The Best Places to Visit Near Dubai When You Have a Car

Ask a long-time Dubai resident what they do on a free weekend, and the answer usually isn’t mall shopping. More likely it’s a lake in the desert, a mountain road in Al Ain, a dam in Ras Al Khaimah, or a mangrove channel over on the far coast. Almost none of these places has a stop on the metro line, and very few are covered by tours that let you stay as long as you like.

Having a car means you can choose where to go based on how much time you have instead of what is the most reachable. That is a more useful way to plan, so the places below are grouped by how long the trip is instead of how they rank against each other.

A few hours: stay close to the city

The easiest first excursion is Al Qudra Lakes. In the Saih Al Salam desert, in the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, roughly 55 km from central Dubai on the D63, these man-made lakes are an easy start. It’s a good idea to go as late in the afternoon as you can and bring more water than you think you’ll need. Stay until the sun goes down behind the dunes. Give cyclists plenty of room on the road, because the long desert track past the water is a cycling route.

Mleiha in the Sharjah desert offers scenery with a side of story. The archaeological centre lies at the foot of Fossil Rock, with marine fossils embedded in the stone of what is now dry inland desert. Guided visits include a circular Bronze Age tomb. It’s only about an hour from Dubai, so it works as a morning out. The dunes surrounding the centre are good for a short hike, but for most of the year the heat limits that to the early morning.

Mountain road in Ras Al Khaimah. Photo: Imthiyaz Syed / Pexels

A full day: mountains and wadis

Jebel Hafeet is the drive people talk about afterwards, and it sits on the edge of Al Ain. This mountain rises to 1,249 metres (the highest point in the emirate of Abu Dhabi), and the road to the summit passes through more than sixty turns. Leave early enough to spend the afternoon in the town below. Explore the oases and ancient sites, which are part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing. Time your climb for sunset, when the plain below turns gold. Take the way down slowly, as the bends come quickly when it’s dark.

Wadi Shawka in Ras Al Khaimah is quiet, and greener after rain. The Shawka Dam is a local picnic spot with hiking trails that lead into the Hajar Mountains. On a cool winter morning you feel far away from any city. Wear hiking shoes, because the trails are rocky, and make sure you check the forecast before you go because wadis can flood quickly.

Hatta deserves to be on the list. It’s the mountain getaway Dubai residents know most closely. The dam and the heritage village are close together, which suits an unhurried day with an early morning start. Kayaking on the reservoir makes the dam more than just a viewpoint. You can have much of the reservoir to yourself on a weekday.

Worth an overnight: the mangroves of Kalba

Khor Kalba sits on the eastern side of the country, overlooking the Gulf of Oman, and it is the place most people never make it to. It serves as home to the UAE’s largest and oldest mangrove forest. The mangrove centre there exists to protect it. Kayaking the channels at high tide is the main reason to visit; however, the drive to Khor Kalba through the mountains is a reward in and of itself. The mangroves are also an important habitat for birds, so take along binoculars and patience for bird watching. Rather than rushing back, stay the night on the coast.

Desert dunes outside Dubai. Photo: The Lazy Artist Gallery / Pexels

Where the car comes from

The terms and conditions of a rental can affect how relaxed a trip feels. If you rent a car in Dubai for a string of day trips, you may run into a daily cap on the kilometres you can drive or a deposit held on your credit card. Either can shape every trip you plan.

The current fleet and terms are listed on trinityrental.com, and they are worth reading before you pick your dates.

Trinity Rental keeps a fleet of more than 80 cars, including 2024 models. Vehicles range from Premium saloons to Exotic, Elite, Prestige, and VIP models. There is no need for a deposit, and each day of the booking includes 300 km, full insurance, Salik tolls, and VAT. Therefore, the amount you are quoted is the total cost.

Your car arrives with a full tank, and delivery to your hotel, office, or airport terminal is free. Payment can be made in cash, using Visa or Mastercard, or in crypto. There is a dedicated manager available for booking changes, and if you would rather view the mountains than the road, Trinity car rental can supply a car with driver instead.

A few practical things before you go

• Start early in the summer, because by late morning the heat makes any outdoor stop exhausting and the light goes flat.
• Bring water, a charger and a written note of your route, as mobile signal is poor in the mountains and wadis.
• Match the car to the road. Something low-slung is fun on the climb to Jebel Hafeet, but the rough wadi approaches are better served by something taller.
• Salik gates start on the main roads leaving Dubai, so ensure you know how your rental vehicle handles the charges before you leave.
• Tell someone your route if you go alone into the wadis, since the paths can be totally empty on a weekday.

When to go

These trips are easiest during the cooler months, roughly October to April, which is also when weekends get busy. The UAE weekend falls on Saturday and Sunday, so a Friday or a Monday usually means quieter roads, emptier car parks and a table at lunch without a wait. The same trips still work in summer, as long as you plan around the heat. Be on the road at dawn, back indoors by late morning, and out again for the last hour of sunlight.

The country beyond the skyline

Dubai is a good starting place for multiple reasons, one of the biggest being its reach. A desert lake, a Bronze Age tomb, the summit of a mountain, and the country’s oldest mangroves are all within a morning’s drive, and each feels like a different place from the city you left. Luxury isn’t the car but the freedom that comes with it: staying longer at one location instead of hurrying to the next. If you pick one place from each group, within a month you will know this country better than many people who have lived here for years.