Paragliding in Jebel Jais, United Arab Emirates

During my recent visit to Dubai, UAE I was invited by my dear friend Mila Tutor and founder of Afiya Way (Guided tour adventures in Rwanda, Uganda, Congo and surrounding areas) for a hike up Jebel Jais (Jabal Al Jais). Mila is always training for some type of outdoor adventure and this time she was training for her 2,430-meter excursion later in the year to Machu Picchu, Peru. In her search for training ground, she managed to find a mountain in the UAE, which reaches 1,925 meters. I have lived in Dubai on and off for a total of 4 years and have been visiting the country since 2003 and I never imagined that such terrain existed in the UAE and I suspect most people don't know either. I was flabbergasted! Jebel Jais reaching 1,925 meters at its highest point is the tallest mountain in the UAE. Jebel Jais belongs to the Al-Hajar Mountains, which span from the United Arab Emirate, Ras Al Khaima through the Musandam Peninsula and onto the south of Oman. The area is just magical. The Ras AL Khaima emirate recently invested 300M Dirhams (82M USD), constructing a perfect 20KM road, which takes you just short of 5K to the top. The best part of it all is that this is just the beginning of a larger development plan, which will include a paragliding launch ramp. How exciting! We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the paragliding launch ramp as the flight would be just spectacular. The arid and majestic mountain of Jebel Jais would make for an exceptional paragliding flight. Additionally, after a glorious sunrise morning flight you could easily spend the rest of the day across the border in Musandam, Oman aboard a traditional Dhow Ship snorkeling and dolphin watching. From 1,925m high to sea level in 30 minutes, pretty amazing indeed! We will definitely be watching this space!!!