Like epic mountains? Do this hike at Wadi Shawka | United Arab Emirates
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- Sport Travel Tom's guide to hiking the Middle East's Rocky Mountains at Wadi Shawka in Ras Al Khaimah, only an hour's drive from Dubai. Read more below:
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VIDEO INFO:
I loved this hike in the United Arab Emirates. It is a spectacular way to see the Middle East's 'Rocky Mountains'. It's perfect for all forms of fitness, accessible and full of adventure. The Wadi Shawka trail in Ras Al Khaimah is only a 60-minute drive from Dubai, but a world away in terms of scenery, landscape and sounds and the perfect location for exploring. Yes, the UAE does offer more than just the 5* luxury that Dubai is often known for. You'll know that if you have subscribed to The Sports Explorer!
The hike begins with a stroll around the lake formed by the Wadi Shawka dam. At the far side of the lake, you’ll reach the base of the staircase that leads you up to the upper levels of the hike. The staircase includes resting points where you can sit down - if you tackle the trek early in the morning, the initial staircase climb is mostly in the shade, but set off later in the day and you’ll struggle to find any rest bite from the sun.
Stunning views of the Middle East’s Rocky Mountains
Once you arrive at the top, you will follow a path along the top edge. Ahead of you and to the right you will be welcomed by spectacular views of the Al Hajar Mountain Range. The Al Hajar Mountain range spreads right across Oman and the north eastern areas of the United Arab Emirates and is the highest mountain range in the Middle East’s eastern peninsular. ‘Al Hajar’ translates to ‘rocky’, lending itself to the nickname, the ‘Middle East’s Rocky Mountains’.
It’s easy to see why the mountain range is named Al Hajar. The terrain is mostly made up of gravel, boulders and rocks. You won’t need to climb over many big boulders on this route however with the tracks easily laid out.
Scramble downhill
You’ll find the path becomes a little difficult to keep track of for a short stage. A little scramble downhill is required to reach the other tracks that wind their way trough the mountains. Don’t be concerned though, with just a little care you’ll find this little stretch is easy for any fitness level.
Once you have scrambled down to the more obvious tracks, you’ll have a choice as to which direction to go. No matter which route you take, as they are loops, you’ll find that they all bring you back to the same place. I headed left, which led me back to the starting point where you park your car.
Rest up at multiple cabanas and take in the quietness
Cabanas are situated on all paths providing a perfect resting place, shade and a good location for eating, taking in the view and swallowing up the peacefulness.
If you’re coming from Dubai or another urban hub within the UAE, the quietness is something to fully appreciate. You’ll feel a world away from the 5* hotels, busy highways and bustling shopping malls.
The final stretch back down to the road is easy to follow, but can be quite steep in parts, so again, care is needed. Once you have reached the bottom you’ll find the parking where you parked on arrival.
If you've got a day free, I would highly recommend tackling this hike for a great view of one of the Middle East's most impressive mountain ranges.
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How to get there:
1. Head east on the E102 which can be joined from the E611
2. Turn off at the Shawka junction (some spellings of ‘Shawka' may differ) - about 10 minutes past the junction for Mleiha
3. Drive through the small village of Shawka and turn right at the signpost for ‘Wadi Shawka Dam’.
4. Continue along the tarmac road and park at the ‘Dam Management Office’.
From Dubai, journey time is around 60 minutes
*No 4x4 needed
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Recommended supplies:
1. Hiking boots although a good pair of trainers with good ankle support would do
2. Suitable clothing depending on season
3. A hat and sun protection
4. Lunch and plenty of water
5. A charged mobile phone - there is a phone signal throughout the hike
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Hi everyone, if you liked this video you can also watch how to climb the UAE's highest public point at Jebel Jais. It's a great achievement when you reach the high point and well worth a go. Click the link to watch and don't forget to like, comment and share if you wish - - ua-cam.com/video/nky5JCl9mIY/v-deo.html
This is the funniest video you've done, a right giggle! I liked it! :)
Every hike needs a bit of a giggle Dan! I’m still looking the a new pair of sunglasses 😎
Nice videos!!! Keep them coming.....👍🏻
Thanks Anastasios! Great to hear from you and glad you are enjoying the content. I'll be releasing the next adventure on Tuesday... hope you like it!
Very nice
Thanks Reemi!
This is a very underrated channel. Your videos are 🔥🔥🔥
Thank you for your kind comment! Glad you’re enjoying the content.
Hi
Your videos are good
Keep rocking and explore more
Thank you Meer! Very kind, appreciate your comment. Let me know when you give any of these adventures a go!
Love it. رائع جداً
Thanks Saher! Enjoy the hike - perfect now the UAE is entering winter climates!
@@sportstraveltom Absolutely. It's the perfect time to start again. Can't wait to see your next video. Keep it up 👊👌.
Saher Soukar New episode coming on Tuesday 👍🏻
I'm going tomorrow, so excited! It will be my 2nd hike. Was in Hatta last week 😄
Have fun!
Good one sir.. we just finished hatta hike.. this one will be next.
Great stuff Yan. Hatta is a good place to hike. Let me know how you get on at Wadi Shawka - and don't forget to follow on Instagram - @thesportsexplorer
I've been there also
Hope you enjoyed it!
Just want to thank you again, I was looking for a hiking spot and bumped into your channel. All videos I watched are super helpful and very informative:) I took my friends to Wadi Shawka last weekend coz of this video and they were so impressed and happy!
Great videos, will definetly visit rest of spots mentioned on your channel soon:)
Hi Anna! Thank you for the very kind words! And I'm delighted you had fun at Wadi Shawka. It's a great spot isn't it? Keep an eye out later for my new video, this time hiking Fossil Rock... :)
went today. this was awesome. tks for the video. done fossil rock and showkha . next is the rabi tower. :)
Thanks for the message! Glad you had fun. Keep exploring - AL Rabi is a great UAE hike!
@@sportstraveltom we did the rabi tower hike. All 3 trek from 5pm onwards to late into night . Rabi , showka and fossil rock are awesome. Jebel jais is tough for our group. Can you suggest another awesome trail for next weekend. Evening into Night hiking is our preference. We stopped over shees park. It's so crowded.
I like when you said to check the steps and ended by saying my phone is over heated, LOL how many steps? Did you find out?
Haha thanks Saw. It was a warm day!
another great content of your vlogged. how i wish that i could do it also
Thanks for the comment Tee. It's a great location, are you planning on going?
@@sportstraveltom yes. i am here now in uae.i was planning to go to jebel jais. i am in fujairah right now
after exploring UAE mountains, try to explore Philippines Mountains I am pretty sure that you can create more video contents. and more subcribers and viewers
Absolutely! Once travel opens up a bit more, the Philippines is on my list! Been a few times for work and it's a great country... can't wait to explore more. Any recommendations?
@@sportstraveltom i will share this video to my team so could get more subs
@@sportstraveltom there is a lot there, too many foreign vloggers, every island has different stories to tell. Good luck on your journey
How long it will take to peak and reach back
Hi Meer, the entire hike I did was about 3 hours but there are some different loops you can do. There isn't a peak as such - you just reach a high point after the big staircase climb but the views are superb.
Hi sir
How many km this mountain
It really depends on the route you take. The loop I need is no more than 3km.