A customized hiking trail as part of our exploration hike, we recently visited the emerging natural caves called Baqal Caves. Reachable from yet another wadi called Wadi Nahela in Ras Al Khaimah, here's a hiking guide of our loop trail with a stop in Baqal Caves for you to follow!
Trail Overview:
Disclaimer: Some parts of the trail have no actual trail at all. We follow our instincts in those situations to pave the way but this must be done with enough caution. If you are hiking alone or new to hiking, we highly suggest sticking to the trail along the wadi and up to the cave only.
- Route: Wadi Nahela to Baqal Caves (with an extended version)
- Distance: 10.3 km
- Elevation Gain: 360 meters +/-
- Total Moving Time: 8 hours and 28 minutes (excuse Strava's error once again)
- Difficulty Level (own opinion): 2 out of 5
- Ideal time to hike this trail: November to April (as long as the weather is bearable outdoors)
How to get there and how to get out:
As I always mention about hiking in UAE, jump-offs or trailheads are not usually accessible by public transportation. Hence I do not include an option of public transportation anymore. However, you will find the coordinates of the parking location and the trailhead below for your reference.
At the moment, there is a huge construction going on near the trailhead so the parking location may change every minute. However, this is where we parked during our hike.
This hiking guide is a combination of a loop trail with a backtrack trail. The loop is completed after walking down a different wadi and merging into Wadi Nahela. Then it becomes a backtrack trail since we started and finished at the same trailhead.
Hiking Trailhead:
Due to the ongoing construction, I wasn't able to remember any landmarks that would help me provide clear instructions. Based on the photo below, the parking lot is behind this construction where the trees are. Wadi Nahela, on the other hand, is on the other side of the photo. So getting to the trailhead means crossing this construction at all costs. Unless the construction is over by the time you read this.
If you are coming from the parking location shared above, the pin location and its long stretch of wadi is the first part of the trail. Once you cross the construction part, you should be able to follow this pin easily.
Hiking Trail Sections:
Divided into four sections, the hiking trail sections below are not the regular trail of Baqal Caves. There are additional sections as we were exploring in the hopes of expanding the trail longer. By no means this is a standard trail and this is only written to document our exploration hike and its hiking trail sections.
1. Wadi Nahela to Plateau
The trail starts by entering Wadi Nahela and by walking along the long stretch of the wadi. As we walked further in, we took the left side of the fork and started the short yet steep ascent to reach the top of the plateau. It was a short zigzag trail and soon after was the plateau with transmission towers in the background.
We chose any flat surface to call it a campsite since we're not staying long enough anyway. After resting for the night, we continued the hike and followed the trail in the direction of transmission towers to reach the Baqal Caves.
2. Cliff & Baqal Cave
At the end of the trail is a steep cliff where you can see Baqal Caves (upper and lower) from afar. There's no actual trail here and we just find whatever comfortable steps we could take to reach the bottom of the wadi.
There was a short section with a high drop on the right side so we veered slightly to the left. We took our sweet time on a narrow cliff section with a slight kiss on the wall part. It wasn't as extreme as the one in Stairway to Heaven but it will surely be nerve-wracking for those with fear of heights.
After the narrow cliff section, it was an easy walk down the slope until we reached the bottom of the wadi. The lower cave is now in front of us and we just had to hike higher to avoid the sun for a short rest.
3. Walls and Wadi
After our short rest, we walked further inside the wadi to explore more and found some walls that could lead us to a higher level. Again, there is no actual trail here; we are just forging our way into it. We used our knees when necessary and had to take our backpacks down to scramble with freedom without any additional weight.
If you're unsure of your capabilities, have a fear of heights, or are alone, you may want to explore a different area than this.
After the longest part of scrambling, we looked back and noticed that the wadi didn't look like having any drops at all. It definitely looked flat which could take you by surprise if you're not ready for the challenge.
4. Downhill and a walk in the Wadi
From the top of the wadi, a faint hiking trail appeared and we followed it. The trail brought us to an easy walk on the slope with a view of the plateau where we camped. It seemed that we missed the bigger Baqal Caves though since we were on a higher level.
From this section, we started the downhill through yet another wadi. After almost another loop, we took a break near the lower caves. From Baqal Caves, we then continued the hike on another wadi which is on the opposite side of Wadi Nahela. The two wadis eventually merged in the end completing the full loop and soon enough we were back at the construction site and the parking lot.
Personal Thoughts on Wadi Nahela & Baqal Caves:
As I always say, we all have different hiking appetites or what I call โ#hikeppetiteโ to begin with. So, a good trail for me might not be a good trail for you and vice versa. And thatโs completely okay, we donโt need to agree with everyone all the time. Anyhow, hereโs what I think about hiking Wadi Nahela and Baqal Caves:
Pros:
- Excluding the cliff and the walls, the hiking trail is beginner-friendly as long as you stick to the trail along the wadi.
- Because of its short distance, the trail is perfect for an easy workout and a short adventure outdoors.
- Due to its proximity to Wadi Naqab and Yanas Mountain, you can hit two birds with one stone by hiking and camping on one weekend.
Cons:
- The total distance of the hike is too short for my appetite. If your thirst for adventure and endurance is similar to mine, you will not be satisfied here.
- Except for the occasional lonely tree here and there, there is little to no shade at all. Hiking this trail during midday and especially during summer is going to be tough. Hydrate, please!
- If youโre looking for a challenging trail as part of your training, this is NOT the one. You may want to look at my Wadi Naqab Loop Trail or Stairway to Heaven's Full Loop Trail (the original Stairway trail and down to Wadi Litibah).
Whether I'm on top of my game or not, my hiking appetite remains the same. That means, that even though I enjoyed this hike yet struggled at the same time, this trail won't make it to my hiking favorites. It wasn't THAT challenging for me. On top of that, there's an ongoing construction at the bottom of the wadi. Dusty, noisy, and chaotic. You get the picture. So, that's all for now and see you at our next hike!
Whatever decision you make, always remember to prepare beforehand, stay safe, and last but not least, enjoy the outdoors! #happyhiking!
With lots of love,
PINAYHAKAWATI ๐
AND AS A GENTLE OUTDOOR ETHICS REMINDER:
LEAVE NO TRACE!
