HIGHLANDER Ras Al Khaimah launches a shorter, steeper summit challenge in November

Ras Al Khaimah: HIGHLANDER - the Middle East’s premier long-distance hiking event returns to Ras Al Khaimah on 21-22 November 2026 - introducing its all-new experience - the HIGHLANDER Summit Series.

Coming to the UAE for the first time, the Summit Series is a shorter, steeper hiking experience through the wadis, mountain villages and trails below Jebel Yabana, designed for adventurers ready to push higher and closer to the summits.

Bringing together a diverse global community of adventurers, HIGHLANDER Ras Al Khaimah starts and finishes at Bear Grylls Adventure Camp. The route traverses the rugged Hajar Mountains around Jebel Jais, with a stronger focus on elevation, challenging terrain and local mountain communities.

Founded in 2017 by a group of hiking enthusiasts trailblazing across the Velebit mountain range in Croatia, HIGHLANDER has grown into the world’s leading long-distance hiking event series, with more than 30 events taking place every year in over 20 countries worldwide.

Created to deliver premium hiking experiences and to unite those who love the great outdoors, HIGHLANDER offers adventures ranging from one to five days, each set against breathtaking mountain landscapes and leaving hikers with stories to take home, inspire others and start planning their next trip.

The HIGHLANDER Summit Series offers a new experience, but it is not a race. Although the routes are shorter than HIGHLANDER’s traditional multi-day, cross-mountain journeys, their steep ascents and descents make them equally demanding. Designed to take hikers higher and closer to the summits, each route challenges participants physically and mentally, leaving them with a renewed appreciation for nature and Ras Al Khaimah’s mountains.

Two formats are available, open to hikers aged 18 and above, and can be chosen based on experience and fitness level:

The 1DAY route is a loop from Wadi Khammed, entering through a canyon resembling a white wadi with high rock walls. Hikers navigate past boulders and sculpted ledges before a steep zigzag climb to the checkpoint, where they meet the 2DAY participants, then continue along a balcony trail with panoramic views before descending to the finish. Good stamina and careful footing are required, including some scrambling over low, dry rock barriers.

Day one of the 2DAY route follows old village trails and stone steps past Derat Takem, one of the remote settlements high in the mountains known for its terraces, before connecting to Derat Halak - the HIGHLANDER high camp at approximately 1,050 m. Participants who arrive within the allocated time window can take an optional hike to a viewpoint below Jebel Yabana at approximately 1,190 m, on the UAE side of the mountain. Day two descends via rocky ridges, a wadi gully and a narrow goat trail to the balcony trail and its panoramic views.

The marked route is generally non-technical, with steep, uneven sections and loose rock requiring care.

2DAY participants carry their own food, water and equipment for the full duration of the event, from the start, and must reach camp before sunset. At night, hikers rest in tents at the high camp, as they prepare for the descent. The event encourages a simple approach to outdoor adventure: in keeping with HIGHLANDER’s ‘Leave No Trace’ philosophy, every hiker commits to preserving nature, leaving nothing behind but footprints and taking home only photographs and memories. Human wellbeing and reconnecting with nature remain at the core of the HIGHLANDER ethos.

Although it is a self-guided hike along a clearly marked route, safety is of paramount importance, with HIGHLANDER marshals and first-aid support at checkpoints to keep hikers on track. Time windows apply along the route, but endurance and resilience triumph over speed. Should a hiker wish to stop at any point, for any reason, set guidelines are in place and marshals are on hand to guide them safely off the mountain.

Five years after HIGHLANDER first arrived in Ras Al Khaimah, and with thousands of participants since, HIGHLANDER in the UAE has grown beyond a hiking event into a movement with a purpose: to grow adventure tourism, backed by the community that makes it all possible. HIGHLANDER has helped put Ras Al Khaimah on the global map as an emerging destination for adventure tourism and long-distance hiking.

The introduction of the HIGHLANDER Summit Series now shifts the focus to the summits of Ras Al Khaimah and the UAE, while the mission remains the same: to showcase the region’s natural landscapes, connect with its people and open new trails for adventurers to explore on the journey of a lifetime.