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Ras Al Khaima

About 55 kilometers northeast of Ras Al-Khaimah, Jebel Jais is part of the Hajar
Mountain Range and is the tallest mountain in the UAE, with its summit at 1,934
meters.
A 20-kilometer-long road to the top (not quite to the summit) snakes in a
switchback all the way up the mountain’s flank, with viewing platforms along the
route to take in the far-reaching vistas of surrounding barren cliffs.
At the top of the road is Viewing Deck Park, a series of landscaped terraces (with
cafés and other services) from where visitors can gaze out over the craggy peaks,
all the way down to the coastal plain.

The lower slopes of Jebel Jais are a major destination for keen hikers and climbers
in the cooler winter months.
Six hiking trails, ranging from easy to moderate, have been laid out on the
mountain’s lower slopes, all beginning at one trailhead on the main road leading
to the mountain.
All of the trails offer great views; chance encounters with mountain goats; and the
opportunity to experience the mountain on a closer, more intimate level.
For climbers, Jebel Jais has a Via Ferrata (a climbing route of steel cables,
permanently fixed into the rock face), which runs on the lower slopes of the
mountain.

Looking for traditional things to do in Ras Al Khaimah? Check out this Bedouin-
style camp in the desert. With tents made using natural materials, cushions for
seating, a barbecue, an authentic underground oven and, of course, a campfire,
it’s the perfect place for an authentic, unique getaway. Prices for a Bedouin tent
for two start from Dhs450 per night and the air-conditioned tent comes complete
with a queen-size bed, en-suite bathroom, and outdoor dining area. Activities like
sandboarding and camel rides are included in the overnight experience, too.

If you feel like throwing yourself off a mountain, head to Jebel Jais.
The mountain is home to the world’s longest zipline, called the Jebel Jais Flight,
which stretches down the slope for 2.8 kilometers.
It has become one of the United Arab Emirates’ major adventure activities and a
main draw for adrenaline junkies visiting the country.
From the take-off point, near the summit of Jebel Jais, zipliners whip over the
craggy, boulder-strewn contours of the mountain below, traveling at speeds of up
to 120 kilometers per hour.

The town of Al Rams, 12 kilometers north of Ras Al-Khaimah city, is home to
Suwaidi Pearls, where Abdulla Rashed Al Suwaidi, a descendent of generations of
pearl divers, continues the tradition by farming pearls just off the coast.

This abandoned village with its slowly decaying houses of traditional coral-block
architecture sits about 20 kilometers south from Ras Al-Khaimah city.
Jazirat al-Hamra was a fishing and pearling village that was founded in the 16th
century. With the demise of the pearling industry and the beginning of the oil
boom, the village’s inhabitants abandoned it in the 1960s. Since then it has sat
mostly eerie and empty as resorts and new town areas have mushroomed around
it on the coastal plain.

Fancy yourself a king or queen of the mountain? It’s time to lace up those hiking
boots and head to Ras Al Khaimah’s Wadi Shawka. You’ll need a decent pair of legs
to scale the man-made staircase cut into the first range of mountains, but once
at the top, there’s a choice of slaloming loops (up to 10 kilometres) back to base
camp (the car park in this case). The views are ace and the air up there fills your
lungs differently – trust us. If you don’t have a head for heights, don’t look down
when ascending the stairs to the summit. You’ve been warned.

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