Continuing the regular column of the Weekend Route magazine, we ask our readers to share the best, in their opinion, options for outdoor activities in the United Arab Emirates. In this issue, Sergei Dolzhenko told us about his impressions.
Earlier, with the advent of the weekend, I began to think about how it would be more interesting to spend them. Entertainment in Dubai, of course, is enough, but the constant presence in the city bored me with its monotony. Weekends passed quickly, leaving the feeling that they were not there at all. Only the end of one week and the beginning of the next were imprinted in memory. Time flew at a frantic speed, I lost track of the days, but I still wanted to fully relax, gain strength and fresh impressions ...
Solved! Need to change the situation! Active rest will make your muscles work, and unity with nature will help free your head from unnecessary thoughts and relax tense nerves. To tell you the truth, once “infected” with trips around the country, I became so drawn in that I began to look forward to the weekend.
Helpful advice
The next route, found in the guide to the United Arab Emirates, immediately attracted my attention. I decided to get to these places and see for myself the veracity of what was written about the beauty of the local landscapes. The trip was designed for the whole day, so it was worth starting it early in the morning to catch it and see as much as possible.
Just at that time, friends came to visit me, and I suggested that they change the usual program of their “rest”, consisting of shops and restaurants, to a really active and exciting one. The proposal was accepted “with a bang”, so on the weekend I rented a jeep for the guys and prepared everything I needed.
At 8 o’clock in the morning we went in search of adventure. At the gas station closest to the beginning of the route, full tanks were filled (this is one of the most important conditions when you go to the desert) and we went ... Our route began in the village of Al Avir, which lies 15 kilometers from Dubai along the road to Hatta. We drove into it in the morning, before the sun had taken over. Fog covered the desert and mountains, the sand was wet from dew. I could not believe that in the afternoon he would repent, and it was impossible to step on him barefoot. The guide promised two hours off-road to the Fossil Mountain, recommending lowering the tires. However, carried away by landscapes, we somehow lost sight of this advice.
At the entrance to the desert we had to climb a hill - and then we realized our mistake. Heavy jeeps did not want to obey and buried in the sand. I had to remember about the guide. Guided by it, we lowered the tire pressure to one and a half atmospheres, and after that the cars seemed to turn into boats, which, swaying gently, crawled through large and small dunes. In short, the route was perfect for beginners. He ran along relatively flat terrain, so overcoming obstacles did not look very difficult.
As we moved away from Dubai, the desert sand changed its color, becoming from cream-white to red-orange. But that was not all - its structure was changing! If white sand resembled river sand with very small grains, then red-orange looked like small particles of quartz. After about an hour's journey, we got used to some uniformity of desert landscapes. But, as it turned out, the most interesting was ahead of us.
Foundation pit
As the color of the sand changed, so did the desert. Rare camels and islands of densely growing trees began to meet. The terrain has changed. The dunes were getting higher, so we had to make steep climbs and descents, reminiscent of a rollercoaster. It was breathtaking, and sometimes it seemed that the car was about to roll over. But with each new ascent and descent, an ever greater confidence in our abilities and enthusiasm came over us that we were doing what seemed to be impossible.
Soon the outlines of the mountains became more clearly visible. We chose a flat area and arranged a halt to cool the engines a bit. Almost two hours have passed since the start of the trip (on the way we stopped to take some photos); in front lay the most beautiful stretch of track.
A block appeared among the sands and a huge foundation pit at its foot. We drove to its edge. Despite the many traces of our predecessors (which, most likely, recently skated here), we did not dare to go down for a long time. The slope seemed very steep, and there was a complete feeling that if you go there, you will not be able to get out. I decided first - I already had a little experience with this kind of driving. The car rushed down, the foot pressed the gas pedal all the way. It was obvious: to get to the opposite edge of the pit, one must accelerate well.
Here comes the climb. The speed dropped sharply, and the top edge of the “pit” was still far away. Feeling that I couldn’t reach it, I smoothly turned the steering wheel and, describing the arc, began to descend back to the bottom. Experience prompted me in no case to make sudden movements, otherwise it will take a very long time to dig out the jeep. Having gained speed, I began to climb the opposite slope. Having done another two or three eights, I got out of the pit along the most gentle edge, experiencing indescribable sensations from a huge rush of adrenaline.
Campfire
Now we were able to meticulously examine the block, which in all directions should have been a Mountain of Fossils. At first, what we saw did not fit in with the word “mountain”: the dimensions of a large stone sticking up were not comparable with those described in the guidebook. This feeling remained with us until we finally came up against this stone, which before our eyes turned into an impressive kind of rock. We have reached the final goal of our route, and now it has appeared before us in all its glory.
The name of the Mountain of Fossils is associated with its origin: it was formed millions of years ago from fossilized shells and algae. Then over it (as, indeed, over most of the Arabian Peninsula) sea waves splashed. Now moving dunes are gradually replacing mountain formations, and in their sand we found numerous traces of the inhabitants of these places. In the desert, all living creatures lead a nocturnal lifestyle, and in the afternoon it is quite difficult to meet anyone. But we were lucky: we noticed a small lizard in the stones.
From the mountain along the dunes we went down to the village of Maleyha, whose inhabitants are breeding camels. We were right next to the farm. The drovers kindly allowed us to go inside and take some pictures of the animals.
We decided to stay a little longer in the mountains and wait for the sunset. In the morning we looked at one wonderful place. True, it was a little hot under the sun, but how pleasant it was to return there on the side of the day! Two small rocks protruded from the sand. It seemed that someone had stacked them from separate stone slabs. Sunset painted lumps in yellow-orange. We settled between them, as in the stalls of the theater. Having settled down more comfortably, they made a fire and began to observe the last rays of the departing sun. Everything around us briefly flashed with bright colors - and went out, plunging into the darkness of night.
The heat subsided noticeably, the sand began to cool. All the frames on the cameras were shot, the film in the camcorder ended. We said goodbye to the desert, taking with us many pleasant experiences.
A lot of time has passed since then, but our whole friendly company still enthusiastically recalls this trip - the joy of new discoveries, and unusual places that I want to return to again and again ...
