The Al Bithnah hiking trail is Fujairah’s 50th hiking route to be constructed and it is the country’s very first community built tourism trail. The development of the trail was team effort between Etihad Rail, Emirates Nature-WWF, the Fujairah Environment Authority, Fujairah Adventures and many local volunteers.
There are numerous reasons for the hiking trail to start and finish in Al Bithnah, but the driving force in its development there was Etihad Rail’s determination to be a ‘good neighbour’ to the local communities through which the UAE’s national rail network passes.
The railway line with its series of bridges and tunnels passes close to the village and they are a striking part of the scenery on this route. The hiking trail starts very close to Al Bithnah fort. As you approach the completely restored fort, a few hundred metres before on your left you see the large notice board which signals the start and finish of the trail. There is no official parking here but plenty of areas you can safely pull off the dusty trail and park.
Alternatively, there is official car parking at the fort. The route itself is quite challenging physically but not technical, you have to give yourselves around 2 or 3 hours to complete it.
About 2 minutes away from the sign is a watch tower and from here if you look up the mountain you can make out the trail snaking its way right up to the summit. We can thank all the volunteers for their hard work in constructing this trail and making it such a pleasure to hike on.
Whilst hiking the Al Bithnah Trail you will encounter (especially on its lower parts) plenty of wildlife, biodiversity and cultural heritage. The route takes you past archeological sites, graves and parts of Al Bithnah’s old defense system.
This is a lovely hike with spectacular views that is best completed early in the morning or in the afternoon but make sure you are down before sunset. If you don’t have the time or fitness to complete the whole route you can easily turn around early and come back down the same way whenever you want.
