01
Jebel Jais
The highest peak in the UAE at about 1,934 metres, reached by a switchback road with viewing decks near the top.
06 · Emirate
Ras Al Khaimah
Mountains, and the sea below them
The emirate of the Hajar range, where the country's highest road climbs towards two thousand metres and the world's longest zipline runs off the summit. At the foot of the mountain there is a pearl farm, a ghost village and a long stretch of quiet coast.
Getting there
Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, or about 75 minutes from Dubai on the E311.
When to go
The mountain runs several degrees cooler than the coast all year, and the summit is genuinely cold on winter nights.
Good to know
The Jais road is sealed and open to any car, but there is no fuel after the foot of the mountain.
Cities & areas
Where inside the emirate
City
Ras Al Khaimah city
A creek city with the Hajar range behind it and a pearl bed offshore.
Neighbourhood
Jazirat Al Hamra
An abandoned pearling village, left standing as it was.
Island
Al Marjan Island
Four coral-shaped islands off Ras Al Khaimah, with the mountains in view.
Region
The Hajar Mountains
The range that divides the two coasts, and the country's highest ground.
Signature places
What makes Ras Al Khaimah itself
02
Jais Flight
Certified as the world's longest zipline at roughly 2.83 kilometres, flown face-down at up to 150 km/h.
03
Dhayah Fort
The only hilltop fort of its kind still standing in the UAE, above a palm plain and the sea.
04
Al Jazirah Al Hamra
A coral-block pearling village left largely as it was when its families moved on in the 1960s.
05
Suwaidi Pearl Farm
A working farm run by a pearling family, where the oyster is opened in front of you on the water.
See the place
Ras Al Khaimah before you arrive
Jebel Jais, Ras Al Khaimah
Above the Hajar
0s / 31s
Wide view
Experiences here
What to do here
Ras Al Khaimah · Mountains & adventure
Jais Flight, the longest zipline
2.83 kilometres off the summit of Jebel Jais, face-down, at up to 150 km/h. Certified as the longest in the world.
2 hoursAED 400 from
Ras Al Khaimah · Mountains & adventure
Drive to the top of the country
A sealed switchback road climbing towards 1,934 metres, with viewing decks near the summit. Take a jacket; it is genuinely cold up there in winter.
Half dayFree
Ras Al Khaimah · Heritage & forts
Open an oyster at Suwaidi Pearl Farm
A working farm run by a pearling family, on the water. They explain the trade that built these towns, then open a shell in front of you.
2 hoursAED 175 from
Ras Al Khaimah · Wellness & slow days
Two slow days in the Hajar
Mountain air a few degrees cooler than the coast, an infinity pool facing the range, and no plan more demanding than sunrise.
2 nightsAED 1,400 from
Tickets
Book entry now
Ras Al Khaimah
Jais Flight zipline
Weight and weather restrictions apply
AED 400 from
Where to stay
Rooms in Ras Al Khaimah
★★★★★ · Jebel Jais
Jais Ridge Retreat
High on the Hajar ridge, where winter nights need a fire and July needs a jumper after dark.
1,400 m elevationZipline accessFireplaces
Non-refundable · 2 rooms left · 887 reviews
AED 1,290per night
Eat & drink
Tables worth booking
Modern Emirati · •••
Summit Room
The highest tables in the country, at about 1,400 metres. Book the seating that faces the ridge.
Tours that include it
Let somebody else drive
8 days · 7 emirates
The Seven Emirates Grand Tour
One country, all seven emirates, anticlockwise from the capital so the mountains and the east coast come last.
- 7 nights, 4★ and 5★
- Private guide & vehicle
- All entries
- Airport transfers
AED 7,450per person
5 days · 3 emirates
Desert & Mountains
Sand, then rock, then reef — the three landscapes of the country in the order that makes sense.
- Dune camp night
- Jebel Jais summit
- Zipline included
- East coast snorkel
AED 4,650per person
4 days · 3 emirates
The Quiet North
Three emirates most itineraries skip: flamingo lagoons, a pearling island and the last working dhow yards.
- Dawn kayak, Al Zorah
- Al Sinniyah archaeology
- Pearl farm
- Dhow yard visit
AED 3,180per person
What's on
In the calendar
Adventure
Jebel Jais season
November to March
The mountain's own season: trail running, via ferrata, the zipline and cold enough nights for a fire at the top.
Free entry · elements ticketed
The summit road and the viewing platforms are free. The zipline, the via ferrata and the sledder are ticketed activities.
Ras Al Khaimah
People who were there
Ras Al Khaimah, as visitors see it
@sevenemirates
Day 6 of 7. Drove to the top of the country before breakfast.
Jebel Jais · #JebelJais
@coralblocks
A whole pearling village, left where it stood. Go before the light drops.
Al Jazirah Al Hamra · #Pearling
Continue the journey
And next door
01 · Emirate
Abu Dhabi
The capital, at its own pace
Heritage & fortsArts & museums
02 · Emirate
Dubai
Where the record is the baseline
Desert & dunesArts & museums
03 · Emirate
Sharjah
The country's reading room
Arts & museumsHeritage & forts
04 · Emirate
Ajman
Small emirate, long shoreline
Coast & islandsHeritage & forts
Every emirate is within a day's drive of every other.