11 Top Attractions & Things to Do in Ras Al-Khaimah

Ras Al-Khaimah is many Dubai locals' top escape from the city.

Most people are here for the beach but, backed by the spine of the Hajar Mountains, which roll down to the shore, Ras Al-Khaimah is also a great base if you're looking for more active things to do.

Jebel Jais (Jais Mountain) is the main tourist attraction, and in recent years has become a major activity center. Whether you want to zipline down the mountain or tackle some climbing on its slopes, this is one of the best places to visit in the UAE for adventure seekers.

Ras Al-Khaimah's city and coastline resort strip may be in permanent beach vacation mode but historically, this region is very important, with archaeological excavations here revealing that this area has been inhabited since the 3rd millennium BCE.

The Ras Al-Khaimah National Museum does an excellent job of explaining this long-reaching history.

For historic sightseeing outside the city, Al Khams village and the nearby Dhayah Fort, and the wonderfully atmospheric Jazirat al-Hamra area, provide further peeks at Emirati life before the mid-20th century oil boom.

Find out more with our list of the top attractions and things to do in Ras Al-Khaimah.

Relax on Ras Al-Khaimah's Beaches

Most visitors to Ras Al-Khaimah beeline direct to the beach.

The emirate's long shoreline is strung with luxury resorts all offering their own private patch of golden sand, many of which are among the top tourist destinations in the UAE.

Most allow non-guests to use their facilities with a day pass but if you want to make your Ras Al-Khaimah stay all about the sun and sand, book a hotel or resort with beach access.

The beaches are well cared for and packed with facilities, including sun loungers, sun shades, cafés and restaurants right on the sand, freshwater showers, and pretty much everything you need for a day of topping up your tan.

Nearly all the resorts offer water sports facilities with equipment rental such as kayaks, paddleboards, and Jet Skis, and activities such as windsurfing available.

The most popular beaches in Ras Al-Khaimah are located southwest of Ras Al-Khaimah city in Al-Marjan Island and in the Al Jazeerah and Al Hamra area.

In the city itself, the main public beach is Flamingo beach (also known as RAK beach).

See Sunset on Jebel Jais

About 55 kilometers northeast of Ras Al-Khaimah, Jebel Jais is part of the Hajar Mountain Range and is the tallest mountain in the UAE, with its summit at 1,934 meters.

A 20-kilometer-long road to the top (not quite to the summit) snakes in a switchback all the way up the mountain's flank, with viewing platforms along the route to take in the far-reaching vistas of surrounding barren cliffs.

At the top of the road is Viewing Deck Park, a series of landscaped terraces (with cafés and other services) from where visitors can gaze out over the craggy peaks, all the way down to the coastal plain.

It's among the best places to visit for photographers, particularly in the early evening when the orange-hued rocks glow in the light of the setting sun.

Official site: www.visitjebeljais.com

Zipline Down Jebel Jais' Slope

If you feel like throwing yourself off a mountain, head to Jebel Jais.

The mountain is home to the world's longest zipline, called the Jebel Jais Flight, which stretches down the slope for 2.8 kilometers.

It has become one of the United Arab Emirates' major adventure activities and a main draw for adrenaline junkies visiting the country.

From the take-off point, near the summit of Jebel Jais, zipliners whip over the craggy, boulder-strewn contours of the mountain below, traveling at speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour.

As well as the thrill of the flight itself and the stupendous mountain scenery along the way, a major highlight is landing on the zipline's platform, which is suspended in mid-air.

A further zipline adventure on the mountain, called the Jais Sky Tour, offers a less-speedy experience with a better opportunity to pause and take in the scenery on a series of seven ziplines, connected by platforms suspended to the side of the mountain, on a five-kilometer course.

Official site: www.visitjebeljais.com

Hike Up to Dhayah Fort

This 16th-century mud-brick fort, about 20 kilometers north of Ras Al-Khaimah city, was built in a strategic hilltop position facing the gulf to defend the region from attack by the British.

As a defensive military tower, the Dhayah Fort played an important role in the history of Ras Al-Khaimah.

Other ruined fortifications and watchtowers can be seen to the south of the hill.

A battle in 1891 between the emirate and British forces resulted in the destruction of much of the fortifications here.

The panoramic views from the fort's ramparts are well worth the trip here, and for anyone interested in history, exploring the fort itself is one of this small emirate's top things to do.

Take a Road Trip into the Hajar Mountains

Away from the coast, the rugged and raw Hajar Mountains dominate Ras Al-Khaimah's scenery.

Road-tripping into the Hajar area offers some of the best scenery in the UAE, with the jagged and barren mountain landscapes sprawling outward as the roads climb higher into the interior.

For an easygoing road trip, take the main E18 highway heading south inland from Ras Al-Khaimah city and then turn onto the E87 highway, which cuts through the heart of the Hajar Mountains.

The E11 highway heading north from Ras Al Khaimah city towards Dhayah Fort also takes in a swath of mountain scenery.

