Hajar Mountains, Ras Al Khaimah · Ras Al Khaimah

Jebel Jais

At roughly 1,934 metres Jebel Jais is the highest point in the country, reached by a serpentine road that is itself worth the drive. The Jais Flight zipline runs 2.8 kilometres down the mountain at speeds above 120 km/h and holds the record for the world's longest.

Why go

The UAE's highest peak at about 1,934 m
Jais Flight — 2.8 km, over 120 km/h, a Guinness World Record holder
Viewing park, terraced café and the country's best sunset
Graded hiking trails and a mountain toboggan run

The mountain

The road up is a sequence of engineered switchbacks with viewing decks cut into the bends, and the temperature drops noticeably as you climb — in winter the summit can sit ten degrees below the coast, and frost is not unknown. There is a viewing park near the top with terraced seating, a café and the best sunset in the country.

The walking is real walking: marked trails of several grades, exposed rock, no shade. Take more water than you think and start early.

Jais Flight and the sled

The zipline launches you prone from a platform near the summit and covers 2.8 kilometres in about three minutes, with a mid-station where you are unclipped and sent down a second leg. Minimum and maximum weights apply and the whole thing is weather-dependent.

It closes for part of the summer — typically from around May to October — because the heat makes the launch platform unworkable. The season generally runs October through April, so check before building a trip around it.

Jebel Jais, answered

Is the Jebel Jais zipline open in summer?

Usually not. It closes for roughly May to October because of the heat on the launch platform, with the season running October to April. Confirm before travelling — the closure dates shift year to year.

Do you have to pay to drive up Jebel Jais?

No. The road and the viewing park at the top are free. Only the zipline, the toboggan and the paid activities charge.