Hiking in the UAE: Miss Dubai’s top tips for summer
Someone you follow on IG went hiking and now you want to as well. But maybe you don’t know that person well enough to slide in to their DMs asking the what the why and the how so we are saving you the blushes.
- When to set off
If you really want that hike in summer, you’ve got to be prepared to get up early. You want to aim to be starting your hike as the sun rises, as soon as that sun is up, it’s going to get hot hot hot.
2. Be prepared – stock up on essentials
It’s the great outdoors and there’s not a Carrefour in site so stock up on water as you’re going to need it. It’s also a good idea to bring plasters, wet wipes and sunscreen.
3. Plan your route
Don’t just turn up at your hiking destination and hope for the best. That’s how things go wrong. It’s also good to have at the least a rough idea of where the route goes and how long it will take you.
4. Wikilocks
Other apps are probably available, but we don’t know ‘em so this is the one we’re sticking with. If you are going on an unguided hike, we really do recommend downloading one of the huge number of routes on Wikilocks. Users track and upload their exact route via the app so that you can follow it too – there are pictures along the routes on many to guide you. You can follow the route the entire way so as to stay on course and you can also download them for offline use
5. Start easy
If you’ve never been hiking before, we can’t imagine you’re going to dive right in to the stairway to heaven but stranger things have happened. Start on an easy with little to no climbing, even if you think it’s going to be too easy! At a minimum you’ll get a good walk in the fresh (?) air. Our pick for a guideless starter hike is Wadi Showka – there are a number of hikes around that part and a clear pathway is defined for much of it so you won’t need to refer to the navigation too much. There’s a very flat hike and then one which takes you up and down a bit, but still suitable for beginners (there’s an actual built staircase).