The world’s longest zipline will take your breath away
WHEN I was little, I longed to fly. But it took Ras Al Khaimah (also known as RAK) in the United Arab Emirates to fulfil that ambition, courtesy of the world’s longest zipline, 1.75 miles long and more than a mile above sea level.
So, here I am, trussed up like a clingfilmed penguin, hung by cables in a horizontal ‘superman’ position, staring down into the valley from the top of Jebel Jais, the Emirates’ tallest mountain.
My mouth is dry, my heart pounding, and the screams of those who have been launched before me on the Jebel Jais Flight hang in the air. Then — whoosh — I’m off, flying over the chasms and lakes at 93mph in a dramatic journey that takes just a few minutes.
I feel like a giant bird of prey — though with a top speed of 240mph, the falcons patrolling these mountains dwarf my efforts. And I’m not trying to catch dinner. I also can’t flap my arms (that would slow me down), so they’re clasped behind my back. The Jebel Jais Flight, which opened a few months ago and has been certified by the Guinness World Records, cost more than £4 million and can terrify up to 240 people a day.
Now RAK, one of the seven UAE states, is using it to spearhead a drive to become the adrenalin capital of the region. It’s certainly a contrast to Dubai, around an hour’s drive south, with its glitzy skyscrapers and shopping malls.
RAK is all arid desert, with undulating sand dunes and sweeping, empty beaches. It’s desolate in some places, but in others indescribably lovely. The sunsets are romantic and glorious. During my brief sojourn, I bash my way across the dunes in a 4x4, kayak among mangroves, visit a Bedouin camp (more Disney than Lawrence of Arabia) and stroll about the abandoned pearl fishing village of Jazirat Al Hamra, where Brad Pitt filmed the movie War Machine.
Each night, I return to the comfort of the DoubleTree by Hilton, a 720room resort with a clutch of excellent international restaurants on the manmade Marjan Island.
But the highlight, without doubt, is the one that fulfils that childhood fantasy and knocks the breath out of me.