Ras Al Khaimah has spent the last few years forging a reputation as the go-to Middle East destination for adventure travel, with an ever-increasing number of options for active visitors dotted across the mountains, beaches and deserts of the emirate.
The latest addition to the adventure arsenal is Jais Sledder, a high-speed toboggan that races down the side of the UAE’s tallest mountain, twisting and turning around tight hairpins and steep descents. Covering a total of 1,885 metres, the ride takes around eight minutes from top to bottom and visitors have the choice of riding solo or with a friend. If you can bear to look up, the route will reveal some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the UAE as the toboggan descends Jebel Jais at up to 40 kilometres per hour.
The ride is the first of 20 new tourism projects throughout Ras Al Khaimah, part of a US $130 million investment that will see the development of desert campsites, hiking trails and a scallop-diving ranch. Jebel Jais is also home to Jais Flight, the world’s longest zipline, Jais Sky Tour and the Bear Grylls Explorers’ Camp, as well as 1484 by Puro, the highest restaurant in the UAE.