THE HIDDEN GEMS AND BLING OF MOUNT AL FARAH

DON BANARIA
May 22, 2021
3 min read

Mount Al Farah is one of the mountains that are cool to explore in Ash Shafa Mountain Range in Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia. Home to different species of wildlife from birds, reptiles to wild plants ideal for photography practice for the beginners like me.

Attractions:

The Dream Cave
Rock Cave
Wild Blue Lizards
Millipedes
Different species of wild birds.
Wildflowers

The rock cave turned into Rockhouse now called the Dream Cave is the main attraction on top of the hill.

My guide brought me to this mountain for hiking and sightseeing from the peak of Mount Al Farah. However, I suddenly engaged in a wildlife photography practice, chasing the reptiles I saw for the first living in the area because along the way I encountered the different wild reptiles feeding, hiding, and creeping under the trees, on top, and under boulders. Thus, camera handling beginners will have the opportunity to hone further the capturing skill and techniques.

Whiptail Blue Lizard

Above and below are Omanosura Cyanura lizards commonly seen under the trees and on the rocks.

Under the rocks and moist spaces, this species of millipede is seen creeping and feeding.

Wild species of flowering plants blooming around the area surely stress-relieving during the climb.

Spikes of cactus thrive along with the trees all over the hills.

The mountain of boulders piled is the catching characteristic and makes the hill distinctive from the others.

Piles of boulders constitute the body of the mountain.

Climbing up and going down is finding yourself in between rock boulders.

Activities

Hiking
Sightseeing
Spelunking
Wildlife Photography
Picnic
Overnight camping

The author enjoys looking down the valleys

The exhausting climbs paid off after reaching the top as gestured by the author in his expression.

The Dream Cave

The unique character of this cave is that it is a cave found inside one giant boulder rock.

Getting here, you need to climb the rocky hills for about 30 minutes of casual ascending pace, then crossing the peak to walk down again, arriving at the plateau portion where the cave is.

The difficulty in climbing is almost unnoticed because the panoramic sights of the mountain ridges and valleys down the hill will ease away the burden of walking the hill slope along the way.

Inside this giant boulder, the Dream Cave awaits the trekkers..

The cave floor is leveled to lay a floor mat for the visitors to sit comfortably inside the cave.

Cave ceiling

The landscape of mountains around the cave will surely ease away the climbing difficulties you had on the way coming to the Dream cave as pictures above and below show.

Fully grown Ar-Ar trees where you can hang your swings under and do the siesta shown below as the author does.

Parking Cave

Located below the hill going to the Dream Cave. It has adequate space to accommodate the number of persons inside to shield them from the sun's heat and the pouring rain during rain showers. The family of the farm owner once lived in this cave before moving to the city.