Popular Post Gaurav Posted April 8, 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 Drive in Wadi Shawka, Dam, Track, Camping, Hiking, Cycling, Weather, Location, Photos, Videos, Reviews and Feedback from the travellers who have visited before. Wadi Al Shawka offers many adventures in one place from offroad trails to outdoor sports like cycling, hiking, canyoning etc. Wadi Shawka in Ras Al Khaimah is covered by Hajjar Mountains from all side and the valley is filled with rocky terrain, farmland, water pools, wildlife and plenty of parking and camping spots. Wadi Shawka is a perfect place for having a family picnics, bbq and get-together in nature. Wadi Shawka is about 1 hour away from Dubai and Sharjah and approx 2 hours 30 minutes from Abu Dhabi. Drive to Wadi Shawka Dam: You can drive any car there as it has a flat track path with a mix of tarmac road till Shawka Dam. https://goo.gl/maps/srTTLCiZtn72 25°06'20.1"N 56°02'33.2"E - 25.105587, 56.042553 For offroad adventure, Wadi Shawka offers two levels of route: Drive in Wadi Shawka - Easy (only for 4x4 and SUV): Instead of going straight towards the Shawka Dam, you can take right towards the Canyoning parking and follow the gravel track for fun and adventurous drive to reach right behind the Shawka Dam. You can enjoy the beautiful views of the mountain and water together with plenty of shaded area for fun and picnic, bbq and games. Starting point: https://goo.gl/maps/Mvx6PtcNecM2 25°05'50.7"N 56°01'57.2"E - 25.097427, 56.032552 Midway: https://goo.gl/maps/zfeDSojdmdz 25°05'42.4"N 56°02'34.6"E - 25.095115, 56.042931 Viewpoint: https://goo.gl/maps/d91KFhsBn3m 25°06'15.4"N 56°02'47.1"E - 25.104281, 56.046412 Drive in Wadi Shawka - Intermediate (only for 4x4): Perfectly bouldered and challenging track after Shawka Dam towards Wadi Esfai side, sometimes this route is inaccessible due to big rocks and deep water wading, so good ground clearance 4x4 with offroad tires are highly recommended. Proper 4x4 with good ground clearance is must from this point onward Wadi Shawka Starting point: https://goo.gl/maps/3jAgDXtLxsB2 25°06'11.4"N 56°02'57.2"E - 25.103179, 56.049213 Waypoint 1: https://goo.gl/maps/EgVjapcFY4S2 25°06'18.4"N 56°03'42.2"E - 25.105111, 56.061711 Waypoint 2: https://goo.gl/maps/pkx7h5aPrVL2 25°06'11.5"N 56°04'34.8"E - 25.103180, 56.076341 Waypoint 3: https://goo.gl/maps/smFU7vDsV5Q2 25°05'54.9"N 56°06'04.0"E - 25.098587, 56.101118 Wadi Shawka Finish point: https://goo.gl/maps/Qi4T8ANNPiS2 25°05'47.9"N 56°07'20.2"E - 25.096628, 56.122282 Farmland: https://goo.gl/maps/cY8wwrTQsqk 25°06'00.4"N 56°05'04.2"E - 25.100111, 56.084500 Shawka Bicycles: https://goo.gl/maps/KkV1HkShpuS2 25°05'01.4"N 56°01'17.5"E - 25.083726, 56.021531 Shawka Cycling Starting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/Vy1UcLwtHTo 25°04'49.1"N 56°01'34.3"E - 25.080298, 56.026204 Shawka Hiking: https://goo.gl/maps/SxbJmM4Fd4z 25°06'47.1"N 56°02'01.6"E - 25.113092, 56.033769 Shawka Pools Access (easy): https://goo.gl/maps/aRigoiBv6Xw 25°06'13.8"N 56°01'37.4"E - 25.103821, 56.027067 Heritage Village: https://goo.gl/maps/hH9y2aS1Uzk 25°06'11.7"N 56°02'28.9"E - 25.103249, 56.041350 Wadi Showka Canyoning Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/6rJjHRafsfF2 25°05'51.9"N 56°01'47.1"E - 25.097745, 56.029747 Wadi Shawka Dam Aeriel View Reviews: Tripadvisor - 4 out 5 based on 25 reviews Google: 4.3 out of 5 based on 83 reviews There are very few grocery shops and restaurant around for quick bites and snacks, so it's always better to pack your food in advance, as choices here are quite limited. Cafeteria: https://goo.gl/maps/ADZ2FUZn4Lt 25°05'54.3"N 56°01'34.0"E - 25.098421, 56.026111 Grocery: https://goo.gl/maps/TfribDJmkmn 25°05'53.6"N 56°01'41.5"E - 25.098221, 56.028185 Mosque for Friday Prayers: https://goo.gl/maps/oofPYFeLDsz 25°05'50.5"N 56°01'44.3"E - 25.097347, 56.028958 Small Mosque: https://goo.gl/maps/hiLPCvV5Dvw 25°05'49.5"N 56°01'37.9"E - 25.097090, 56.027191 Best time to visit: October to May, when the weather is not too hot for outdoor. Careful during the rainy season. Wadi Shawka Weather: Wadi Shawka temperature is slightly lower than the city temperature by 2-5 degrees. Maybe a lot lower if you can find a good shade under the trees. Wadi Shawka Entrance Fees: There are no charges to visit or using public areas Timing: It is open 24/7, 365 days, but to enjoy nature daytime is better. Wadi Shawka Camping: You