Al Hayl Fort to Jebel Ruman (Kitab)

Al Hayl Fort to Jebel Ruman (Kitab) Kalba area.

My personal FB Page dedicated to UAE Hiking activities.
https://www.facebook.com/Patricks-Hikes-101251445547970

I have classified this trail as difficult ONLY due to steep ascent near Summit and loose rocks in that section, up and down.

Standing 1100 metres tall is Jabal al-Ruman (Pomegranate Mountain) in the city of Kalba
( previously commonly known as jebel Kitab ).

In 2020, Sharjah Ruler ordered initiative to build a rest house on the mountain summit and plant the mountain with pomegranate trees that are ever-green, produce for around 50 years, stand 3 to 5 metres tall, can withstand low temperatures, and can be planted on various heights.

I have previously hiked to Jebel Ruman ( Kitab ) Peak from Wadi Helo side and descended from 2 different ways, once by Wadi and another with offroad.

https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/jebel-ruman-kitab-hike-near-wadi-helo-off-kalba-road-sharjah-50870970

https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/wadi-helo-to-jebel-ruman-kitab-hike-alternative-descent-81513269

This time we decided to scale the Jebel Ruman from Wadi Hayl side, and followed another hiker's trail.

We parked our car near the Al Hayl Fort of Fujairah.
https://goo.gl/maps/HtfCTspecW3MuVgW9
Please make sure that you park neatly and do not block the road.

If you have many cars in the group, it would be best to park near Al Hayl Dam and take limited vehicles to the Fort area.
https://goo.gl/maps/iBZZ3iQjPtJUCmNA7

From Hayl village the last KM of the road is bit rough, but Sedans can manage with slow driving.

In my trail, the 1st 1.5 Km is an offroad section which also helps you in warm up.
If you are short of time or want to reduce the distance, you could drive till the end of the offroad and park there and stat the hike.

Eventually you connect to a Wadi that ascends gradually with some boulders and rocks. The Wadi is scenic, you need some basic bouldering skills.
As you proceed further, the trail becomes steep ascent with high gradient, but safe. There are some loose rocks which can be managed.
Just keep on hiking up looking towards the Telecommunications tower near the summit.

Eventually you will see the Electric wooden poles and you can hike along them and finally you will touch the new offroad that is being constructed as part of Jebel Ruman project.
The summit if very close from here.

From the summit the views are impressive of Wadi Helo, Al Hayl and neighbouring mountains.

We chose to descend by a bit different way which was equally steep as ascent and with loose rocks.
Hiking poles will be very very helpful in this section.
be careful during the descent and look for loose rocks.

Gradually you will reach few areas in the Wadi that have drops that can be avoided by descending from the sides and eventually you will meet the same Wadi section that you ascended.

From here it is a straight forward hike by navigating through the boulders.

Overall it is a nice hike, but I would hike it only once.
I wouldn't repeat it. The hike trail from Wadi Helo is much better.

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Do Not Try Any Mountain Hikes If You Do Not Understand The Mountain Terrains, Dangers From Wildlife, First Aid, Hydration And Snacks, Your Own Fitness, Remote Activity Preparations, Communication Tools, Mountain Geography, Topography, Risk Factors, HSE Requirements, Hiking Risks, Fitness Level Of The Group Members.
Study All Above Matters Well Before Following Any Trails That You Find Online. Please Do Not Over Estimate Yourself.
Better Be Safe Than Put Yourself / Group In Danger And Regret Later.
Lately We Have Seen A Lot Of Unwanted Hiking Incidents That Could Have Been Avoided With Better Preparation.
Wish You All The Best.
Wikiloc, Only For Reference. There Can Be Errors On The GPS Recording Due To GPS Jumping In The Wadi Sections or Erroneous Recording.

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