When you think of Dubai, you think of beaches, fancy cars, and high-rise buildings. When you think of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a country, you think of deserts, camel riding, and sand dune bashing. But the one thing you don’t think about is the mountains!
Believe it or not, there are mountains! Percentage-wise, the mountains only make up a tiny portion of the UAE, but still big enough to enjoy countless days of hiking! Enough, any mountain lover will thoroughly enjoy!
Hatta
Hatta is a village located in the Hajar Mountains, close to the Oman border. Just a 90-minute drive from the City of Dubai, you can easily do it as a day trip! However, if you do have more time on your plate, you could easily spend a few days up there!
Getting to Hatta
The easiest way to reach Hatta, is by hiring a car and driving. However, if hiring a car is not an option for you, don’t worry there are other options! You can jump in a taxi or an Uber. For a more budget-friendly option, there are coach trips and public buses that go to and from the City of Dubai.
The RTA H02 bus goes from Dubai Mall Bus Station to Hatta Bus Station. It runs every two hours from 7 am to 7 pm daily. Once you’re in Hatta, you can hop on the H204 bus, which takes you around the village and to all the main attractions.
Best Time to Visit
If you are planning on hiking in Hatta, I would recommend visiting between September to March, when the temperatures are more comfortable, with the winter months being the most pleasant. As you can imagine, there’s very little shade when you’re out on the trails. During the summer months, the temperatures as high as 44°C (111°F), making hiking are lot more challenging.
The No.1 Hike in Hatta
There’s a great choice of things to do in Hatta, from ziplining to kayaking on Hatta Dam, to choosing from many of the different hiking trails that are on offer.
However, if you only have time to do one hike in Hatta, this is the one to do! The hike up to the famous Hatta sign, not only is an iconic trail to do in Hatta, but the views at the summit are truly breathtaking!
The full hike is just under 4 miles long, on well marked paths. The full route has a total of a 200 m (654 ft) elevation, with steep inclines at times.
Good fitness and good footwear is recommended!
Location/Where to Park
The hike starts at Wadi Hub Visitor Centre. If you are coming by car, there is a fairly big car park. However, this car park does get full by early afternoon, so if you can, try and get there in the morning! At the time we visited, this car park was free of charge.
If you are feeling peckish, there are a couple of eating places to grab a bite to eat before, or after your hike.
SatNav: Wadi Hub at Hatta Resorts by Dubai Holding, Dubai-Hatta Road, Sufayri, Dubai
The Route
Follow this map as you walk the route, and you shouldn’t get lost! Make sure your location is turned on and you should be able to see exactly where you are on this map. Or if you prefer, download the GPX file and use it on your choice of route tracker.
Walk the loop anti-clockwise!
Please note, there was a lot of work going on, at the time we visited! When you get to the circular section on my route, you may no longer be able to walk the path that forks off to your right-hand side. As at the time we visited, it looked like there were turning this section into a GoKarting downhill track. If this is the case, take the path forking off to your left-hand side (the same path you be taking back down again).
1.
Starting at the Wadi Hub Visitor Centre, head over to the adventure playground. You should see a little bridge with a large trail map board.
2.
Head across the little bridge and follow the path until you reach the mountain bike track. Turn to your right-hand side, onto the mountain bike trail, and follow it until you reach another trail map board.
3.
Head through the gate and follow the mountain bike track as it bends around to your right-hand side. Continue following the mountain bike track until you reach the river or dried-up riverbed.
4.
At the river/dried-up riverbed, you should notice the mountain track bending off to your right-hand side, with a footpath going off directly in front. Take the footpath and follow it until it meets a road junction.
If you are unsure at all, please refer to the map!
5.
Here, this is where you may have to follow the detour, as I mentioned above at the start of the route!
If they haven’t closed off what looks like it’s going to be a downhill go-karting tack, take the dirt track going off to your right-hand side, leading you steeply uphill. Follow the track up the hillside, until you reach the Hatta sign.
If this track has now been closed off to walkers, head across the dirt track and take the footpath. Follow the footpath until you reach a path junction. At the junction, take the path forking off to your right-hand side, and follow it as it leads you uphill, to the Hatta sign. As it leads you up the hillside, you will pass more path junctions. At each path junction, take the path that forks off to your right-hand side.
If you are unsure at any point, please relate to the map! Both routes are marked on the map!
6.
Once you finished admiring the view at the Hatta sign, lookout for a little path, east of the sign (your right-hand side if facing the way you travelled up to the sign). Take the little path up the mound of rocks, and turn to your left-hand side, to the summit of the hill.
At the time we visited, there was a flag pole with the UAE flag, marking the summit!
7.
Once you’ve finished soaking up the incredible views, start marking your way back down to Wadi Hub Visitor Centre.
If you walked up on the dirt track, you can make the route a circular route, by taking the footpath going off to your right-hand side, at the back of the Hatta sign. Follow the footpath as it leads you down the hillside, and back towards the dirt track. As you head down the hillside to the dirt track, you will pass several path junctions. At each one, take the footpath forking off to your left-hand side. At the dirt track, cross over, and rejoin the footpath you were on, earlier on the walk.
If you walked up on the footpath, head down the same way you came up, retracing your steps all the way back to Wadi Hub Visitor Centre.
If you get stuck at all, please refer to the map!
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Want to see the hike in action? Check out our YouTube vlog: https://youtu.be/l-K0_zkiUhE
Further Reading
Enjoyed this read? Why not check out some of my other UAE guides: UAE
