Wadi Shees nestles between the Hajar Mountains and a drive down can lead you in different directions, but all to the Omani enclave of Madha.
Wadi Shees
The wadi is now much more accessible from the new Khor Fakkan road. Coming from the west, look out for the large sign at the side of the road marking the entrance to the Khor Fakkan area of Sharjah emirate (Welcome to Khor Fakkan – you can’t miss it.)
Take the next exit to Wadi Shees and drive carefully as it has lots of steep slopes, bends, blind peaks and corners and it turns into one track. If you are coming from Khor Fakkan, the exit is straight after Al Ghezeer Tunnel.
On your left, you can stop at Shees pools. The first small pool is drinking water but further down there are pools where you can paddle or swim or even dive when the water is deep enough.
You can go through the pool to the back where there is a narrow entrance to the next pools, but you cannot see them from the road. You can picnic at the same area although that spot gets busy at the weekend and on holidays.
A new exciting addition to the area is Shees Park which has play areas, seating areas, a waterfall, Gerard’s coffee shop, barbeque areas and lovely views.
Further down from Shees Park is the old residential area of Shees, which is well worth a visit if you can manage the climb up a hundred or so steps. Follow Shees Nature Trail
Walk through the village and notice the intricate underground falaj system for irrigating the farms and the mosque that was earlier the house where Sheikh Sultan used to stay when he visited.
Continue through the farms, enjoy the view over the mountains, learn about farming and the biodiversity in the area from the information signs along the way and look out for trees with interesting shapes and wonderful roots growing down rock faces.
The path will eventually take you back down to the road where you can walk back up to your car.
Further down the road, pass Shees Health Centre and Sharjah Co-op (preferably on the tourist bypass road) and then you can only be in awe at the deep wadi you’re driving through and the huge rocks jutting out that look like they might fall on you at any moment!
Look out for goats higher up climbing over precarious edges with the greatest of ease. Can you spot the baby goat in the photo below?
When you receive a text message from Ooredoo, you know you’ve crossed into Omani territory. When you reach the fork, you can turn left up the single track road up the hill or right through the farms. There’s also an option to go straight.
All roads, especially straight, need a four wheel drive to go down and come out at the other end but you can go left or right a bit further without one. If you turn left, the road will take you to Al Nahwa, an exclave of Sharjah inside the Omani enclave.
The road takes you through mountains, open plains and lush oases. Carrying on further still, you will come out in Mirbah, Fujairah, which is just south of Khor Fakkan.
You will lose signal as you get deeper whichever road you take so make sure you’re prepared for any emergencies and then sit back and enjoy the spectacular scenery.
(Note: Don’t confuse Wadi Shees with Wadi Shie which is further into Khor Fakkan. You will also see it written Chees on the Oman side. There is no border point as it is surrounded by the UAE. )
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What else to do near Wadi Shees?
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