Daredevils reign in the emirate of adventure
DHAYAH Fort is the only remaining hill fort in the United Arab Emirates, perched at 200ft on the edge of a lush palm grove. All around are the arid Hajar mountains that extend, like a gnarled finger, into Oman.
Dating from the Bronze Age, with twin mud-brick fortresses added in the 19th century, it was the site of a skirmish between the British and local Qawasim tribes and, as the only historic site of note in Ras al Khaima, a visit is de rigueur.
We arrive prepared to climb the 239 steps to the summit with the promise of thrilling views, only to be turned back. Why? ‘saw-scaled pit viper’ comes the dark reply. It seems the serpent has arrived before us.
Ras Al Khaima — until recently best-known as the crossing point into the Musandam Peninsula of Oman — is bidding for a slice of UAE’s tourism dollar.
Luxury hotels have sprung up, one of which is Anantara Mina al Arab, with airy Maldivian-style over-water villas. Its terrace and plunge pool overlook a protected mangrove lagoon, whose waters ebb and flow along with a tide of pink flamingos, and resonate with the trill of bulbuls and warblers.
If Dubai, just an hour away, is all about bling, and Abu Dhabi claims UAE’s cultural crown, Ras al Khaima — known colloquially as RAK — is marketing itself as ‘the adventure emirate’.
While daredevils throw themselves off a cliff along the longest zip-line in the world, reaching speeds of up to 85mph along its threeminute course, I watch from the safety of 1484 restaurant.
One morning, I join a group at Bear Grylls’ Explorers Camp in Jebel Jais, to learn survival skills. We trek through sandstone mountains of barren beauty, peppered with the odd acacia and sidr tree, the latter famed since biblical times.
‘Sidr’, our delightful exmilitary South African guide, Frans, explains, ‘is the traveller’s friend. It is used for navigation [it leans to the south], has edible berries, its leaves are antiseptic, and ash from its bark can be used to draw out snake venom’.
I learn to navigate by aiming my watch at the sun, erect a makeshift shelter and light a fire in the chill of the desert night. The goats, descended from the rocky heights to watch our efforts, look suitably impressed.
In a country where almost everyone in hospitality and tourism is imported, a visit to Al Suwaidi Pearl Farm offers the chance to experience a local activity, heir to a long tradition that the great traveller, Ibn Battuta, wrote of in the 14th century. ‘Diving for pearls stopped here in the 1940s, with the discovery of oil,’ our handsome guide, Obaid, tells us. ‘And this pearl farm, established by the grandson of a pearl diver in 2004, is the first in the UAE.’
We have just arrived at the floating platform in a lagoon off the beach at Al Rams, and Obaid explains everything from the lifecycle of oysters to the romantic, if perilous, history of pearl diving.
We are invited to select an oyster, and watch, enthralled, as he opens it to reveal the precious gem within. ‘There is a 60 per cent chance of finding a pearl in a cultured oyster, but only 1 per cent in a natural one,’ he says. A pearl of the finest grade costs up to £1,000.
Back at the hotel, there is time for a swim in the jade waters of the Arabian Gulf. And there is dinner to look forward to: a choice of Arabic, European, or the trademark Anantara panAsian cuisine. But tonight is special: a barbecue on the beach awaits – a feast of crab, salmon, tiger prawns and delicious Angus beef tenderloin – to the sound of nocturnal cicadas.
Away Holidays five nights half-board at Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah Resort from £845pp, including flights (awayholidays.co.uk).