The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Go glamping in the wild ‘Highlands of Dubai’
With its mountain pursuits, chic huts and geodesic domes – not to mention honey and fruit – the Hatta region is ripe for discovery, says Hazel Plush
Ihave 15,000 strawberry plants but I’d really like a few more,” said Mr Al Mutuwaiee, grinning beneath his Armani baseball cap. He is not hoping for just any variety, however, but the “white jewel” – the world’s most expensive strawberry, praised for its glossy yet totally colourless flesh. They are grown only in Japan and, as Al Mutuwaiee said as he unlocked the door to his greenhouse, “its export rules are tough. I’m trying, with no success yet – but I have hope! In Dubai, nothing is impossible.”
In his spotless kandura robe and designer headgear, Al Mutuwaiee doesn’t look like an ordinary farmer – but then again, this is no ordinary farm. A huge, lustrous mango tree towers over the courtyard, providing welcome shade from the pitiless sunshine, and rows of ruby-red strawberries lead to a grove of papaya saplings, their leaves bigger than dinner plates. Behind the trees, mountains loom in every direction, the peaks as sharp as an electrocardiogram – rising up and crashing down against a cloudless sky.
Yes, this is Dubai – but not as you probably know it. In Hatta, where Al Mutuwaiee’s smallholding is located, there are no malls, no swish resorts, no 16-lane motorways. An exclave of the emirate of Dubai, the region is tiny – a touch larger than Jersey – and a twohour drive from the city; it borders Oman to the south, and other UAE emirates to the west and north. Its peaks would dwarf most skyscrapers, and thanks to ongoing investment in its tourism and infrastructure to the tune of AED1.3 billion (£281 million), Hatta is certainly hot property.
Up in the Al Hajar mountain range, this region is traditionally quiet and little visited by tourists. It is replete with lush date plantations and family-run farms, mighty summits and secluded campsites: natural joys which, according to the government, the new developments will enhance rather than destroy. It is easy to see why the location is so ripe for investment; at this altitude, it is always a few degrees cooler than the city, with a fresh breeze, too. The signs dub it “The Highlands of Dubai”.
Dubai’s adventure playground
The region’s first major project opened in 2018: Hatta Wadi Hub, an outdoor adventure centre whose offering grows larger every year – zip-lining, mountain-biking, guided hikes, axe-throwing, high-ropes and more. Before its arrival, the only people who visited Hatta from the city were a few hardy wild campers; I know, because
I was one of them. “Now, we are building a big shooting range, and dreaming up all kinds of new activities,” enthused general manager David Charlton on my most recent visit last month. He had the vim of someone creating their ultimate playground – which, given Hatta’s extraordinary bounty, I guess he is.
From Dubai city, Hatta is an easy drive eastward on a smooth desert highway. The world’s tallest building quickly shrinks in your rear-view mir“The ror: it is a surreal trip, the road surrounded by rusty-red sand dunes and lolloping camels. But just when you think you have left civilisation behind, up pops the Hatta sign: huge Hollywood-style lettering high in the hills, announcing your location in bold type. It is actually even bigger than the Los Angeles icon – this is Dubai, after all.
At the Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre, you can don beekeeping suits to get hands-on with real working hives, and taste honey made by bees that graze on the nectar and pollen of ghaf trees. Soon, Al Mutuwaiee’s Hatta Strawberry Farm will offer pick-yourown organic fruit, plus farm tours and a coffee shop selling preserves. There are endless hiking trails among the peaks, plus ancient tribal forts to explore and nearly 25 miles of graded cycling routes.
Another newcomer is Hatta Kayak, a watersports base at Hatta Dam. This vast, tranquil reservoir is surrounded by mountains, its water sparkling in the abundant sunshine. It is genuinely stunning, yours to explore by kayak, pedalo or cruise boat, with only a few elegant grey cormorants for company.
Peak-perfect camping
You would think that, in this nation of five-star hotels, a tent wouldn’t hold much allure – but demand for the area’s campsites is high. This is little wonder, given how beautiful they are. Mountain vistas, secluded pitches, excellent facilities… a rainy Dorset weekend this is not. Bathrooms and shower blocks are squeaky-clean, and trendy food trucks sell proper coffee, hot dinners, and Arabic specialities such as sweet syrup-drenched luqaimat dumplings.
first time I visited, I couldn’t believe my eyes,” confided Rania Jabar, a Canadian who has lived in Dubai for 16 years, while watching her children scale Wadi Hub’s climbing wall. “Dubai had a whole new side we never knew existed. Three years on, we come all the time. My children had never camped before, but they love it.”
If living under canvas isn’t your thing, Hatta’s glamping options include everything from geodesic domes and chic motorhomes to little huts tucked into the hills. They are all of hotel quality, self-contained and secluded – with nightly rates starting at £80. I stayed at Damani Lodges, whose dinky cabins feature Dubaistyle accoutrements (king-size bed, strong Wi-Fi, golf buggies to get glampers around) and panoramic valley views from the terrace.
Mine also had a private barbecue area, with charcoal available – though guests can have dinner grilled for them and delivered to their lodge. You can guess which option I chose; a fussfree feast of lamb kofta and meze, devoured under a sorbet-pink sunset.
Hatta is far from finished: countless new attractions are planned for the coming years, including a mountain cable car, a freshwater beach, and a further 75 miles of cycling trails. Still, there is much to enjoy here right now, on a few days’ break from the city. Final touches are currently being made on a “waterfall oasis” featuring restaurants, cafés and play areas, which cost a reported AED46 million (£10 million). “New campsites, lakes, watersports, hotels – it’s all happening,” Al Mutuwaiee told me, clearly proud of his nation’s fervent ambition.
And maybe that is the real key to Hatta’s allure: awe-inspiring scenery and outdoorsy fun, with lashings of Dubai’s signature optimism. In my view, that not-so humble farmer is absolutely right – in this surreal, spectacular wilderness, the word “impossible” simply vanishes in the wind.