5 reasons to hike Fossil Rock, Sharjah | United Arab Emirates

Sport Travel Tom's guide to hiking Fossil Rock in the Emirate of Sharjah. A hike that provides unrivalled views of the rolling sand dunes across the UAE's desert landscape and a glimpse into ancient history.
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Fossil Rock is a stunning location in the United Arab Emirates and a perfect desert based hike to do in the country.
Full of history, and thanks to the marine fossils that populate the rugged terrain this hike is a great way to understand the ancient past of the area. Once the sea bed but now a high point above endless desert dunes, the pure joy of witnessing the sun effortlessly set across the the Arabian Desert is a spectacular reason to make sure this hike is on your to do list.
In the above video, you can watch my 5 reasons to hike Fossil Rock.
1. Fossil Rock is within an hour's drive of Dubai.
You'll leave Dubai and drive towards Fossil Rock on the Sharjah/Kalba highway which is a perfect way to take in your upcoming hike as it appears on the horizon.
Parking is directly underneath Fossil Rock and can be reached on a gravel track. I sometimes park in the nearby village and walk across the sand dunes before making my way up the rock.
The parking location pin that I use: goo.gl/maps/Ph...
2. Fossil Rock is awash with marine fossils dating back 70 million years.
As the name suggests, Fossil Rock is a stunning window into the ancient history of this area of Sharjah when instead of being a desert, it was the sea bed.
Geological and tectonic shifts have meant the once sea bed now rises high above the surrounding desert presenting a unique opportunity to look closely at marine fossils that provide a glimpse into marine life from millions of years ago.
3. The significance of Fossil Rock and the surrounding area
Fossil Rock is a part of the Jebel Faya mountain range and it is within the caves in these mountains that artefacts have been found that point to the area being home to the very first anatomically modern humans travelling from Africa into the Arabian Peninsula and subsequently begin to populate the world 125,000+ years ago.
Tools found in these caves date back to the Iron and Bronze ages plus the Neolithic and Palaeolithic eras. Whilst no human bones have been found, archeological digs have discovered many objects that date back to these ages and demonstrate a strong community within the Mleiha area..
4. Mleiha Archeological Centre will provide you with guided hikes of Fossil Rock
Mleiha Archeological Centre is is a superb educational and adventure centre that tells the story of the long and important history of the area including providing guided hikes to Fossil Rock.
The centre is located not far from Fossil Rock and is home to a cafe perfect for lunch as well as a museum and brilliant displays of the findings from the archeological digs can be found at the Mleiha Archeological Centre.
The Mleiha guides are super informed and knowledgable and will be able to talk you through everything you need to know.
For more information on about Mleiha Archeological Centre: www.discoverml...
5. The sunsets...
Being at the top of Fossil Rock, or any vantage point west facing, is a truly special place to witness a desert sunset. With Fossil Rock your seat for the show, the vast Arabian desert laid out in front of you and the sun's diminishing light creating a golden wonderland in front of you, this is not to be missed.
Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy the video. Do comment below and press the like button if you like :)

[@GD-wm3xt]

Really enjoy your videos of uae’s natural wonders. Very informative and entertaining! Thank you

[@sportstraveltom]

Thank you! It's a wonderful country.

[@maequinones2073]

We did Fossil Rock trail a month back but took the wadi (with huge rocks) to start our trail. You started on the soft sand - must be exhausting! Love your footage :) Truly inspires expat residents to go out more and explore the country. :)

[@sportstraveltom]

Thanks Mae! Nice to know you are enjoying the content and inspired to explore the UAE. The soft sand does provide a good work out! Lovely area though isn't it?

[@Kehua800]

I must have watched all your uae vids - I think!! But I started my adventures last wknd off road! I will continue this until end of May before summer kicks in. I wish I had done this years ago

[@sportstraveltom]

Thanks for watching! Fossil Rock is great - where is next on your as entire list?

[@ferasabdelfattah4292]

Hey! You are an amazing creator and you are sooo underrated and keep what your doing. 👍🏼

[@sportstraveltom]

Hi Feras! Thanks very much for your kind comments. Very nice to know you are enjoying the content... here's to you being a part of the journey!

[@ultimatedijo7058]

your location map was perfect,. was there today. it was a difficult today due to loose sand all the way to the top. great adventure day.

[@sportstraveltom]

Glad you had fun! Great location isn’t it? Although yes, that loose sand is challenging!

[@ultimatedijo7058]

@@sportstraveltom gonna try all your other hikes trails before summer start. Great going .

[@sportstraveltom]

@@ultimatedijo7058 Great plan! So much to explore in the UAE!

[@amithsasidharan6287]

One of the best video(Edits,BGM,visual,audio)I had ever seen about Fossil Rock , been there did that hike last month and as you said it was amazing and people in UAE should never miss this adventure.

