Paddling the lake
Pedal boats and kayaks among the peaks.
Talhaumar1994 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Aalkhawy2 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rajeev AJ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rithan.100425 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rajeev AJ — CC BY-SA 4.0
Al Rafisah Dam holds the waters of Wadi Shie, a seasonal watercourse in the Hajar Mountains, where the Sharjah–Khor Fakkan road enters Khor Fakkan, Sharjah's town on the Gulf of Oman. Bare, jagged peaks ring its clear lake. Built in the 1980s, the dam gained a rest area in April 2018, with a lakeside restaurant, a mosque, play areas and a grocery shop. The Ruler of Sharjah opened it with the new road, part of a 5.5-billion-dirham project that bored through the mountains and roughly halved the drive from Sharjah. The works also restored the old farms below the dam and the fort above. The lake covers the ruins of Al Hara, a settlement of over forty houses, whose walls are said to show when the water drops in summer. Pedal boats and kayaks are for hire, ducks and fish share the water, and a man-made waterfall tumbles 55 metres into it. A palm-lined walkway of about 730 metres runs along the mountainside from the dam through the farms to the fort, a short climb up steps, with wide lake views. The dam lies about 4 km west of Khor Fakkan's beach as the crow flies, an easy stop on the way in; allow one to two hours, half a day with the hike. Najd Al Maqsar's restored village, 600 m away, has a restaurant and rooms in century-old houses, and a 3 km trail climbs from the rest area to Al Suhub Rest House. Visit from November to March or late in the day: summer heat is fierce.
Pedal boats and kayaks among the peaks.
About 730 m from the dam to the fort.
A 55 m drop into the lake.
Al Rafisah rest area, Sharjah–Khor Fakkan road, at the entrance to Khor Fakkan
Yes: since July 2021 a 3 km mountain trail has linked the dam's rest area with Al Suhub Rest House, about 600 m above sea level. Sharjah's official tourism site calls it well marked and easy to moderate, about three hours there and back; hike it in the cooler months, check the forecast first, as heavy rain can flood the wadis, and bring plenty of water, sturdy shoes, a hat and sunscreen.
By car, on the Sharjah–Khor Fakkan road: the rest area and its car park sit beside it at the entrance to Khor Fakkan, about 110 km by road from central Sharjah, roughly an hour and a quarter's drive. The four-lane road crosses the Hajar Mountains through five tunnels, the longest about 2.7 km.