can camp anywhere safely, but be careful of wildlife especially after dark. Essentials: Outdoor clothing and closed footwear, Online GPS is a must for driving (offline is even better), carry plenty of water and food if you plan to stay outdoors for long hours. Keep it clean: Don't litter anywhere, because trash cans, plastic and glass kill wildlife. Emergency: If bitten by a snake or a Scorpio take a picture or remember the colour and size and rush to the nearest hospital for a specific antidote for that species. Keep yourself calm, so your blood pressure and heartbeat stay low to help you minimize the effect. Feedback: Please leave your feedback below if you have been to Wadi Shawka and like to add something more. Wadi Shawka Track: In KMZ and GPX format below Only Carnity Members Can download this complete Wadi Shawka Route Track Wadi Shawka.kmz Wadi Shawka.gpx 9 1 Let's root for each other & watch each other grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederic Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Fantastic write-up. I've been there once in late summer but it was still even too hot to get out of the car, so we continued driving till Fujairah and went to the nearest resort with pools 😂 1 3 "Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syedyaseer Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 (edited) I believe Wadi Shawka & Shawka dam are different places. I had been to shawka dam in peak summer in 2016 on my fortuner. I just followed google map. When google map said "you have reached your destination". I was surprised, thought my google maps needs update or had some calibration issue. I looked around and found it was just like a deserted area nothing else. Saw one pathan gentleman and asked him bhai ye shawka dam kahan hai(Brother, where is the shawka dam). His response was. Sir aap jahan apni gaadi le ke khade ho wahi dam hai (Sir, the exact place where you are with your car is the dam only). I looked around and found some water marking in red which said danger level etc. then it was confirmed that the place where i was standing was inside the dam. @Gaurav bhai is it advisable to take 4x4 route or other sedan / suv route if im planning to visit. Edited April 9, 2019 by syedyaseer Added photos 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaurav Posted April 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Yes, @syedyaseer Wadi Shawka Dam and Wadi Shawka are two totally different places to visit with different levels of vehicle and skills required. Wadi Shawka Dam is the first route I propose above, search in google maps and off you go with regular sedan or SUV. Picturesque enough to keep you engage and after reaching that point you can walk down with all your stuff and settle down. Wadi Shawka backside access until the viewpoint is through a flat track and at least SUV is advisable as sedan might damage their bumper. However, after the viewpoint on the right side, there is a track to explore real wadi shawka for which you definitely need a proper 4x4 with LOW gearing, deflate tires to 25 PSI and vehicle should have minimum 10 inches of ground clearance. 3 Let's root for each other & watch each other grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syedyaseer Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 @Gaurav Thank You. i think it is better to keep myself away from offroading adventure until I acquire basic skill set or ABC of offroading. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnity Posted April 11, 2019 Report Share Posted April 11, 2019 100 Points awarded to @Gaurav for this "Exceptional Post". 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GumbyAKhan Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 I visited Wadi Shawka few months ago (Jan / Feb can't remember). The location of the pools shared is very seasonal, you'll only see water there after lot of rains, as when I went there using the UAE off-road book, there was nothing there. Disappointed, I did not give up and went inside the Wadi Shawka area towards the Dam, There I found out that even the road access for cars to reach the top of the dam had been closed off (I am not sure if this was only for the season or what, either way doesn't make sense). So you have to park at the bottom next to the small park adjacent to the dam. https://goo.gl/maps/2A67Hte7aik You can walk up to the dam (5-10 minutes walk) and circle around