A pleasant walk at this time of the year can be found starting at Wadi Saham.
If you want to complete the whole route it starts at the rest area close to the big Petroglyth, it is well sign posted on your way up to Wadi Saham.
The complete walk to Al Hayl and back is about 9km, as it is getting a bit warmer now what I do is shorten the route and just take the lovely walk from the first villa in Wadi Saham up to the spectacular mountain pass and then return the same way.
Just before you reach the first villa in the village turn left after the wadi and find a safe place to park. With your water and a nice snack, start walking along the jeep track and you will soon reach a small livestock farm. The goats here love grapes, it is like candy to them, there are some friendly camels and a lot of noisy chickens.
Once you have fed the animals, head on up the valley. Fujairah Adventures have built you some stone towers to guide you on your route but sometimes you have to search a little to find them especially after the recent rains.
When you start climbing out of the valley away from the farms, up towards the mountain pass it suddenly becomes very peaceful. From a distance you can see a small square sign that is located at the pass. Looks can be deceptive and although your first impression is that the sign and pass are a long way away, you quickly find yourself there.
There are a couple of reasons you know you have reached the pass, the first is the refreshing breeze. I have walked here several times and each time thought to myself how welcome the breeze is. You will also be met with amazing views back the way you have just walked up. If you adventure through the pass, the view to Al Hayl is spectacular.
The pass is very narrow and the first time you might be a little worried about what is on the other side, but there is no need to worry. You can walk easily through it and the path is very obvious. As long as you are careful it is quite safe. If you are feeling energetic and have the time, you can continue down the other side of the mountain pass, the descent towards Al Hayl is much steeper and don’t forget you will have to walk back up the same way to return to Wadi Saham.
The good thing about this walk is that is easy to do as much or as little walking as you want. If you want just to visit the goats and camels at the first farm you have walked about 1km, if you go to the mountain pass and back maybe you have walked 3km and not taken more than an hour. If you complete the entire route from the rest station to Al Hayl and back, as I said that is about 9km and it is a trek not to be taken lightly.
By Dave Charlton
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