Discover Fujairah: The Geological Trail, Ain Al Sheria

When the weather in Fujairah is much cooler there are no excuses for not spending a few adventurous hours in the north of the Emirate trekking. The Geological Trail starts in Ain Al Sheria , there is limited car parking and access to the route is really only suitable for 4×4’s. Simply type ‘Ain Al Sheria’ into Google Maps and it will find you.

The Geological Trail is named for obvious reasons. The drive to the start gives glimpses of things to come but when you are up close to these mountains you realise just how high they are. As the trek begins you are instantly surrounded by large rock formations and an infinite variety of colours, there are folds that the formed over millions of years , faults running many metres and rich veins of quartz.

I was accompanied on this trek by Sikander Khan Durrani, Abdel Rehman El Sheikh and Stephen Suhas Abhang, 3 very knowledgeable geologists from the Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation.

I can say with absolute certainly what they don’t know about geology can be written on the back of a postage stamp.

This is quite a long trek at 8.8km and very demanding. The first kilometre is a fairly tough physical effort gaining height along the Wadi, then the serious climbing starts on the purposebuilt hiking trail.

There is little chance of getting lost on the trail and signposts are located where they are needed.

On the trail up the Wadi are a series of stone towers marking the way.

Once on the manmade sections the trail is quite obvious, as I said there are a few signs but this is long trek and well away from the roads. Stephen actually asked me who made the trail and how long did it take?

The credit for this trail goes to Fujairah Adventures and Saeed Al Memari. Marko Gauna and his 7-man construction team took several months building the entire trail. I have constructed many trails in Fujairah’s Adventure Park and I can tell you with absolute certainty there has been blood, sweat and tears shed in the construction of this trail for you.

Once you leave the Wadi you are exposed to the elements, I have walked this trail twice and both times I was ill prepared.

The first time I thought a bottle of water was enough to get me round, I wish I had taken dried fruit and extras to snack on, to keep my energy levels high.

The second time I went around, I had spent about 100 aeds in Lulus and I’m sure the donkeys you might see on route would have complained about hauling the amount of supplies I had. Energy and hydration levels were fine on my second time, but I was exposed to the sun and got quite badly burned. At the highest point, climbing out of the valley you are about 500m above sea level and views are simply breathtaking. From the top (if you know where to look) you can see across to the giant petroglyph that is Khar Ghail, which will be the next stop. To get there the trail contours the edge of the mountain for about 2km or so. At times there are areas that have steep cliffs dropping away immediately next to the trail.

This isn’t really for the fainthearted. Be brave and you will be rewarded with the chance to go back 3000 years in time and try to decipher the glyphics carved into the large 3m tall rock. We spent some time at Khar Ghail and when it was time to start the descent, I really wished I had kept moving. My legs were stiff and the descent is immediate and you quickly lose height.

Complacency kicks in and you find yourself (sometimes) ignoring the amazing scenery all around you. After the big descent you will then take the single-track trail that winds its way with a bit more up and down back to your starting point of Ain Al Sheria.

The route takes about 2.5 hours to complete. Advice to all, as well as the normal standard trekking equipment, take sun protection, hats, long sleeve shirts and enough food and water for a full half day of trekking.

Even though the days are cooler, this is still an exposed trail. I would recommend leaving early with the safety net of time afterwards should you need it.

I have heard stories of hikers leaving too late in the afternoon and struggling on the later parts due to lack of light. There are areas with no cell phone coverage and a whistle is a must. This really isn’t a place to taking any sort of risks. Ain Al Sheria has areas for BBQ, a fresh (cold) font of drinkable natural water and shaded areas where you are welcome to relax before or after your trek.

• By Dave Charlton
• This Article was published on the Fujairah Observer Magazine November 2020 Issue.
• To read the full Digital Magazine please click on the link below:

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