Day 10 (2015) Al Ain: Camels, Oasis, Fort, and Sunset on Jabal Hafeet

28.10.2015

Day 10 Al Ain

Today we start early towards Al Ain. On the way there, we make a detour to the camel race track, where the camels are being prepared for training. Very cool and exciting to watch the many camels. Unfortunately, we cannot see them in action as we are too early, but we don't want to wait either. So, we continue to the next stop, the camel market.

Also an interesting experience....

Next, we head to the Al Ain Oasis, a 1,200-hectare oasis with palm plantations, hiking trails, rental bikes, and agricultural exhibitions.

We walk to the Al Jahili Fort, the most famous fortress in the United Arab Emirates. Its round watchtower adorns the 50-dirham note. We explore the museum and the fort.

After a lunch break at a small mall, we continue to Jabal Hafeet Mountain.

The road to the summit is 11.7 km long and climbs 1219 meters in height. Two lanes lead up the mountain and one down, after 21 curves, you reach the summit. Parking lots are provided at marked viewpoints. There, we have to stop prematurely a couple of times before reaching the summit as some of us are experiencing motion sickness.

The mountain rises 1240 meters above the surrounding landscape and is 1350 meters above sea level. The view from the top of the parking lot and the huge observation terrace is breathtaking!

Djabal Hafit is a popular tourist destination. At the foot of the mountain, Green Mubazzarrah is located. Here, there are thermal springs that flow into a lake, but we did not visit them today. Djabal Hafit itself is traversed by a cave system and is also the natural habitat of bats, snakes, foxes, and many more. However, we did not see any animals during our visit.

On the mountain, on the way up, there is a large hotel, the Mercure Grand Jebel Hafeet Al Ain Hotel, which is located directly on the slope and has a great view.

We stroll around the observation terrace and wait for the sunset. It is truly amazing!

In complete darkness, we reach Abu Dhabi again in the evening. Al Ain is definitely highly recommended!