UAE - Ras Al Khaimah

One of the smaller emirates is Ras Al Khaimah. We only discovered it by accident, while checking for hotels in the wider region of Dubai. Looked up more information on the internet, and decided to also spend a couple of days there.

We were lodged in the Hilton Resort & Spa, a big hotel with various swimming pools, private beach, spa and health club, etc., etc. We had a sumptuous suite (being in a mood to spend some money) and everything was more than fine.

While you can stay in the resort itself and just have a beach holiday (like most tourists, especially those with children) Ras Al Khaimah has other possibilities.

One way to discover the area is doing a tour, preferably with a private guide. We took this opportunity to spend a whole afternoon exploring the area. We drove to Marjan Island, where the most expensive hotels are being built, into the desert where we could watch falcon training and see Arabian horses. We also went to the Dhayah fortress, which is one of the oldest in the region. You have to be fit, though, because you have to mount over 200 steps to reach the top of the mountain on which the fortress is built.

Ras Al Khaimah is near Oman and the Hajar mountains form the border. The highest of these mountains is Jebel Jais. You can drive out to there, have a picknick if you like or do some mountain climbing or try the zip line. They have the longest zip line there, 3 km between two mountain tops! The government of RAK is doing everything to boost tourism, and like everywhere in the emirates it has to be bigger and better than anywhere else!