Caves resorts...a new style of rural tourism in Al-Baha.

Al Baha, Saudi Arabia: From the sea to the mountain and the desert to the rainforests and valleys. There are many types of natural tourism in various regions of the Kingdom, but in Al-Baha a new and unusual type of tourism, which is the "cave resorts", created by the residents of Jabal Shadda, located in the Al-Mokhwah Governorate, so they turned abandoned caves in the mountain that were inhabited by ancestors into modern, integrated and serviced resorts.

Shda the bottom.. A giant mountain rising from the level of the sea about 1700 metres, famous for agriculture, and its fame increased thanks to these caves, which made it one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Al-Baha region, and the demand for these caves increased, until they became an active element in the world of rural tourism.

Abdulrahman Nasser Al-Shedwi, one of the owners of these resorts, revealed that their designs are inspired by the nature of the mountain, its caves and hollow rocks, pointing out that there is a distinctive demand for these tourist caves from visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom, as they are characterised by their moderate atmosphere these days.

For his part, Mohammed Saleh Al-Shadawi explained that these caves have been prepared and equipped with everything the tourist needs, and include councils, bedrooms, kitchens and lounges, and overlooking the landmarks of Al-Mukhawah Governorate, and the roads leading to these resorts are easy and paved.

And about the history of the mountain. The researcher in the history of the region, Nasser Al-Shedawi, indicated that Jabal Shada is one of the pioneers of geological formations on the planet, and its geological age is about 763 million years, according to a geological study, noting the interest of the Emirate of the region, the Secretariat and related authorities to the components of the mountain, and their support for geotourism, caves, rock formations and agriculture.

He pointed out that the lower Shada mountain currently includes about 10 tourist caves, which the people equipped with everything the visitor and tourist need, noting that the water source in the resorts is from the rainwater that is stored in hollow rocks and making designs of rocks to run water and waterfalls.

The lower Shada Mountain allows the visitor and the tourist the opportunity to learn about the ancient caves that were homes of the indigenous people for thousands of years, and the geological formations that date back to the pioneers of the early formations in the earth and their uniqueness in the strange forms, especially (geomorphology), which has become an identity unique to this mountain, as they are enjoyed by tourists going to this place. These forms are also an attraction for lovers of scientific tourism, of which geotourism is a pattern.

The mountain itself is also famous for the Shadawi coffee farms that produce large amounts of coffee, which contributed to the economic movement of the region through the Shaddawi coffee festival, which is held every year, and agricultural crops such as millet, wheat, corn and all kinds of fruits such as grapes, pomegranates and apricots.

Besides tourism, the mountain is visited by many researchers who make scientific trips to explore it, as well as events hosted by the mountain such as climbing sports, bicycles and others.