Exactly three years ago, I was standing on this very same trail in Ras Al Khaimah, ready to close the hiking chapter of my life due to personal reasons. I still remember sobbing my heart out beside a friend, and convinced that this would be my last hike (at least in the UAE).
Fast forward to 2025, with a renewed spirit and passion for adventure, I found myself back โ retracing all the challenges and obstacles along the trail. This trail we call Banayad Hike (or Banayad Trail), did it get any easier during the second time around? Let's find out!
๐ก Want more hiking inspiration? Check out these posts!
- Philippines: Hiking Mount Apo - The Highest Mountain in the Philippines via the Sta. Cruz Trail
- UAE: RAKTRAV - The Longest Hiking Trail in the UAE by FOX.AE
- Kyrgyzstan: Komsomolets Peak - Easiest 4000-meter Peak on a Dayhike
- Uganda: Summitting Mt Elgon's Wagagai Peak - My Highest Hiking Record through the Bushiyi Trail
The Banayad Trail at a Glance:
Before diving in, here's a quick overview of what you can expect from hiking the Banayad Trail in Ras Al Khaimah. Please excuse my watch's poor performanceโit didn't manage to record the entire trail! However, we continued along the wadi (blue line) after the recording stopped.
โ ๏ธ WARNING: This route isnโt suitable for beginners or even intermediate hikers. Thereโs no established trail to follow โ itโs mostly boulder hopping, navigating loose rocks, and even sections where rope assistance was required. This is why Iโm not writing a full hiking guide, but rather sharing our experience and a general overview.
- Route: Al Sanat Village โ Saliya Al-Baqal โ Wadi Naqab โ Wadi Kub
- Distance: Total of 12+ km (watch stopped recording due to low battery)
- Elevation Gain: 1,000+ MASL
- Total Moving Time: Around 20 hours (excuse Strava's error once again!)
- Difficulty Level: 5 out of 5 (in hiking terms โ not mountaineering level)
- Best Time to Hike: November to April (as long as the outdoor weather is bearable)
๐ฌ Disclaimer: "Banayad" is not the official name of the trail. In Tagalog (Filipino), it means "moderate," "gentle," or "smooth." The term started as an inside joke among our group, inspired by a popular old whisky commercial in the Philippines featuring the King of Comedy, Dolphy, who described the drink as "banayad." It was used to lure us hikers in โ but little did we know, the real adventure was anything but banayad!
My Banayad 2022 & 2025 Trail Experience
While both of my Banayad hikes were equally enjoyable, fulfilling, and successful, this year's hike was definitely better since we already knew what obstacles we would face along the trail. We were able to plan and strategize better based on our 2022 experience.
In 2022...
Back in 2022, we stayed at Al Sanat Village as our campsite and had a good night's rest. Our journey continued by tackling the steep ascent until we reached Saliya Al-Baqal Village, which at that time was very lush and green. It was one of the beautiful hidden oases I've seen (with the Hidden Oasis in the Wadi of Giants coming next).
The downhill was brutal though, we encountered a lot of dead ends with no clear trail to follow. Luckily, the team was prepared and had brought ropes, but since it was our first time, it took a while to fix a suitable setup. Sunrise welcomed us in Wadi Kub, and as sleep-deprived as we were, I wasn't able to appreciate it as I had expected.
But in 2025...
This 2025, instead of getting a good night's sleep, we took advantage of the cool night and pushed through until Saliya Al-Baqal Village. It wasn't the hidden oasis we had witnessed three years ago, but the makeshift campsite we used still gave us a good two hours of sleep until we couldn't ignore the bright sun anymore.
The whole day was dedicated to our descent, but of course, here comes another surprise... all the bushes and plants were dried and fried. We heard that the UAE received very little rainfall compared to previous years, and we saw it with our own eyesโno hidden oasis at the village. The dried bushes and plants slowed us down as they were all thorny and thick. Every part of our body got thorned, and even my face wasn't spared. Although we laughed it out, we all had painful moments where we had to use tweezers to pull out stuck in our skin.
Fortunately, we were faster going down this time (five hours earlier than our 2022 record). We also carried enough supplies for emergencies and paced our energy properly to endure the long night.
Despite my lack of training, I was surprised by how my body held up on such a challenging trail. What I was embarrassed the most though, was that my relationship with ropes hadn't improved a bit. I still didn't trust the ropes enough, which made me look like a worm every time we had to use one. Well, room for improvement is calling, for sure!