[@sportstraveltom]

Thank you Amith! Really glad you enjoyed the video and the hike when you did it! It's a wonderful location, completely agree with you it's something everyone in the UAE should do. Glad to have you subscribed to the channel!

[@mohamedalahmadani5174]

Loved the video!

[@sportstraveltom]

Thanks! Hope you enjoy the hike!

[@ArifRachim]

Hi thank you for creating this channel you are doing awesome. im using your channel as my reference for my next adventure 🙏🙏🙏.

[@sportstraveltom]

Thank you Arif! My absolute pleasure. Hope you keep inspiring you to explore! Great to have you here following!

[@KingMarioWorld]

Amazing adventure brother will definitely put this in my bucket list keep going more power to your channel

[@sportstraveltom]

Thank you Mario! Hope you enjoy the adventure... remember to stay safe. You can watch this video for the best hiking safety tips too :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/n56TqnedqZ2CbMU

[@KingMarioWorld]

@@sportstraveltom I do enjoy your video and love your content sending my support to your channel ill be waiting for more of your adventure

[@sportstraveltom]

@@KingMarioWorld Thank you so much Mario! Glad to have you along for the adventure.

[@KingMarioWorld]

@@sportstraveltom it’s definitely my pleasure brother stay safe

[@charliegough9234]

unreal mate, unreal

[@sportstraveltom]

Thank you very much... stunning place!

[@uaediaries628]

Wow big fan.. Great content, great music well explainied..

[@sportstraveltom]

Thank you! Have you hiked Fossil Rock? An amazing location.

[@annaroshchupkina6366]

Such beautiful views!!!😍 we tried hiking in this area but from side of Mt Mleiha, lost track of trail and never finished it🙈 so next time will definitely try it the way you described. Great video, many thanks!!

[@sportstraveltom]

Really amazing views aren’t they? Great hiking location but of course plenty of sand to work through! Well worth getting to the high ground for sunset!

[@joselemos3798]

Amazing videos! Good work! One question tho .. do I need a 4x4 to reach the parking spot of this hike?

[@sportstraveltom]

Thanks Jose. No 4x4 needed - it’s roads and some gravel tracks but nothing too tricky 👍🏻

[@mariasantos6616]

Amazing! thanks for sharing! Can you please share the link on how to get there? Is it allowed to camp there? Just a thought.... thanks 🙏🏼

[@sportstraveltom]

Hi Maria, you can certainly camp in the surrounding desert - when I visit there are always people dotted around setting up camps. For the link you will find it in the description! Have fun when you do it!

[@RoadtrippingNomad]

Amazing views! I want to do it too! How long did the hike to the top take?

[@sportstraveltom]

It is a great location... the whole trip for the route I did was a couple of hours. There are different routes but it's well worth going for sunset!

[@RoadtrippingNomad]

@@sportstraveltom i can imagine how magical the views would be from up there

[@michaeltownsend8068]

Hi Tom - WOW what a sunset! Love your content! How was the hike back down? Equally as challenging? Keep up the good work!

[@sportstraveltom]

Thanks Mike! The hike down was loads of fun... the exploring didn't stop until I returned to the car. Carving out new paths, you know?

[@nownumberfive9543]

A side note from a local. Please be careful, we dont hike fossil rock we drive on it. I have personally driven a buggy passing it and if you where driving from the bottom left all the way to the bump or head at the left side then you can barely see anybody hiking at the top until its too late so be extremely careful of cars and buggys around you But otherwise great content and great footage as well👍🏻👍🏻

[@sportstraveltom]

You are quite right, it can get a little busy. Definitely somewhere to be careful and stay alert to your surroundings.

[@carmiaannandale-botha9372]

Hey! How long did the hike take?

[@sportstraveltom]

Hi Carmia, it normally takes me around 2.5 hours - but I do take some time on the higher ground to take in the view.

[@popoybasha4314]

Hi Tom! How many hours hiking? Thanks 😊

[@sportstraveltom]

Hey Poppy, really depends on you and the route you take but I’d give yourself 3 hours to get to the higher ground and back.

[@popoybasha4314]

@@sportstraveltom Thanks Tom... we pilipinos supported you..😊😍

[@karthika5000]

Is this trail ok for a female solo hiker?

[@sportstraveltom]

It certainly is, but be aware if you are hoping to catch the sunset, once the sun goes down, it gets very dark very quickly so plan properly your timings and be sure to know how to get back to your car. Enjoy the adventure!

[@amreenkhan3088]

What time did you visit this place? Early morning or late afternoon?

[@sportstraveltom]

Hey Amreen, I started the hike around 3.30pm with the aim of reaching the high point for sunset. Hope that helps.