Why this ride
From Al Buraymī it runs 135 km to Al Buraymī; allow about 2 h 40 of riding. It goes by way of Bidaa Bint Saud, Jebel Hafit Desert Park and back through Bidaa Bint Saud. Dry, open country - carry water.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Rumailah Site and Jebel Hafit Desert Park
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 135 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 40
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 49 km this is Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 49 km
- Named road
- Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Rumailah Site
Jebel Hafit rises out of the flat desert on the border between Oman and the United Arab Emirates like a long, pale whale, and the ground around its foot is dotted with small stone domes. These are the Hafit tombs, built about five thousand years ago, and they give their name to an entire period of the Bronze Age in the region. Rumailah is one of the clusters on the Omani side, a short distance from the town of Al Buraimi, and from the site you can look across the border and see the ridge standing up in the haze.
Read the complete Rumailah Site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Rumailah Site is where the day begins. Next is Bidaa Bint Saud.
2. Bidaa Bint Saud
Jebel Hafit rises out of the flat gravel desert near Al Ain like a lizard's back, a bare, folded limestone ridge about twelve hundred metres high that marks the border between the United Arab Emirates and Oman. It is the best-known landmark in the area, and the scatter of ancient sites around it tells the story of the people who lived here. On the lower slopes are about five thousand years old beehive-shaped stone tombs, the first examples of a type of grave that is now named after the mountain, and the Hafit period is a recognised phase of Bronze Age archaeology in south-east Arabia.
Read the complete Bidaa Bint Saud write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bidaa Bint Saud comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Jebel Hafit Desert Park.
3. Jebel Hafit Desert Park
For riders in the Gulf, there is a road that people talk about with real affection. Jebel Hafit, a long, rocky ridge that rises out of the flat gravel plain on the border between the United Arab Emirates and Oman, is about 1,240 metres high, and a smooth tarmac road snakes up its eastern flank in a long series of hairpins and bends to the top, a distance of about eleven kilometres. At the summit, a hotel and a viewing terrace look out over the oasis city of Al Ain, with the desert stretching away to the horizon, and at dusk the lights come on below like a field of stars. Motorcyclists and cyclists come here in the cooler months, usually early in the morning or at sunset, and the road is one of the best in the country.
Read the complete Jebel Hafit Desert Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 68 km into the recorded legs you reach Jebel Hafit Desert Park. Next is back through Bidaa Bint Saud.
4. back through Bidaa Bint Saud
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bidaa Bint Saud write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Bidaa Bint Saud, late in the day. Next is Rumailah Site.
5. Rumailah Site
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Rumailah Site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Rumailah Site. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Rumailah Site to Bidaa Bint Saud
Rumailah Site → Bidaa Bint Saud is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bidaa Bint Saud to Jebel Hafit Desert Park
Bidaa Bint Saud → Jebel Hafit Desert Park is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Jebel Hafit Desert Park to back through Bidaa Bint Saud
Jebel Hafit Desert Park → back through Bidaa Bint Saud is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bidaa Bint Saud to Rumailah Site
back through Bidaa Bint Saud → Rumailah Site is 14 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.