Januari 2024
Hiking to the highest public point in the UAE at Jebel Jais
The Jebel Jais mountain peak is part of the spectacular Hajar mountains. The range (view) extends from Ras Al Khaimah on the eastern side of the United Arab Emirates to the Musandam Peninsula on the northeastern side of Oman. The summit has an elevation of 1,934m; it is the highest point of the UAE. Unfortunately you cannot climb that peak, the highest public peak is at 1,640m, and that's the one we did!
We parked the car at the 1,252m Viewing Deck Park and started from there. we parked on the side of the road (it's free). Must say, we have done the drive to this point several times, but every time it is so beautiful. It is also a perfect starting point including great facilities with toilets and brilliant views across the surrounding mountains.
To start the hike, we crossed the main road, walked up the stairs and reached another viewpoint, where we enjoyed views of the coastline before starting our mission to reach the highest public point in the UAE! At this point we had to register so that our whereabouts on the mountain were known. This walk is signposted with paint markers and green signs saying 'Ghaf Summit 7'. And there are also many so-called 'cairns' along the route, always a beautiful sight.
The first 30 minutes of the walk were quite tough. It's a steep climb to the top of the first pinnacle, marked as the 1,415m point with the UAE-flag.
After this point the path meanders a bit with a gradual slope behind the Jais Sledder (toboggan run). Fortunately, the views got better as we got higher.
When we passed the Jais sledder, we arrived at PURO 1484. There are also toilet facilities here and if you don't have a reservation, you can simply sit on the adjacent outdoor terrace.
The final climb to reach the UAE’s highest public point
From Puro it took us about 35 minutes to reach the highest point, which still took some effort. We reached the northern summit first (1,630 meters) and not far after we reached the southern summit: the highest public point in the UAE at 1,640 meters. We nailed it.
After enjoying our achievement and the great views, we descended again on the same path. We walked the second part back to Puro along the road. We were back at Puro within 20 minutes, and here we took a taxi to our starting point (20aed).
Jais Sledder
To celebrate our achievement, we had a lunch and after that, we took the Jais Sledder and raced downhill. Cool ride!!
