Are you looking for less popular hiking route in the United Arab Emirates but at the same time not compromising on the landscapes? In Wadi Sidaqa in Ras Al Khaimah you will find a spectacular view of beautifully shaped mountains rarely visited by any people nowadays.
FORGOTTEN VALLEY
Exploring area around Jebel Yibir, I came across a small, charming village in the shadow of the strange red in colour mountains. Seems like the Wadi Sidaqa crosses in half area of mountains. The mountains on one side look somehow like around Wadi Naqab in Ras Al Khaimah and the other side they are made of different geological material(probably the only one in this specific red color in the United Arab Emirates I have ever encountered). About the Red Mountain you can read in this post: Hidden Oasis Under Red Mountain.
If you have visited mountains in Ras Al Khaimah before, you will notice geological similarities. Massive limestone rocks shaped by huge amounts water coming down from the mountains after rain. The entrance to the valley is here: 25°37’01.0″N 56°09’13.0″E. Starting the hike you will pass by some old ruins of the stone houses and then any kind of trace of human activity disappears – to the point that you’ll have a feeling that no one stepped in here for ages.
Wadi Sidaqa is very quiet and clean. Taking into consideration the fact there is only one old farm at the top of it – when it rains it does not really bring so much trash down. The water in natural ponds is crystal clear – beautifully sparkling in the rays of sun.
REFRESHING SWIM IN THE POOLS OF WADI SIDAQA
As you pass ruins of the old houses and you continue walking along the route you will see countless pools captured in caved stones. At the crossroads between two valleys (arrow ends on the map) if you decided to take left, you might be lucky to find first deep pool you can swim in. There is a way to continue on the top of this valley, however seems like it involves a lot of climbing shortly behind the pool. To continue your journey follow the main valley and take right. The pools will be bigger as you walk inside between the mountains. At some point you will need a rope and climbing skills to cross them.
SERENITY AND PEACE OF MIND
The sun was already setting down and I had to find a place to set up a tent. Spending a night in Wadi Sidaqa was something unusual of me because being alone I always choose a place with Internet coverage. Here – there was none, which made it actually a quite pleasant detox from social media. If you decide to camp in there, remember to choose the place that would be not directly in the dry bed of the valley because of unexpected rain. Even light rainfall might turn into a dangerous deluge in this region.
Throughout my trip I did not encounter any wild animals, except of mouse and fox. There is plenty of wood laying around in case you would like to make fire.
Note there is no Internet coverage once you take the road down to enter the village in Wadi Sidaqa and you’ll probably need 4×4 car. There is an army checkpoint nearby and sometimes they might not let you pass to enter the village. Before entrance to the valley there is rain station on the hill which is a good place to leave your car.
And if you would like to better get to know Wadi Sidaqa and see some drone footage from there you can check the video from my trip below.
UAE OFF-ROADER GUIDE
If you are looking for more off-road trails to discover about United Arab Emirates, I can recommend this ultimate guide that is packed with many routes, giving very detailed information and answering all questions you could have.
You can get it from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2UrKZdo
