Wadi Al Hayl – The Castle Hike by Arabian FiTrekkers

Wadi Al Hayl is located in the southwest of Fujairah, UAE. The wadi was great, it has a rocky mountains but in lowlands there are some farms. Very good agriculture and great view of palm farm in the valley. Wadi Al Hayl is not dry, visibly it has water that is good for the plants there.

This hike I joined with was organized by Arabian FiTrekkers group in Dubai hosted by Faisi. You can check our group in meetup HERE. AFT organizes hikes and other fitness activities most of the days. So if you are physically active – go to the group site and do the RSVP in events you’re interested into! 😉

Related post: Mountains and wadis for hiking in the UAE

We started and end our hike at the ancient castle, dating back 1300-300 BC. It was the headquarters of the ruling family of Fujairah and been a place for defending the area. There is a parking area outside the castle. You can reached there easily, even though you don’t have SUV or 4X4 cars.

At the beginning of our hike we stopped and saw some ancient drawings/texts that is carved on rocks. Fujairah named this area as their Archaeological site that said to be there since BC.

Wadi Al Hayl is beautiful – the rocks there have nice colors. There were solid big and hard rocks, as well as small and slippery too.

We reached not on the highest elevation but there where we see the great view below the wadis. Overlooking to beautiful mountains edges.

Wadi Al Hayl – The Castle Hike is my last hike in 2017. It was a great hike with nice people. After the hike we stopped awhile outside the castle, had some talks and drank some tea (courtesy by Faisi).

Al Hayl Castle have a caretaker, if you like to go inside you can asks his assistance to show you around. The castle have a small area inside fit for small family. It have a second floor and balcony on the third floor that is overlooking outside. The stairway is very narrow and you must be careful when going up and down to avoid falling. 🙂

At night for our dinner some of us in the group went to International City to eat. Usually, the group ended the hike with dinner – a Mandi! Mandi is a traditional dish from Yemen, but is popular in some areas in Arabian Peninsula. It is composed of meat, rice and spices.

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Our Hike Details:

The hike cost is: AED 100

Inclusion:
1) Experienced mountain guide with complete knowledge of the area
2) Hydration Drink
3) Healthy trail mix
4) Basic First Aid kit.

Start time at: 10:30am
Duration: 6 to 7 hours (with stop/breaks)
Difficulty: Moderate (for a regular hiker)
Start point of elevation: 200 metres
Highest point of elevation: 650 metres

All information from Arabian FiTrekkers requirements and inclusions.