Wadi Naqab Loop Trail (Sheri Village, Jebel Yibir, Tala Village, Baqal Village)

As a fan (lately) of long-distance trails, I’ve been so focused on dreaming and researching long-distance trails outside the UAE. Then when I looked back at my posts RAKTRAV 2020 & RAKTRAV 2021, I realized I didn’t share a lot about the trail details even though I have a Trail Route Post. So here am I starting this series with the most memorable one for me – the Wadi Naqab Loop Trail (as FOX.AE call it).

Trail Overview:

• Route: Wadi Naqab – Sheri Village – Jebel Yibir – Tala Village – Baqal Village – Wadi Naqab 
• Distance: 33.24 km (according to my Strava record and there was a section where I paused it and forgot to continue)
• Moving Time: 12:06:21 (according to my Strava record but I 200% doubt this)
• Actual Time Taken: Started at 9:30 AM and finished at 7:30 AM
• Difficulty Level (own opinion): 4 out of 5

How to Get There and How to Get Out:

The thing about hiking in UAE especially in Ras Al Khaimah is that the jump offs are not accessible by public transportation. But while it is a challenge, there is definitely a way like renting a car or carpooling with friends. Anyhow, Wadi Naqab has been quite popular among the hiking community lately. Pin location of Wadi Naqab is available in Google Map which is accurate so far.

Since this is a loop trail and you will come out from Baqal Village, I suggest you to park HERE. This point is quite far from the jump off and you will need to walk quite a bit. However, it is better walk before your hike than do so at the end of your hike.

Trailhead:

The start of the trail is the same trail towards Sheri Village. You may check THIS trail guide from Wikiloc uploaded by a member named Patrick Vijay D’Silva.

I want to highlight that if you know you can’t finish the whole loop, take the trail back from Sheri village right away. That will be easier instead of pushing ahead and quitting when you reached Jebel Yibir already. That would be worse and the only way to do that is when someone can rescue you at that point. So before you start the hike, please take note of this reminder.

Trail Highlights:

First Part – Sheri Village

Upon starting your hike in the wadi, you will come across some small (and some large boulders). A few meters ahead then the bat cave is there along the trail. Keep going up until you as they call it and then further up ahead is this set of stairs. After this point, there’s just a short section with slightly loose rocks and then eventually Sheri Village is in front of you.

Sheri Village or some call it ghost town, is a village in this trail with few private houses. You may encounter a local here or you will encounter those who look after the houses from time to time.

There are few spots where you can rest with a shade here so we usually take our lunch here. The trail ahead is exposed to the sun so if you want to take a rest, this is your best luck.

When you continue your hike, you can follow this trail to go further. Or find your way on the right side if you don’t like squeezing yourself between rocks (but you are exposed to the sun).

The trail goes higher and you can follow this visible trail to reach the highest point of this peak.

A few meters ahead, you will encounter these pink rocks and you will not notice them. The striking pink color is quite a treat although my photo can’t give justice to how beautiful it is in person.

Second Part – Rolling Section Towards Jebel Yibir

You will eventually come to the plateau/saddle on this part, where you can take a break. From this point on, Jebel Yibir’s Tower is already visible but the distance from it is still beyond reach. However, the hike from here most of the time is a rolling section which is way easier than the climb up towards Sheri Village.

During RAKTRAV2020, we crossed few peaks by following the donkey trail and we went down the wadi. When we crossed to the other side of the wadi, we hiked up until we hit a small village (a house or two) and met the Pakistani shepherds.

This cat is from Qanan village where we met the Pakistani shepherds (not sure of the spelling of village’s name though). However, from this point onwards, it was a struggle to find the donkey trail that will lead towards Jebel Yibir.

During RAKTRAV2021, we followed the donkey trail instead from the plateau and did not went down the wadi. This way, the village will be on your right side but on the other side. I didn’t notice it to be honest since it was quite dark already but this was verified by the lead of the group, Sir Allan.

We continued on the donkey trail albeit longer but nonetheless, the trail is established and quite visible. We passed by some slopes and plateaus along the way until we need to hiked up to reach the Jebel Yibir’s main road.

Third Part – Tala Village & Baqal Village

From Jebel Yibir, we walked down the road for few meters until we took the dirt trail on the right side. The dirt trail is an uphill and downhill section and continued to small wadis. Crossing a few wadis lead us to Tala village, with few private houses and plateaus.

Going out of Tala Village seems confusing (at least for me) so be careful not to end up on the ‘old trail’ towards Baqal Village. We did the old trail last RAKTRAV2020 and we were surprised by the boulders which is not really recommended. It is easy to get lost in the boulders section. I urge you to look for the new trail which is at the right side of the village/plateau. This trail is a donkey trail and it is an easy walk with an amazing view of Baqal.

Following the donkey trail, you will reach Baqal village by hiking down a few hills. And from Baqal village, start your descent on the loose rocks but very established trail. It is winding trail downhill and it could even pass as a jeep trail. I suggest staying on the left side when you see a small fork at the trail. The right side is a narrow donkey trail and you can also take this but I always trust the left trail. A few meters down will be Wadi Naqab already and you will be near your parking where I suggested earlier. And that’s where the Wadi Naqab Loop Trail ends, congratulations!

Personal Thoughts on WAdi Naqab Loop Trail:

As I always say, we all have different adventure appetite or what I call ‘#hikeppetite’ to begin with. So, a good trail for me might not be a good trail for you and vice versa. And that’s completely okay, we don’t need to agree with everyone all the time. Anyhow, here’s what I think about Wadi Naqab Loop Trail:

Pros:

• If you’re looking for a trail to test your endurance and capabilities, this is the perfect trail. You can use this trail as your training ground especially if you are preparing for future hikes or expedition.
• Technical-wise, the trail is not as challenging as Stairway to Heaven – Wati Litibah Loop. There are multiple sections in the trail which are stairs with railings and rolling sections so it could pass as a moderate hike.

Cons:

• If you’re looking for a short trail for a day hike, I DO NOT recommend this. Check my Hidden Oasis Trail and Wadi Shawka Loop Trail instead.
• Despite the trail could pass as a moderate hike, the trail is long. It is not as established as Wadi Litibah, Al Rabi Tower or Jebel Jais. There are few trail signs and goat trails but it can be confusing for total beginners. A trained eye with a lot of experience in mountaineering would be highly needed in this trail. I myself won’t be qualified as such by the way.
• There’s no water source along the way. This could pose a big risk if you run out of water in the middle of the hike. There are few villages along the trail but there’s no guarantee of anyone’s presence within the village and water availability. So make sure to be responsible for yourself.

Even though I did this trail twice, I still dread this because it is too long to do in a day. However, Wadi Naqab Loop Trail remains my memorable hike ’til date.

Overall, the trail is challenging but very rewarding. If you’re interested to do another challenging hike like this, I recommend you to check my Stairway to Heaven – Wati Litibah Loop!

P.S. The trail is explored and linked together by FOX.AE specifically for the Ras Al Khaimah Traverse Event that we call in this post RAKTRAV. Credit goes to the group (lead members, hikers and participants, support members) who made the event and trail connection possible.

AND AS A GENTLE OUTDOOR ETHICS REMINDER:
LEAVE NO TRACE!