Climb or Hike on Jebel Jais

The lower slopes of Jebel Jais are a major destination for keen hikers and climbers in the cooler winter months.

Six hiking trails, ranging from easy to moderate, have been laid out on the mountain's lower slopes, all beginning at one trailhead on the main road leading to the mountain.

All of the trails offer great views; chance encounters with mountain goats; and the opportunity to experience the mountain on a closer, more intimate level.

For climbers, Jebel Jais has a Via Ferrata (a climbing route of steel cables, permanently fixed into the rock face), which runs on the lower slopes of the mountain.

Access to the Via Ferrata route is by guided climbing tour only. The hiking routes can be tackled independently.

Learn about Pearl Heritage at Al Rams

The town of Al Rams, 12 kilometers north of Ras Al-Khaimah city, is home to Suwaidi Pearls, where Abdulla Rashed Al Suwaidi, a descendent of generations of pearl divers, continues the tradition by farming pearls just off the coast.

The Suwaidi Pearls pearl farm runs regular tours, which explore the cultural legacy of the UAE's pearl diving history, as well as providing tourists with a different perspective to more typical boat UAE boat trips.

Suwaidi Pearls tours include a boat trip in a traditional wooden dhow around the islands and mangrove stands of the waters just off Al Rams, and a tour of the farm, with plenty of information about pearls and the UAE's historic pearling industry.

You'll also get the chance to shuck your own oyster and check if you're lucky enough to find a pearl.

Al Rams is only five kilometers west of Dhayah Fort, so it makes sense to plan your itinerary to visit both on the same day.

Official site: https://suwaidipearls.ae/

Take in Local History at Ras Al-Khaimah National Museum

The Ras Al-Khaimah National Museum is in a fort that was the residence of the ruling family up until the early 1960s.

The museum houses an excellent collection of archaeological and ethnological artifacts.

The Qawasim Room on the first floor is particularly interesting, with a collection of documents, manuscripts, and treaties between the rulers of Ras Al-Khaimah and Great Britain.

There are also exhibits of traditional weapons belonging to the ruling family, as well as archaeological displays about the earliest settlers in the area up to the late Islamic period.

The museum's ethnographic section introduces traditional life in the emirate, including architecture, pearl diving, date growing, farming, and fishing.

Stroll through the Abandoned Village of Jazirat al-Hamra

This abandoned village with its slowly decaying houses of traditional coral-block architecture sits about 20 kilometers south from Ras Al-Khaimah city.

Jazirat al-Hamra was a fishing and pearling village that was founded in the 16th century. With the demise of the pearling industry and the beginning of the oil boom, the village's inhabitants abandoned it in the 1960s. Since then it has sat mostly eerie and empty as resorts and new town areas have mushroomed around it on the coastal plain.

Due to the dry desert climate, a lot of the coral-block architecture is well preserved, so visitors can get a real sense of what traditional Emirati village life would have looked like.

The village mosque has also been fully restored in recent years.

Soak in Khatt Springs

About 26 kilometers southeast of Ras Al-Khaimah, Khatt Springs is an area of mineral-rich hot pools, where the water is noted for its relaxing and therapeutic properties.

Khatt lies amid an oasis, backed by barren mountains. The hot-spring waters are pumped into pools which are separated by gender.

The facilities are a bit tired these days, but if you just want a quick soak in the hot water to soothe tired joints from traveling, they're still worth a stop.

The village is home to the restored towers of Khatt Fort, and the surrounding countryside is of major interest to archaeologists, with tomb sites dating back to the Chalcolithic era and 19th-century mud-brick fortifications unearthed on excavations here, pointing to the long and continuous settlement of the area.

View History at Shimal

About 12 kilometers north of Ras Al-Khaimah city, near the Hajar Mountains, the little village of Shimal is the site of several hundred pre-Islamic tombs and a settlement that has been dated from 2000-1300 BCE.

The area is one of the most important archaeological sites in the United Arab Emirates, though visitors will probably have to be avid history lovers to appreciate the site.

Pottery, stone vessels, weapons made of bronze and copper, and beads have all been uncovered from archaeological digs.

One of the most important discoveries here was a large circular tomb from the Umm al-Nar period.

The small Islamic-era Husn al-Shimal Fort is perched on a rock outcrop above and offers a good view of the entire area.

Map of Attractions & Things to Do in Ras Al-Khaimah

More Related Articles on PlanetWare.com

Beach Resorts: Ras Al-Khaimah's beaches are the reason most tourists visit. Elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates, Fujairah is all about sun and sand as well, while the resort beaches of Ajman are popular with families on a weekend break from Dubai.

Mountain Scenery: Jebel Jais is the United Arab Emirates' tallest mountain, and the viewing deck near the summit offers up great mountain vistas. For more craggy mountain views head to Al Ain for the drive up Jebel Hafeet, or head to Hatta to kayak on Hatta Dam amid stunning Hajar Mountain scenery on a day trip from Dubai.