Cycling in Al Aqah
4 cycling routes from Al Aqah, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, 101 to 167 km, 548 km mapped in all, with up to 753 m of climbing in a day. Rolling riding (5 m of climbing per km on average), mostly road routes, 81% of the riding on main roads without a cycle lane. Best months to ride: Dec to Mar.
At a glance
- Routes
- 4
- Lengths
- 101–167 km
- Biggest day
- 753 m
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Surface
- Mostly paved
- Bike
- Road bike
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Best months
- Dec to Mar
- Longest gap
- 31 km
- GPX
- Every route
Know before you go
Added up from the recorded routes and OpenStreetMap; nothing estimated.
- Surface
- Paved almost throughout.
- Roads
- 81% of the riding on main roads without a cycle lane.
- High point
- 435 m on Al Aqah Northern Coast and Oman.
- Day trips
- 1 route heads for bigger hills elsewhere — up to 483 m on Al Aqah to Nazwa (kept out of the other facts here).
- Bail-outs
- A railway station or ferry within reach on 1 route.
- No services
- 31 km on Al Aqah Northern Coast and Oman.
- Ridden
- Feb to Mar, Nov, 23–27 °C recorded.
Cycling guide to Al Aqah
Al Aqah sits in the Hajar Mountains of the United Arab Emirates, providing cyclists with several route options. Riders can choose from loops such as the 101.3 km northern coast and Oman loop or longer rides like the 166.8 km point-to-point route to Nazwa via the mountains. These routes connect places including Khor Fakkan, Dibba Al Fujairah, Madha, and Kalba. Elevation gains vary from modest 122 m climbs on shorter rides to nearly 945 m on longer mountainous routes. Most routes are almost entirely paved, with minimal gravel or unpaved sections.
Cyclists ride mainly on main roads without dedicated cycle lanes, covering distances from 32.6 km up to 151.5 km on such roads. The longest stretches without services reach almost 57 km on the route to Nazwa. Temperatures range around 20 to 27 °C depending on the month, with recorded riding months between January and March and in November. No railway stations are near most routes, except the longer routes which have one each near the start or end point.
More on best time to ride, terrain
Best time to ride
Best recorded months for riding are January, February, March, and November with temperatures from 20 to 27 °C.
Terrain
The terrain includes rolling mountainous profiles in the Hajar Mountains with the highest point around 483 m. Climbs vary, with the steepest averaging 5.2% and maximum gradients reaching 17.8% on the Nazwa route. Typical climbs last between 2 and 8.8 km with gains from 55 m up to 356 m on individual ascents.