TRAVEL Ras Al Khaimah
A head, the snaking road disappeared into a confusion of cliffs, archaic rock farragos swallowing the tar. The Porsche changed down twice, V8 thundering in the canyons, and made a beeline for the chaos. As it had followed the Al Bayh valley floor, so the road now angled steeply upwards.
A sharp left-hander and the full extent of Jebel Jais was revealed - 34km of switchback zigzag spaghetti blacktop up 2 000 metres, science fiction, implausible, surely impossible.
It’s very real. The astonishing Jebel Jais pass and the Hajar Mountains it climbs are arguably Ras Al Khaimah’s twin jewels in its tourist crown. The fourth largest emirate, neither as wealthy nor extravagant as its illustrious UAE federation neighbours Dubai and Sharjah, is presenting itself as an adventure destination.
Jebel Jais goes a long way towards validating that declaration: at the top are two of the region’s most popular white-knuckle experiences - the Jais Flight zipline and the Jais Sledder
