Is the UAE the next holy grail of hiking? This man is on a mission to make it so

Today I’m baking in the Arabian sun, trekking deep into the arid valleys surrounding the Hajar Mountains. Yesterday I was tackling hair-raising vertical ascents, tethered to cliff faces by rope. This is the Highlander UAE, one of the toughest backcountry hikes in the United Arab Emirates, and boy am I being humbled by the challenging terrain. 

The Hajar Mountains, in the Ras al Khaimah region about an hour north of Dubai, are an estimated 70 million years old and were formed by a continental collision near the Arabian-Eurasian plates. Standing 9,872 feet tall, the Hajars challenge even the most hardcore thrillseekers thanks to the sparse tree cover, soaring temperatures, and lack of natural water sources—climbing them is a test of endurance and determination. 

But they’re also becoming a beacon for adventurers who like to push well outside of comfort zones, and the original adventurer—the man who has developed 100 kms of trails here—is Fadi Hachicho, owner and operator of Adventurati Outdoor.

“Once we started developing a network of hiking trails around these ancient routes, it made the region more accessible,” Hachicho tells me, “attracting people from all over the world to explore adventure in a place they least expect.” 

The Ras al Khaimah region is divided into three distinct landscapes: Seaside, mountain and desert. And each landscape is inhabited by tribes with unique lifestyles. Seaside tribes like Al Ali focus on fishing and pearl diving, desert tribes like Al Khatiri on camel herding and goat raising, and mountain tribes like Al Shehhi on agriculture and honey cultivation.

The next phase is to work with remote mountain tribes to offer a trail-to-hut hiking experience, with the goal being to foster a deeper connection with these communities.

Historically, these tribes traded goods between each other using the trails around these mountains, forming a vital part of the region’s culture and economy. “Before modern infrastructure, these tribes connected through long, arduous trade journeys, often taking months to traverse by camel,” says Hachicho.

As I pause to catch my breath after a particularly steep ascent up to Jebel Jais, the tallest peak in the UAE Hajars with its bird’s eye view to the ocean beyond, I am struck by the sheer tenacity of the people who have called this arid land home for centuries. Remoteness and inaccessibility aside, life here is a far cry from the glitz and glam of nearby Dubai. 

The motivation for developing these trade routes into hiking trails stems from Hachicho’s passion for the outdoors, and a desire to share the natural beauty and cultural history of the country he now calls home. Originally from Lebanon, Hachicho lived the classic expatriate life in Dubai—spending time behind his desk during the week and organizing group hikes, armed with a GoPro and his own blog, at the weekend.

The turning point came when he decided to climb Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, a transformative experience that pushed him to pursue mountaineering. Then in 2015, Hachicho decided to quit his day job entirely. “It wasn’t an easy choice,” he says, “leaving a secure career for the unknown, especially when it involved climbing mountains and guiding for a living.”

 To prepare for his new career, Hachicho took an intense course at the International Wilderness Leadership School in Alaska. “This wasn’t your typical training program; it involved backpacking through the wilderness for days at a time with heavy loads, testing your physical and mental limits,” he explains.

“I was crying for the first few days thinking, ‘What have I done?’ But soon enough, I started to fall in love with being outside my comfort zone,” says Hachicho. This perseverance saw him certified as a mountaineer, rock climber, and ice climber; new skills he used to found his guiding service, Adventurati Outdoor.

He initially organized hikes via Facebook groups and leveraged his background in event management to grow the company into one of Ras al Khaimah’s leading operators. He was one of the first to resume operations during the pandemic, thanks to the naturally socially-distanced nature of hiking.

 “As demand surged, I collaborated with local governments, the sheik, and Ras al Khaimah tourism to build self-guided routes, enhancing accessibility to the mountains,” he says.

To date, Hachicho has designed and mapped 100 kilometers of official hiking trails that cater to a diverse range of hikers from day treks to the more technical routes. In 2021, he launched Highlander UAE, the only multi-day, backcountry hiking challenge in Asia, which put the region under an international spotlight.

“For 2025, we added a one-day, 20-kilometer format to attract locals who want to explore their backyard,” says Hachicho. The next phase is to work with remote mountain tribes to offer a trail-to-hut hiking experience, with the goal being to foster a deeper connection with these communities and contribute to the economic growth of these villages. 

Fadi has already started to integrate some of this cultural connection into the Highlander. The first night at camp we are treated to gahwa (Arabic coffee), delicious local dates and manakish (flat bread) topped with cheese made by the women of one of the mountain tribes.  

For Hachicho, the Hajar Mountains are a place where social masks fade away. “Whether you’re happy, sad, or scared, the mountains have a way of bringing out genuine emotions,” he says. And this authenticity is central to Hachicho’s approach to life, and to the adventures he organizes. 

Out here, far from the comforts of city life, this adventure not only tested my physical and mental endurance, but since discovering the rugged landscapes and ancient cultures of the Hajars, it’s completely transformed my first impressions of the UAE.

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