Roadtrip: Al Ain

We left Dubai at 5am in the morning to have a quick trip to Al Ain, known to be the Garden City of UAE.  True enough, this emirate is full of green scenery far cry from Dubai landscape of buildings and highways. I see trees lining up the streets of Al Ain. The roundabouts are also covered with grasses and flowering plants.

Our first stop was Jebel Hafeet, second highest peak in UAE. The road going up is a winding highway. People come up to the summit cycling or running. In contrast to what you green scenery in the town proper, Jebel Hafeet is a bare mountain. At the summit, the temperature has no difference in the city proper. But this mountain summit is still worth checking because of the enormous highway leading up. My only frustration in this trip is that I wasn't able to take a snap of the winding roads. Maybe next time. :)

Next stop is Al Ain Zoo.  The zoo opens late in the morning (9am). Wanted to see the giraffe and zebra at close range but the viewing deck is too far.

flamingos

Third stop is the Al Ain Paradise Garden which is unfortunately closed because plants have dried up due to summer heat. After that, we tried to find the Camel Market but unable to locate it so we headed to the nearest mall to grab quick lunch and went back to Dubai.

It is wonderful to take a road trip in UAE because the roads are well maintained. No traffic.

Quick road trip tips: make sure that your car has enough fuel and conditioned to travel, bring lots of drinking water, don't forget to wear sunblock, bring GPS and your camera with enough battery to capture the scenes.

p.s. I thought I was back in Singapore. We passed by Lucky Plaza. :))