 | Off the Beaten Path in United Arab Emirates 
 
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United Arab Emirates Travel Guide
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Popular Off the Beaten Path | Other Off the Beaten Path Tips | All Tips (45)
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 | Skycrabs   |  | |
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 |  on April 8, 2006 |
Skycrabs are the typical thing to see in cities like Dubai and Sharijah, but as a local sign in Dubai, it is clear Dubai is getting to be the world number one in record of the highest ever build sky crab : Dubai Tower, which will be the highest in the world!!! |
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| Wadi Bih | | |
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 |  on December 22, 2005 |
Wadi Bih is one of the many wadis (canyons carved through the mountains by prehistoric rivers 10,000 to 2,000,000 years ago) in the rugged and spectacular Ras al-Jebel Mountains of the Musandam Peninsula. Most of the Musandam Peninsula is Omani territory, but Wadi Bih is still inside the United Arab Emirates. Although most of the wadi is arid and rocky, local springs have given rise to small irrigated farms which act as oases, attracting birds, mammals, and insects to an otherwise lifeless landscape. This is a part of the United Arab Emirates that few visitors will ever see. However, for those interested in hiking in the desert, birdwatching, or geology, Wadi Bih is well worth the time and effort it takes to travel there. I was there in the evening, and it was a magical experience watching night fall over the desert and mountains. |
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| Dibba | | |
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| on August 26, 2007 |
Dibba is a sleepy city located on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, just under the towering mountains of the Musandam Peninsula, which is Omani territory. The border between the United Arab Emirates and Oman actually runs through the middle of Dibba, and visitors can freely cross the border with no immigration formalities. The city is further divided between Fujairah and Sharjah emirates on the United Arab Emirates side of the border. Dibba is one of the oldest cities on the Arabian Peninsula. Nearby archaeological sites date from about 3,000 B.C. to the early Islamic period. Before the Muslim conquest, Dibba was the capital of the area which is currently made up of the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The surrounding area was also the site of the Battle of Ridda, which occured in 633 A.D., and which was the last battle of the Muslim conquest of Arabia. The plain outside of Dibba contains hundreds of graves of those who fell during the battle. |
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| Road to Wadi Wurayyah | | |
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 |  on December 5, 2003 |
To find the Wadi Wurayyah we followed the descriptions in the guidebook. Five KM north of the Ocean View Hotel (near Khor Fakkan) the coastal mainroad narrows into a single lane. Here is the sideroad at the lefthand side in the direction of the Wadi Wurayyah. So we took at this spot a nice tarred sideroad in the direction of the mountains. After about 10 KM we passed a wadi and one KM afterwards the road ends. In the guidebook we red, as the road ends, you have to walk a few 100 Ms to reach the waterfall, you can hear the noise of the water. At the end of the road we parked the car, walked and looked around, but we didn't find any waterfall. We enjoyed the nice rough landscape, but we still don't know till today, if we were at the right spot or not ! |
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| Khor Kalba | | |
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| on December 1, 2005 |
The mangrove swamps of Khor Kalba are located within Sharjah emirate, but are just south of the city of Fujairah in Fujairah emirate. A small bridge spans a tidal creek where it is possible to see green sea turtles riding the swift current of the outgoing tide. This is also a popular place for the local inhabitants to take their children to play in the water. The mangroves swamps stretch along the coast for about two miles (three kilometers), from the Omani border in the south to Fujairah in the north. The mangroves are rooted in tidal mud, which is rich in marine life, including millions of tiny fiddler crabs. This is the only place in the world where the rare kalbaensis race of the collared kingfisher can be found. Because of planned development projects, the future of the mangroves, as well as the crabs, turtles, and kingfishers, is uncertain. |
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| Jebel Hafit | | |
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| on December 1, 2005 |