it for nice views. There is also an adventurous trekking / hiking trail next to the dam. If you see on the mountains to your left, you will notice a narrow pathway that sort of gives a nice balcony view of the Wadi Shawka beyond the dam. https://goo.gl/maps/11FiHB4FVd92 Not happy with how this trip was shaping, I spotted a car on the other side of the dam where there was no road and immediately wanted to go there. I asked around, searched around the off-road tracks till I ended up there. This location is not in the UAE off road book either, however' it's the same location which @Gaurav showed lots of cars parked next to the water. It's a very picturesque point gives the view of the dam from the back side along with nice hills and small pools (sometimes). As going into the water was prohibited there (dam!) and also water wasn't clean, I went deeper into the valley as per the off-road book, it really is a very enjoyable and adventurous off-road drive. Wadi Shawka is challenging as there are many routes branching out hence there will invariably be some wrong route driving specially if you dont have a GPS (like me!). I was on a mission to find me some of those pools that I had heard about. On the same path, there comes a slight 5 second uphill drive where on the right you will see an Emirates Tent / Adventure hut. If you don't go up and continue on the right, there are the hidden Shawka pools. I found some maintenance guys on the road entrance who confirmed this to me. It's a stretch to call it a road actually its mostly large loose pebbles / rocks you can drive all the way inside but you can also get stuck if you're not that good driving on rocks. I drove in for a little bit where the drive was acceptable, parked my car and walked about 10 minutes inside to find a lovely pool, deep enough to jump from heights! What's more, there are a series of pools beyond the main pool which you can climb and trek through. I didn't have much time so I didn't explore it further but this is definitely something I am returning to do this weekend! Co-ordinates: 25.099694, 56.061761 After enjoying the pools, you can actually go back a little bit and get into the main Wadi Shawka off-road drive, which may require at certain stages crossing through heavy water, as I experienced! Definitely need a 4x4 for this, what a great thrill though. Also, through the core Wadi Shawka drive, you pass through some of the private lodges that people have built. There's a fantastic lodge I came across where a local had even kept horses and a nice BBQ area and resting area. Using the off-road UAE book, you can do a superb off-road drive through Wadi Shawka and actually end up on the other side of the mountain. Basically you enter Wadi Shawka through the Sharjah-Kalbah Road and exit through the Maleha-Fujairah Road. Towards the end of this off-road drive, there's this zig-zagging off road track that you may notice going high up in the mountains where a local has actually built a house / palace. I'd like to take that road one day and look around the valley from that height. I highly recommend Wadi Shawka. Will also upload images to this post later. I got lost a lot through this, but that added to the thrill and adventure of the ride as I found so many places / routes. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syedyaseer Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 I had been to wadi shawka and heritage village on Friday. Was disappointed as their was no water at all. Only best part was the park adjacent to it where kids had a good time playing around. During our return journey I saw a board mentioned only shawka. Wanted to check it. After 400-500 mts drive their was a board with the direction towards our left that board was of some offroading grounp of whom I felt they have a permanent camp their. I drove towards that direction for around 5kms non tarmac road. It was bit scary. Reached spot and found that the offroading group had organized some night events their. Saw it from little distance lots of jeeps and other 4x4 were parked. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syedyaseer Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 TRIM_20190422_221910.mp4 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syedyaseer Posted April 23, 2019 Report Share Posted April 23, 2019 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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