• Participants wave the flags of their home countries during the five-day adventure. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
    Participants wave the flags of their home countries during the five-day adventure. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
  • Deeba Tamim during the annual walk, which traces a path from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
    Deeba Tamim during the annual walk, which traces a path from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
  • The walk honours the women of the UAE who helped shape the nation. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
    The walk honours the women of the UAE who helped shape the nation. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
  • Walkers tackle the ridge. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
    Walkers tackle the ridge. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
  • Radhika Jain and Jyoti Bhasker flew in from India to participate. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
    Radhika Jain and Jyoti Bhasker flew in from India to participate. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
  • Walkers learned about how to treat medical ailments in the desert during the trek. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
    Walkers learned about how to treat medical ailments in the desert during the trek. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
  • Mona Faraj learns about the art of making gahwa . Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
    Mona Faraj learns about the art of making gahwa . Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
  • Women's Heritage Walk guide Anna Crampin. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
    Women's Heritage Walk guide Anna Crampin. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
  • Marjam Lindsboro on the sandy climes. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
    Marjam Lindsboro on the sandy climes. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
  • Participants on the ridge during this year's Women's Heritage Walk. Courtesy Women's Heritage Walk
    Participants on the ridge during this year's Women's Heritage Walk. Courtesy Women's Heritage Walk
  • Walkers make a descent down a dune. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk
    Walkers make a descent down a dune. Courtesy Women’s Heritage Walk

Women trek from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain to honour the UAE's heritage - in pictures

Sixty women made the 125km trek in this year's Women's Heritage Walk

Emma Day
Emma Day

February 06, 2019

  • English
  • Arabic

Trekking 125 kilometres over five days sounds exhausting, but 60 "sand sisters" made this year's Women's Heritage Walk look almost effortless.

The annual event, held between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, drew to a close on Tuesday, after participants finished the intensive cultural event.

The walk aims to honour the women who helped shape the UAE into the tolerant, diverse, forward-thinking nation it is today, walking in the footsteps of many who once made the journey across the desert twice a year as the seasons changed.

Now in its fifth year, the female-only mission also highlights many of the Emirates' cultural traditions along the way, giving walkers the chance to learn everything from the art of making Arabic coffee to sleeping under the stars in traditional Bedouin tents.

Bringing together women of all ages and nationalities, the heritage walk - held between February 1 and 5 this year - also required participants to undergo three months of training.

Scroll through the gallery above to see the highlights from the Women's Heritage Walk 2019.

Al Ain