Hey, did you heard about Fujairah?
Yes? No?
It is one of the 7 emirates which form the United Arab Emirates. Fujairah is the eastern emirate of UAE. The City is in the banks of Arabian Sea. But unlike Dubai or Sharjah, Fujairah has direct access to the heart of Arabian Sea. It is a meeting point of hills and sea. You can see a layer of hills on the one side and endless sea on the other. This is a famous location for inland tourists of UAE. Overseas people visiting UAE also find time to visit this small eastern emirate. Located about 175 KM away from Dubai and about 325 KM from Abu Dhabi, A journey to Fujairah from any other emirate than Ras Al Khaimah or Sharjah, it is a long drive, which is enjoyable in itself. You are reaching a place which is part of UAE, which is thrusting with development. Here what will attract you most may be the calmness, greenery and local people. The beaches, The hills, The farms, The water fall and much more.
Fujairah is mostly known for local tourism. But what may be interesting for overseas people are cost effectiveness, heritage and calmness. You can stay in Fujairah for comparatively much cheaper price and explore all other emirates of UAE. (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Quain, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman).
A PASSAGE TO FUJAIRAH
When you travel from Dubai to Fujairah, you can see long deserts both sides. Camels may be crossing slowly. Sorry, camels will not wait for signals. You have to wait till camels cross. In desert you can see camels, standing, sleeping of eating. After proceeding for an hour or so, you can see hills both sides with sharp tops. It is said that earlier these land were under the sea and once the sea is withdrawn, the washed hills kept its naked form.
THE CITY
Comparatively Fujairah is a very small city. You can even call it as a small Town. Its development took place in the last 10 years or so. Otherwise it was a virgin land, untouched by the real estate lobby and the modern culture. Fleet of Arab villas, Few tall buildings, Coconut trees and Mango trees, Lemon Trees, date farms and other agricultural farms (Here the soil is somewhat red (different from Dubai or Abu Dhabi) this city offers just the opposite of what Dubai can offer. At the same time, you can also have all the benefits of a city near to Dubai.
You can have your shopping at Lulu Hyper Market and Al Ahli Hyper Market both are locally famous. Even though you cannot expect to get 100% of what Dubai Hypermarkets can offer, these will give you what it can offer, with little effort and chances are that you may find most of your needs, if you are not a European customer.
Just next to Al Ahli Hyper Market, the Dana Cinemas offer all of the new English, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil releases along with Plaza theatre (which is in the heart of Fujairah and it is a landmark in itself for long).
In Thursdays, if you take a night trip, you may find the local marriages. In the mid night you may be met with an array of cars putting horns and UAE flags, just celebrating the wedding processions.
If you are interested in bar dances, you can enjoy it in one of the hotels which offers the same.
Next to Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Egyptians and Philippines are the other major communities have presence here.
HOTELS
Having said that, you can also have a comfortable stay at Le Meridian Al Aqah, a 5 Star Beach Hotel at Al Dibba (Part of Fujairah) or Hilton Fujairah, another five star beach hotel in Fujairah. (Range $500 to $150, depending on the hotel, season, and length of your stay) City Hotels like Ritz Carlton, Dar Al Siji, Al Diafah and Apartments like Summer Palace and Oasis residence are also available comparatively cheaper prices. ($75 onwards) It may take about 1 hour 25 Minutes to drive to Dubai on an average speed of 100 to 120 KPH, but if you compare the time with the traffic in Dubai junctions, it is not much.
You can have your Indian or Arabic Food from one of many available restaurants. Nalukettu, Taj Mahal, KFC & Pizza Hutt are the most commonly used ones.
BEACHES
In fact the Fujairah is yet to develop its potential as a tourist destination. Geographically, it is well situated, near to the sea which is giving a long beach area with less depth water and less waves. But, Fujairah is yet to develop its on Beaches. What commonly known as beaches in Fujairah belongs to the Emirate of Sharjah, the Kalba beach and the Khorfakkan Beach. Whether it is in Fujairah or not, while you stay in Fujairah, it is only 4 KM from City to Kalba beach and only 20 KM away from Khorfakkan beach. You can enjoy the drive to the beach itself, as you will be passing through a beach road, which is parallel to the sea. The cool winds carry a nice message from Arabian Sea. Isn’t it? If you feel home sickness, it is understandable.
When you reach the beaches, you can take the complete calmness to yourself. You can take a bath in the sea or can sleep in the sand. Indeed both the beaches are well maintained with facilities. If you wish you can watch others playing. Otherwise, you can take a hire boat to have ride through the sea. If you like to be alone and enjoy, you can look to the Arabian Sea and dream and dream. If in the night, you can watch the channel, through which the ships are passing through. You may think that there is a city on the other side, as the lights from the ships will give you such an image. Only the occasional movement of customs and naval boats interrupt you.
ROAD TO DIBBAH
Dibbah is a place in Fujairah. It is not that there is much to see there, but if you pass through Dibbah, that will be wonderful. You can stop where you can find a waterfall, which one will not expect in a country of desert. You can see the beauty of hills and enjoy the driving. Some rocking drilling sounds may interrupt you, still you can enjoy the drive. Dibbah is rich with pure water (Many mineral water companies take water from Dibbah).
MUSEUM
Don’t forget to have a visit to the Fujairah Museum.
TOURS
Fujairah do not have much to offer right now, but it is a potential market. You can any tours available in Dubai or Sharjah given a 2 hours time.
TRANSPORTATION
Taxis are the only mode of transport, as there is no public transport system available. But, take a breath. The taxis are available comparatively much cheaper rates. You can go anywhere in Fujairah city for the starting meter of a Dubai Taxi!!!
Also refer to my review on Dubai, for the currency, climate, language, visa etc, as it is in the same country, it is the same.
Have a look at the link, if you not visited it already.
https://mouthshut.com/review/Dubai-101142-1.html
CONCLUSION
Fujairah still remains an undeveloped tourist destination. It is not recommended as a single overseas destination at this point of time. But, in a combined project it can be a good idea to provide a day for a Fujairah trip. For home tourism, Fujairah is fully recommended, as it will be a relief for many from the heat of the vehicles and reflections from the buildings.
Fujairah is a city which is rich with potentials and awaiting development.