Hiking Trail Sections: What to Expect on the Banayad Trail
Not being a strict manual of the trail (like how I usually write my hiking guides), I still want to share an overview and describe the trail. Again, we STRONGLY DISCOURAGE beginners from attempting this trail, not out of gatekeeping, but to avoid any casualties, as this hike is not to be taken lightly.
1. Wadi Naqab to Al Sanat Village
From Wadi Naqab's parking, the trail starts by following the wadi. The trail veers to the left, where you will climb a set of stairs and walk along the edge of a cliff with some ropes and railings for support. Not long after, the trail goes back down to the wadi, where the actual ascent to Al Sanat Village officially begins.
While short in distance, this section is steep, following a zigzag-like pattern that can sometimes be hard to spotโespecially at night. Al Sanat Village itself sits on a terrace-like plateau on top of the hill.
2. Al Sanat Village to Saliya Al-Baqal Village
From here, it's yet another never-ending ascent, crossing countless hills. A friend even once joked, "We're so close to the moon", yet the hills just kept coming.
There were no established trails to follow โ just scrambling over cliffs and rugged walls. After what felt like crossing 7-8 hills (which took us over 4 hours), the trail eventually led us to a flat surface, a sign that we were finally close to the village.
3. Wadi Naqab to Wadi Kub
Down to the last section, yet the longest and most challenging part. As usual, there was no trail, and we simply made our way to the bottom of the mountain by following the wadi. Hundreds of dried plants with nasty thorns awaited us โ something none of us remembers encountering back in 2022.
Upon reaching the wadi, it was a mix of hopping over and sliding down the boulders until we faced the first actual "drop". Depending on fitness level and confidence, these drops could either be hopped over or scrambled down. To be on the safe side, we used ropes to assist everyone in descending.
There were about 3-4 major drops with heights of around 2-3 meters, hence the need for rope assistance. Depending on the situation, we used the ropes as safety support, like basic rock climbing and rappelling. A harness was, of course, used.
Other drops were smaller and just narrow, you just have to find the right way on how to navigate through them.
After the longest drop, around 5 meters, it's finally an easy walk toward Wadi Kub passing by the empty pools (as of April 2025). There were multiple sections where ropes were attached to the wall as handles, while metal rods were used as stepping platforms.
The hiking trail then merges back to where the Al Sanat Village Map is located, and from there, you just walk back once more to Wadi Naqab in Ras Al Khaimah.
Practical Tips for Hiking the Banayad Trail (applicable to any trail) in Ras Al Khaimah
- Best Time to Start: Start in the morning, it is highly recommended to do the trail over two full days to allow enough time for rest
- What to Pack: Bring enough water and food supplies for two days, wear light and breathable clothing, and pack ropes (for assistance) and a harness (for safety purposes).
- Recommended Fitness Level: An average level of fitness with good endurance is needed. Hikers must be physically and mentally prepared and should know how to use maps for navigation.
- Safety Notes: There's no cell service throughout the trail, and no water sources are available โ plan and prepare accordingly.
๐ Need gear tips? Here's some of the gear I personally own and have tested on the trails!
- Daypack: Deuter Futura 32
- Backpack (for multi-day hikes or travel): Osprey Ace 50
- Hiking Boots: Columbia Womenโs Peakfreakโข II Mid Outdry
- Sports Watch: Garmin Forerunner 255s Music
- Trekking Poles: Northland Aluminum Trekking Poles
- Ultralight Tent: NaturehikeCycling Ultralight Tent Review (One-Person Tent)
For this hike, I used both my Deuter Futura 32 and Osprey Ace 50 โ and Deuter Futura 32 absolutely wins! While it offered limited space for camping gear, having a lighter pack (if you consider 15 kilograms light!) meant much better movement while navigating the more complicated sections of the trail.
Final Thoughts: Returning to Banayad Trail
Despite knowing how challenging the trail was, I said yes right away when I was invited to join the hike. My hiking appetite seemed to have come back with a renewed spirit after such a long hiatus (with only occasional participation during events).
Part of me felt like I found my old self again, happily hopping over and sliding down the boulders, although it did cost me another pair of pants. Poor pants, ripped and thrown away. I suffered from massive body pain the week after (I can't lie to you), but not an ounce of regret was felt. It's just worth it. However, just like my friends, I probably won't return to this trail anytime soon โ we definitely need time to recover from all the obstacles we faced.
Unfortunately, as much as I would love to call it my true comeback hike, it's summer season in Dubai once again, so major hikes will likely happen only once in a blue moon โ hello heatstroke climb! So, I'll have to be patient and wait for the next winter season for my proper comeback! I need time to train anyway.
Anyhow, that's all for now. Thank you for reading, and see you in my next post!
