Tucked away in the north-east of the UAE, Fujairah is a nature-lover’s dream.
From scuba diving and biking to hiking and glamping, the emirate has much to offer, particularly during these cooler winter months.
Here's the best of what you can get up to.
Scuba diving
Fujairah is famous for its scuba diving and offers an abundance of marine life, including turtles and, if you are lucky, reef sharks and whale sharks.
Snoopy Island is a popular diving spot, so named because it is shaped like the much-loved cartoon character, and is easy to access from the shore at Al Aqah. The small rocky formation is also a great place to snorkel, with a range of companies in the area offering boat trips.
Other popular dive sites in the area include Three Rocks, Dibba Rock, Hole in the Wall and the wrecks of Inchcape 1 and 2.
Parasailing
What better way to take in Fujairah's natural scenery than from the air? A bird’s eye view allows you to fully appreciate the emirate's dramatic coastline and rocky mountain scape. A number of providers in and around the emirate offer tours and Dibba is an especially good spot to enjoy this adrenaline-inducing experience. Be sure to check the weather before booking.
Hiking
The new Fujairah Adventure Park offers hiking for all levels. With 20km of well marked tracks across three difficulty levels, it offers a peaceful escape from the city and is a great way to explore Fujairah’s rocky terrain.
The emirate is also blessed with wadis and water treks. Rainbow Valley is a must-visit with its dramatic colours and terraces from which to soak up the views. Several professional guides offer tours and are advised for less experienced hikers.
Fujairah Fort
The country’s largest and oldest fort, this 16th-century structure offers a snapshot of a bygone era. Set in the Fujairah Heritage Village, the fort is spread across 610 square metres and was constructed using locally available materials such as rock, gravel and mortar, supported by mangrove poles and a roof made of palm fronds and trunks.
In 1925, the British navy destroyed three of the fort’s towers, which led to its subsequent abandonment. It remained untouched until 1997 when the emirate’s antiquities authority began its restoration.
Friday market, Masafi
Although it is called the Friday market, it is possible to visit every day, but the weekend is when it's at its bustling best, with traders offering everything from carpets to toys and fruit and vegetables. The market has been in its current, original form for decades and attracts shoppers from far and wide.
Expect an authentic experience where haggling is a must. The drive alone out to Masafi is worth the trip, as the colours out in this part of the country are particularly vibrant and eye-catching.
Glamping at The Retreat
Designed in traditional Emirati style, this is a hidden gem. Built using natural, locally available resources without having any negative effect on the environment or interfering with the landscape surrounding it, it is the picture of serenity.
Dotted with indigenous plants, the lifestyle and well-being destination offers yoga and meditation, kayaking, paddle boarding and cycling. Accommodation ranges from luxury tents with toilets, showers, beds, wardrobes, side tables and small seating sets, furnished with traditional wooden furniture, to a luxury family suite.
Aqua Bounce water park
Dibba’s Aqua Bounce is a great family day out. With a mix of bouncy domes, balancing beams and slides along the floating obstacle course at the Fairmont Fujairah, it is open to hotel residents as well as non-residents from 10am to 5pm. Adults can enjoy activities such as the floating trampoline at the emirate’s first floating water park.
Biking
Set across 20 hectares, the Fujairah Adventure Park is also the largest bike park in the country, offering a range of experiences, from dirt jumping to mountain trails. Visitors can enjoy 1,320 square metres of dirt jumps across four levels, an asphalt pump track, the country’s first, with 2,500 square metres of jumps and two levels of difficulty, and an exciting 15km of mountain bike trails with four levels of difficulty.
Offering riders of all abilities the chance to explore the stunning mountainous scenery, the park is a wonderful way to experience the emirate’s great outdoors.
Umbrella Beach
If you’re looking to spend a day lounging by the sea, Fujairah’s Umbrella Beach is the place to be. Located on Fujairah Corniche, the pristine stretch of beach is now home to walkways, basketball and volleyball courts, children’s play areas and watersports facilities. A grassy expanse borders the beach and you can grab a bite at one of the newly opened coffee shops and restaurants.
Fujairah Heritage Village
For a glimpse of the UAE’s past, head to Fujairah Heritage Village. Visitors can explore the country’s Bedouin heritage and the museum’s diverse collection of artefacts, which include weaponry and fishing boats.
Located north-west of Fujairah city near Madhab Spring Park and Madhab Palace, the village was built back up in 1996 by Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Ruler of Fujairah.
A tribute to simpler times, houses in the village are made using traditional techniques, from bricks, mud and date leaves. There is also an example of the traditional Al Yazrah irrigation system, which was used for farming.
Read more
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Exploring the UAE: 10 things to do in Sharjah
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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TICKETS
For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
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Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
Oppenheimer
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Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.