Hatta is a mountain enclave of Dubai in the Hajar range, about 130 km from the city and close to the Omani border. Its dam holds back a reservoir of remarkably turquoise water between bare rock walls, and kayaks and pedal boats can be hired to paddle among the inlets. Around it are hiking and mountain-bike trails, the restored Hatta Heritage Village with its watchtowers and old houses, and the Hatta Wadi Hub activity centre. The air is drier and cooler than on the coast, which makes winter weekends busy. Go early in the day to get boats without a long wait.

Hatta Heritage Village is a restored mountain settlement in the Hajar Mountains, about 130 km from central Dubai. Around thirty buildings of stone, mud and palm trunk show how people lived here, with a fort from 1896, a mosque and two round watchtowers on the hills above. The falaj channel still waters the date gardens below.

Masfout is a small mountain enclave of the emirate of Ajman, about 110 km from Ajman city, in the Hajar Mountains near Hatta. It is cooler than the coast and known for farms, marble quarries and hiking trails. Sights include the restored Masfout Fort, an old watchtower on a hill, the Bin Sultan mosque and a small museum.