Hatta Lake

Hatta Lake is a small artificial reservoir among the rugged Hajar Mountains, about a ninety-minute drive from Dubai. After the dam was built in the late 1990s, a calm turquoise expanse appeared between almost barren slopes, which look especially dramatic at sunrise and during the golden hour before sunset. Viewing platforms have been built beside the water, and rentals on the shore offer kayaks, pedal boats and narrow craft capable of entering channels hidden between the rocks.

Water was once a rare luxury in this area, drawn from deep wells and springs. Only after dams were built did the mountain valleys become reservoirs and a reliable water source for Hatta. The surrounding mountains make the climate noticeably cooler than on the coast, and wildlife is common around the lake, from cats and geese to graceful swans that travellers often feed. Large fish can also be seen in the water, although fishing is strictly prohibited. Nearby is Hatta Heritage Village, an open-air museum that carefully recreates the everyday culture of eastern Arabia over the past two thousand years.