As we all celebrated UAE's 51st National Day recently, I went on a hike (as usual) but this time with a different group. As a special event of the running club from my workplace, my colleagues along with their family and I woke up earlier than sunrise to hit a hiking trail outside Dubai. The trail for today's hike is the famous Wadi Shawka which is a loop trail that starts from the dam, the stairs and back! Looking for a short hike for you and your family/friends/colleagues? Read further!
PHOTO CREDITS: Most of the photos are taken and owned by me while some photos are taken by my colleagues (Maha & Rosa) and Miguel Fragoso.
Hiking Trail Overview:
Disclaimer: This trail is a shortcut version of the Wadi Shawka - Mother Hump Trail by Ghaf Tree Diaries. If you want the full trail, click the link for his GPS files.
- Route: Wadi Shawka Loop Trail - Dam, Stairs and Mother Hump
- Distance:ย 6.3 kmย from the stairs and back to parking
- Moving Time: 2h4m (according to my Strava record)
- Difficulty Level (own opinion): 1 out of 5
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.
Wadi Shawka is an outdoor destination located on the other side of Ras Al Khaimah (not on the same side as Jebel Jais). It is roughly an hour's drive away from Dubai. During your drive towards Wadi Shawka, you will be rewarded with views of the Mleiha desert and the rustic terrain of Ras Al Khaimah.
Since this is a loop trail, you will finish your hike at the exact starting point which is the stairs next to the Wadi Shawka Dam. From there, go back to your parking location and drive back to Dubai as how you came earlier.
Hiking Trailhead:
This is the nearest parking location from the Dam and it gets full easily so come as early as you can.
From the parking lot, walk towards the small roundabout and take the second exit. It is usually closed for vehicles so you have to walk towards the dam where the stairs are located.
The actual trailhead of THIS guide is the bottom of the stairs.
Hiking Trail Sections:
Despite the short distance of the trail, you will find five sections of the trail in this post. These five sections are landmarks and notable points that you can easily recognize and remember. Without further adieu, let's start!
1. Wadi Shawka Dam to the UAE Flag via the Stairs
To begin your hike, the stairs are the first part. It may seem like a no-brainer but as a starting point, the stairs are quite a nice warm-up. Some hikers struggle in the middle of the stairs and turn around so make sure you are fully prepared. I don't know the exact number of the stairs but I've seen a 500+ mark close to the top (engraved on the cement), not sure about the accuracy though.
As you go higher, there are multiple viewing decks/viewpoints in between. You can either rest or take pictures of each viewpoint. At the top of the stairs is a small plateau with a UAE Flag.
2. UAE Flag to the Saddle
From the UAE Flag, walk comfortably by following the flat trail towards the other side of the hill.
Upon reaching the end of the hill, hike down the short section of loose rocks and you will reach the saddle (the flat area that connects the two hills). In the photo below, the saddle is the small flat area behind the stone with a big shadow (behind my colleague).
Depending on your pace, the walk from the UAE Flag up to the saddle would not take more than 15-25 minutes.
3. Saddle to Mother Hump Hill
At the saddle, continue straight by following the trail in front of you (NOT the left one*). The trail is an uphill slope with a minimal incline and few loose rocks. If you have trekking poles, use them in this section. If you don't have one yet, you can check my first-ever trekking pole from Cascade Mountain Tech.
*At the upper part of the hill, look back from where you came from (the saddle) and this will be your view (photo above). This is to clarify the difference between the left trail I mentioned earlier and the correct trail towards Mother Hump Hill.
In the photo above, the saddle is where the two trails connect and the trail from the UAE Flag is the tiny zigzag trail on the left. The visible trail heading right is the left trail I mentioned from the saddle. It is the first part of the Wadi Shawka - Mother Hump Trail by Ghaf Tree Diaries.
Going back, continue to hike up and you will eventually reach the hut at the top of the hill. From the first hill, there will be a series of up and down (top of the hill then saddle then top of the hill again) up to the Mother Hump Hill. The tallest and last hill along the trail is what they call the Mother Hump Hill, well, because it's a big hump ๐
4. Mother Hump Hill to Wadi
Now at the U-Turn part of the trail, the path will gently go down the slope. There are a few sections with slightly loose rocks but not steep at all. At the bottom of the slope is the wadi, the river bed of the valley.
5. Wadi and back to Dam & Stairs
Down to the last part of the trail, is the walk along the wadi which is similar to an off-road terrain for vehicles. I've seen two different trail signs (photos below) along the wadi as well, however, I assume this is for vehicles since I have not seen them anywhere else.
The path is quite big enough for a vehicle but I don't know where that leads so I'll leave that topic alone. Continue on your walk but follow the trail on the right (as seen in the photo below) to go back to the hiking trail.
On the other side of the slope (from the photo above), you will be walking around the hill until you get back to the dam. Keep on hiking down and the trail will finally merge back to the stairs.
And you're back at the bottom of the stairs, the end of your hike! You can continue walking back to the parking lot and have a safe drive back to Dubai!
Personal Thoughts:
As I always say, we all have different hiking appetite 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 Wadi Shawka's loop trail:
Pros:
- The trail is well-established, easy to follow, and beginner-friendly. Even without GPS or a map, you can easily follow the trail comfortably. But for safety reasons, ALWAYS use GPS and learn how to use it.
- A short trail of only 6-kilometers, it is family-friendly. The children and teenagers with us were able to hike the trail without any difficulty. The terrain is relatively flat and wide and there are no steep edges/cliffs to worry about. Some parts are narrow and steep but pretty doable even for children and teenagers.
- Despite the short distance of the hike, the trail is nothing short when it comes to views. The viewpoint at the top of the stairs (where the UAE flag is) is my favorite ๐
Cons:
- If youโre looking for a challenging trail as part of your training, I find this too short as a training ground although I saw some hikers training here. Instead, 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).
Overall, the trail is easy and comfortable but too short for my #hikeppetite. However, it's a good trail for a family-friendly hike and it's near Dubai compared to other hiking locations. It's also a superb activity to spice up our regular weekly training! Who says no to hiking, right?
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!
