Jebel Jais is not only the tallest mountain in the UAE, but home to the longest zipline in the world, Sky Flight, along with the Sky Tour and Sky Maze. It is also a popular hiking spot with trails of varying difficulty as well a popular camping and picnic spot.

On the way up, there are a few rest areas for camping or having a picnic. Most don’t have seating so you need to have your own or a mat if you plan on stopping there. Some have toilets and there are a couple of food trucks along the way.

Not far from the top, there is a viewing deck with a play area on one side and cafe trucks with seating on the other. There’s a small entrance fee of 5 dhs. Children under 5 go free. It is here that the upper trails start, with the simplest being easy-moderate. The same trail continues on to a higher peak. The view is well worth the effort.

Further up still is another area with more food trucks and rest places. One of the trucks sells delicious legemat, Emirati fried doughballs drizzled in date syrup.

If you want to do any of the activities at the Toroverde aerial adventure park, you need to book in advance and show your booking to be allowed to pass to the top. The same applies for the restaurant 1484 by Puro.

The Flight is a single zipline over 3 kms long. You ‘fly’ in a horizontal position at over 120kph. The Sky Tour is a series of 7 ziplines over 5 kms. This is done ‘sitting’ in a harness and reaches up to speeds of around 60kph. It also includes a walk over a bridge with stunning views. Lastly the Sky Maze is an adventure playground for adult and youngsters alike. You can find out more and book on their website.

You don’t need to go to the top for something to do. There are several lower hiking trails as well as adventure companies based near the foot of the mountain such as Challenging Adventure, Adventurati and Bear Grylls. And then there’s the Via Ferrata too. If you want to hike to the peak of Jebel Jais, you can do that from Wadi Ghalila further north, but it is a difficult hike and should only be undertaken by experienced hikers and/or with a guide.

You pass through Wadi Shaha and Wadi Beeh first and pass a dam with a lake and some old ruins on the way The road up to the top is long and winding, but it is wide and well-paved. Just make sure you remember to fill up your tank before turning off the highway, then sit back and enjoy the view.