nearly three months,' the retiree says. 'And I'm ready to stay another four or five months if the weather stays like this.'