With an elevation of about 4,500 feet (1,372 meters), Jebel Hafit (sometimes transliterated as Jebel Hafiz) is the second-highest mountain in the United Arab Emirates. It is part of the Hajar Range which runs up from Oman, continues through the eastern part of the United Arab Emirates, and ends on the Musandam Peninsula. The mountain towers over the city of Al Ain in Abu Dhabi emirate, and is a popular place for the city's inhabitants to enjoy spectacular views over the sands of the Empty Quarter. A relatively new road allows visitors to drive to the top of the mountain, where a large luxury hotel recently opened, and where one of the Abu Dhabi sheiks has an oppulent palace perched on a rocky outcrop. The view in the picture looks out over Mubazzarah Park (where irrigation from local springs has turned the rocky hillsides green) to the city of Al Ain in the distance. |
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| Fujairah, Wadi Wurayyah | | |
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| on December 4, 2003 |
In our guidebook we red about the Wadi Wurayyah waterfall. The only natural waterfall in the UAE, which has water the whole year. The waterfall is reachable by tarred road nowadays. The mineral water of the emirates comes from here. The road is not signposted from the mainroad Fujairah to Dibba. So we had to find out ourselves. After about ten KMs from the mainroad Fujairah Dibba, we reached a wonderful wadi, but is it the Wadi Wurayyah ? |
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| Short cut Oman, from Al Ain to Hatta | | |
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| on December 6, 2003 |
In the Netherlands we got an itinerary for our trip with the possibility to make a short cut from Al Ain to Hatta, taking a road through Oman. At home I allready found out that the description was not right. Nobody in the UAE could tell us anything about this Omani road. So we drove to Buraimi, the Omani town next to Al Ain, but also there they don't know exactly the road and, if it was possible to manage this route without fourwheeldrive. We left early in the morning, so we could return in time, if necessary. It was a stunning route and happily we made it. From Buraimi we drove to Al-Mahdah and Al-Juwayf. From here we left the tarred road. The sky was blue, so we we hoped there would be no rain, because we had to pass some dry wadis. At the point we saw saw the mentioned unpaved road to Al-Fay through the mountains, a normal car with local people passed us at high speed, so we decide that it must be possible to take this road. Sometimes the track was very steep, but car managed all. The whole route in Oman was more than 100 KM and took us some hours. Anyway the scenery was wonderful !! |
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| Wadi Wurayyah, down in the wadi  | | |
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| on December 5, 2003 |
After we couldn't find the waterfall at the end of the tarred road, we returned to the spot where we crossed the dry wadi, to look around a bit at the bottom of the wadi. It was too hot to make a real walk here in this rough beautiful landscape. Also the possibilities at the bottom of the wadi for our normal car didn't look very well. So we didn't also take the chance to find the waterfall at another way. We returned to the highway to continue our route to Dibba and to reach our hotel in Ras Al Khaimah at the west side of the UAE, at the Arabian Gulf, in time. |
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| Climb the tallest mountain of the country. | | |
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 |  on September 19, 2003 |
Al Ain is the summer capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and is a sprawling oasis city. Once in Al Ain, entering from Abu Dhabi or from Dubai, all tourist attractions are easy to reach by following purple colored roadside direction boards. In Arabic, Jebel means a small mountain. Jebel Al-Hafeet stands 1200 meters tall and is completely barren. A shining top winding road takes you to the summit. There are several picnic and observation spots on the way. A track for more adventurous is available and is used by 'Jebelnauts' of Al Ain Natural History Group. The barren mountain is home to Egyptian Vultures, Sand Partridges, Desert Larks, Crag Martins, Hume's Wheatears, Hooded Wheatears, etc. |
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More United Arab Emirates Tips
| Overview | General Tips Tips: 114 - Photos: 93 |
| Restaurants Tips: 62 - Photos: 33 | Hotels and Accommodations Tips: 101 - Photos: 88 |
| Things To Do Tips: 201 - Photos: 208 | Nightlife Tips: 26 - Photos: 16 |
| Off the Beaten Path Tips: 45 - Photos: 55 | Tourist Traps Tips: 19 - Photos: 8 |
| Warnings or Dangers Tips: 36 - Photos: 13 | Transportation Tips: 54 - Photos: 30 |
| Local Customs Tips: 47 - Photos: 32 | Packing Lists Tips: 18 - Photos: 8 |
| Shopping Tips: 29 - Photos: 27 | Sports Travel Tips: 11 - Photos: 6 |
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