Wadi Naqab - alternative loop to Sheri village / Bat cave, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

It is not a classic Sheri village via a bat cave route. You will reach the village from the back side and will use the classic route to descend passing the bat cave. It is a difficult hike. So read the whole description before going there.

Route segments.

P-01 - P-02. Flat area.

P-02 - P-13. Boulder hopping and Wadi Naqab pass.
After the turn at P-02 you will start your wadi journey. While climbing up via the wadi, you will enjoy the variety of big boulders, sheer canyon walls and clefts. There are some locations where you should be cautious like P-05, P-07 and some others. Starting from P-10 till P-11 you will cross the wadi Naqab pass. This area has a lot of loose rocks. When reaching huge rocks at P-12 do not try to go between them. Bypass them on the right side. It is a bit expose climb.
Overall, it is a difficult part of the hike. There are various exposed parts with climbing.

P-13 - P-16. First village and water well.
You will gradually ascent to the first village reaching the highest altitude of this route. Do not try to drink from the water well while passing it.

P-16 - P-17. "Highway" to Sheri village
It is easy walk down. It looks like water canal to collect water from the mountains for Sheri village down there. On the left side you will see long narrow canyon. You will reach the village at P-17

P-18 - P-21. Sheri village descent via the bat cave
After that point you will go back by the classic Sheri village route passing the bat cave.

P-21- finish. Finishing wadi and back to the flat area.

Difficulty.
It is an "intermediate+" route, but I rather mark it as "difficult" on Wikiloc rather than "moderate" because of the following reasons:
1) it is quite long about 15 km with 1000+ meters elevation gain,
2) there is a lot of boulder hopping while ascending. It is not just a gradual walk up. There is no any path on this part of the hike. There are some parts with multiple loose rocks,
3) in some moments it is better to have someone for assistance while climbing up/down like in at P-05 or P-07,
4) it has various exposed parts,
5) even though the direction is clear since you walk in the wadi, you will have to look for a way to bypass boulders and climb around which is not always obvious.
Overall, it requires good stamina, some climbing skills and orientation in the canyon. We did it without ropes and technical climbing. Do not attempt it alone, in summer, without hiking experience in the UAE or if you are afraid of heights.

Length.
It is about 15 km long hike. Wikiloc says 19 km because deep in the canyon recorded trail is zig-zagging due to bad GPS signal.

Time.
Our moving time was approximately 7.5h out of 9h. We took 3 long breaks to enjoy the quite wadi and chat with fellow hikers. So make sure you will start the hike at 7-8 AM to finish before darkness. Bring a head lamp just in case.

Parking.
Parking location depends on the type of your car. We parked at 25.714306, 56.104261. It is a bit higher area so your car will be safe in case of rain. Probably you can reach it with a sedan car if you drive carefully. We came with 4x4. You can also park near P-02 point. If you do not want to risk your sedan you have to park at wadi entrance next to a check point 25.704097, 56.066050. After that you have to continue with friend's 4x4 otherwise it is a long walk.

Must-have gear:
1) High-cut hiking shoes
2) 4 liters of water, electrolytes, food.
3) Sun protective clothing
4) Gloves
5) Head lamp

Organized by Shan Butt (shanjee78)