It took a worldwide pandemic for me to explore the country that I live in. I recently spent a weekend in Al Hajar Mountains of Ras Al Khaimah with Trekkup Dubai’s Rancho Relaxo trip. I could’ve never imagined that I would be chilling outdoors in the month of August in the UAE and not having to search for an air conditioned space, picture spending the night in a 100 year old private ranch on the top of a mountain, yes that’s exactly where I spent my weekend. A massive thanks to Piotr from Trekkup Dubai for organising this phenomenal experience of simplicity amongst the crazy 2020.
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What are Al Hajar Mountains?
Al Hajar Mountains, also known as The Rocky Mountains, are the highest mountain range in the eastern Arabian Peninsula. They spread across the north eastern part of Oman and the eastern part of the United Arab Emirates in Ras Al Khaimah.
What is Trekkup Dubai?
Trekkup Dubai is a tour company run by Piotr, that explores the most off-beat destinations around the world. Their focus is providing young working individuals in the United Arab Emirates the opportunity to experience hidden gems of the world on short budget trips whilst balancing their professional lives.
Rancho Relaxo Weekend Trip in Ras Al Khaimah with Trekkup Dubai
Setting up the alarm for 2:45am was not something I was really looking forward on a weekend but the excitement motivated me. We gathered at the rendezvous point holding warm cups in our hands, greeted one another with sleepy eyes and set off into the darkness on a 2 hour road trip to the base of our hiking spot in Ras Al Khaimah.
Stepping into the open with low humidity is a true luxury in the UAE, one which brought a smile to all our faces as we geared up for the early morning hike. The sun was peeping through the clouds but it was strategically hiding behind them adding comfort to our 4 hour hike up the rocky Al Hajar mountains. My leg workouts were put to test on this hike but the real challenge was staying hydrated, once again Piotr had prepared us well for this. We navigated through stunning views of Al Hajar mountains whilst humming to John Mayer on my speaker and building new friendships.
Thankfully, all of us conquered the hike before we hit the peak temperatures of the day and to celebrate this epic achievement we drove to a local beach resort to cool ourselves off in a swimming pool and sip on a refreshing beverage before satisfying our growling bellies. It was a much needed break before the most exciting (and scariest) part of the weekend, the drive up the rocky mountain. I’m just glad I wasn’t the one behind the wheel.
After a bumpy ride of 60 mins, we finally reached the ranch, a place connected deep into the history of Ras Al Khaimah and far away from almost all the luxurious that money can buy. Makhtoum, the owner of the ranch welcomed us with a big smile and gave a short orientation around this picturesque ranch. He also told us all about the history of the place and his family who’ve been on this ranch for many generations.
You know that famous café signboard that says ‘We do not have wifi, talk to each other, pretend it’s 1995’, this ranch needed no such sign board. There is no permanent power or water supply, electricity comes from a generator, the water is collected from the rain and to top it off, cellphone coverage is also a challenge, perfect recipe to make some new friends or relax with your thoughts. We spent our afternoon socialising over drinks, enjoying the low temperatures of the Hajar mountains before the freshly prepared communal feast, all a kilometre above sea level.
The entire group was jaw dropped when they saw Piotr setting up the fog machine, lasers and the revolving disco lights in the lounge, ‘Are we really going to party up here?’ are the words that came out of my mouth. Party we definitely did on the top of the mountain in the darkness of the night with a cool 22 degree breeze hitting our faces before retiring to our unique sleeping arrangements. ‘You can sleep anywhere you want’ is what Piotr told us before the trip, in the dorm style air-conditioned room, the outdoor majlis or the terrace, needless to say, we were all over the ranch.
You know that feeling when you crash after being completely drained of energy and sleep like you have never slept before, that was literally every single one of us. My phone flashed back at me with the numbers 05:00am next to a tiny bar of cellular signal and I could see the sky shifting colours through the tiny opening next to my bed, and by “bed” I mean a makeshift pillow on a majlis, exactly perpendicular to my new Algerian friend, Faye. I grabbed my camera, slipped into my flip flops and stepped out to admire the multi-coloured sunrise of Ras Al Khaimah. Like most of my travels, I was the only one up at that hour, it reminded me of the morning in Bhutan when I woke my friend up on an extremely chilly morning to record a time-lapse of the sunrise.
Those who managed to wake up early got the opportunity to go for a short morning walk around the ranch with the cool morning breeze and the luke warm sunshine, still couldn’t believe I was in UAE. On our return, a lavish spread of breakfast items awaited us in the dining area courtesy of 2 generous sisters from our group. It was the last time we all gathered at one place, getting to know each other a bit more and laughing at the events of the previous day over good food and morning brews from Piotr’s nespresso machine, once again, Piotr for the win.
We said goodbye to the ranch a couple of hours later and began our descent to reality, I could feel the temperature rising by the minute, nobody was looking forward to this part of the weekend. The final leg was a relaxed afternoon at another swimming pool of a local resort, a final attempt to hold on to an amazing Rancho Relaxo RAK Weekend.
Was the hike in Ras Al Khaimah hard?
I got dozens of replies on my social media asking me this same question and the answer to it is, ‘Not really’. It is definitely a moderate level hike and not a walk in the park, expect a really good leg workout with a lot of sweating involved. But every single one in my group managed to complete it, including the first timers, so unless you have any pre-existing medical conditions, you are all set to enjoy this brilliant experience.
Would I recommend Rancho Relaxo Weekend in Ras Al Khaimah?
Yes, I definitely would. The year 2020 has not been kind to us, each one is fighting a different fight, for me it’s not being able to travel. This Rancho Relaxo RAK Weekend gave a really good break to the daily grind and it was the perfect dose for my travel bug.
I can’t thank Trekkup Dubai enough for this escape dring the madness of the pandemic, Piotr is an amazing person who is really passionate about his work. Check out their other trips on www.meetup.com/trekkup and take some time for yourself and the world.
Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored in any way whatsoever, it’s a documentation of my honest experience of the Rancho Relaxo Weekend in Ras Al Khaimah with Trekkup Dubai. Pictures of me in this post were taken by Saleem (from the group) and Piotr himself.