The Hatta Dam is nestled in the Hajar Mountains, where visitors can canoe, kayak or paddleboard.Creative-Family/Getty Images
In the middle of the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, my tour guide wants to turn me into an Instagram star. I had only met this guy about an hour ago, and already he’s mistaken me for someone who’s here for my reels.
How about I stand on top of the Bronco, which is perched precariously atop a sand dune? Do I want to spin around and blow kisses at the desert sky? Maybe a big jump for the camera? I don’t have the heart to tell him I’m not on Instagram, and besides, I have bigger problems right now. For starters, I’m fairly certain the blazing sun is burning through my liberally applied SPF 50, and some sort of insect is buzzing in my ear. In the distance I spot something moving among the clusters of desert grass. Are those desert fish or am I just seeing things?
Writer Lara Pingue and her tour guide at the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve in the United Arab Emirates.Lucy Veale/The Globe and Mail
This 40 square-kilometre desert reserve is the largest unfenced nature sanctuary in the United Arab Emirates, home to more than 200 species of native birds and endangered animals. Want to see a flamingo in the wild? This is the place.
It was Day 4 of a whirlwind tour of Dubai and I was starting to feel like nothing could surprise me anymore. I had zipped to the top of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper and walked the never-ending Dubai Mall. I had stared incredulously at the Palm Jumeirah, one of the largest man-made islands in the world, shaped like a palm tree and visible from space.
Arabian oryx at the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve.Supplied
But what I wasn’t expecting in this blinged-out city was what awaited me about 90 minutes from the downtown core: A nature-filled playground for outdoor adventurers looking for hiking or canoeing, mountain biking, rock climbing, spotting Arabian oryx in the wild – and if you’re lucky, a desert tour with a guide as enthusiastic as my own.
Dubai’s mountainous Hatta region is around 130 kilometres southeast of the city’s centre, near the border of Oman, but also seemingly worlds away. The snarling traffic and futuristic-looking skyline of Dubai are replaced by a dusty single-lane highway and clusters of jagged mountain ranges on the horizon. In a nod to the famous Hollywood sign, the word HATTA is spelled out in giant white letters on Hajar Mountains. Hikers can make the 350-metre climb and take a selfie under the letters, because of course you can. We might be outside of the city, but this is still Dubai, where selfies rule.
Hikers can make the 350-metre climb to the Hatta sign and take a selfie under the letters.benedek/Getty Images
The first stop is the Hatta Dam, which was built in the 1990s to bring electricity and water to the surrounding area. My friend Lucy Veale and I navigate a gentle hill down to the calm aquamarine water, which appears like a mirage amongst the rugged earth-coloured mountains. The water is ours alone this morning, except for two tourists from China and Pakistan, who happily snap our picture as we glide around in our canoe. There’s no swimming allowed here (changes in current can make it a safety hazard) but visitors can explore the pristine water on paddleboard, kayak and paddle boats.
Not far away is Hatta Heritage Village, a reconstructed mountain town where history buffs can get a taste of life as an Emirati centuries ago. Dubai is a city that likes to look forward, but this is a place for looking back. We meander through the maze of falaj, the ancient irrigation system that carried water to arid towns and farms. Restored buildings made of mud and stone stand in a row, with an old watchtower hovering above us. Underneath the shade of the palm trees with the smell of jasmine in the air, the village is a welcome reprieve from the rising heat.
The Hatta Wadi Hub is an outdoor playground, offering everything from mountain bike rentals to hiking trails to ziplining and camping.Aleksandra Tokarz/Getty Images
But the serene morning is just a gentle warmup for the real action at the Hatta Wadi Hub, ground zero for outdoorsy locals looking for an array of hiking trails spanning more than 30 kilometres (those who want to hike to the Hatta sign start here). Thrill-seekers will find plenty to do here, too. Set against a backdrop of the mountains, the sprawling outdoor park offers everything from the familiar (dirt-biking, axe-throwing, archery) to the absurd-sounding (gel ball? A ride called the Cannon?) to the potentially ill-advised.
We opt for the latter category: mountain zorbing. Before we fully understand what we’re agreeing to, Lucy and I find ourselves boarding a Jeep to travel up a bumpy dirt hill. At the top, we’ll climb into a clear plastic, three-metre inflatable ball, a “zorb,” and be thrust down.
We get out of the Jeep and stand nervously – neither of daring to ask aloud what we’re both thinking: “What if this doesn’t end well?” – when a jolt of cold water hits us. The operator is waving a spurting hose and tells us to climb into the zorb. Did he forget to mention we need to sit and slosh about in cold water for this?
Mountain zorbing takes riders down a turf-covered hill in a clear plastic “zorb” with water inside.Hatta Wadi Hub/Supplied
Rolling down the turf-covered hill, choking on laughter and water inside the ball, we decide right then and there that we’re ready for ziplining today, too, and whatever other adventure awaits.
Later that night, sun soaked and exhausted, we sit under the stars at Al Hadheerah, an open-air restaurant in the desert’s dunes an hour’s drive from Hatta. It’s the month of Ramadan, so the place is packed with locals and tourists breaking fast and we feast on grilled meats, warm pitas and cold salads as an extravaganza of belly dancers and Arabic singers takes the stage. A herd of camels and goats parades across the sand to the beat of the music.
The author jumps for the camera at the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation ReserveLucy Veale/The Globe and Mail
Thanks to my tour, I know that wild camels don’t roam the desert here randomly, despite what it looks like in pamphlets.
Which brings me back to that moment in the Al Marmoom desert, with the blazing sun and the mysterious buzzing insects. My eager tour guide seemed to understand what I hadn’t realized yet. I thought I had Dubai all figured out, and yet there I was, standing in the dunes on the other side of the world, not a shred of bling to be found.
The least I could do was take a jump for the camera.
If you go
Air Canada offers a few direct flights from Toronto. My direct flight on Emirates offered halal meals in economy, such as chicken tikka and joojeh kebabs over saffron rice, followed by chocolates. Business class fliers get to slip into the airline’s stylish bamboo pyjamas and dive into the Bulgari-loaded amenity bag. Emirates.com
To get to Hatta and beyond, renting a car is easiest. Visitors can also take the Hatta Express from the Dubai Mall and use the hop-on, hop-off bus service to get around Hatta.
Tourists are advised to cover their shoulders, knees and midriffs in public, though regular swimwear is fine on beaches and pools. During our March visit, we felt comfortable in cotton T-shirts and capri pants in the desert. Wear a hat.
Where to Stay
Bab Al Shams resort is a luxurious Arabian retreat on the edge of the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, which is free to enter but best explored with an experienced guide. Book a camel ride or a stargazing tour for the complete experience. Rooms start at around $700 a night. babalshams.com
The writer was a guest of Dubai Economy & Tourism. They did not review or approve the story before publication.
