Jebel Harfeet Climb





The drive through Al Ain with Jebel Harfeet in the background


The next of the big UAE bike climbs is Jebel Harfeet.  It also located next to the the Oman border at   Al Ain and is is shorter and steeper than Jebel Jais.  It is a 767 metre climb up to a height of 1033 metres over 12.5 km at an average grade of 6.1% but with with a steepest 1km section of 11.3 %. The climb flattens a little at the top, past a hotel, then you ride along the ridge before the final viewing car park at the end of the road





The start point with Green Mubazzarah, a hot spring and park, in the foreground



Some of the switchbacks leading uphill


The start is a 90 minute drive from Dubai and it has the added benefit of being adjacent to Wadi Adventures, the white water kayaking/rafting and surf pool operation.  This means I can get in an early ride then head to the Wadi Adventures to cool off in my kayak










Looking back along the summit ridge from the end of the climb to
the hotels

The ride doesn't feel as remote as Jebel Jais, as you over look Al Ain and there are luxury hotels and private residence over the summit. Like Jebel Jais, the road is in great condition with two wide smooth lanes for the ascent and a single lane for as fast descent. I hit 55kmph before losing my nerve.







The view from the top over the desert towards Abu Dhabi
There was none of the extreme weather when compare to my Jebel Jais experience although there were cross winds at the top that caused a few nervous moments at higher speeds on descent as the wins swirled around the mountain.

 The round trip, top to bottom, took 1hr 17 minutes.  So I will need to work on that in the future. Plenty of people do multiple laps and it may even be fun to work up the and Everesting attempt

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