First of all, put Khorfakken on google maps and if you do not laugh when your lady or man is saying it out loud like a cockney geezer, then you need an operation to get a new funny bone.

My next part of the UAE tour took me to Khorfakken. This is a small enclave which is part of Sharjah but very close to Fujairah. There is one 4 star hotel which we I stayed in, but the less I say about it the better. The big chains are missing a trick not opening one 5* hotel there. They would make a lot of money.

I was in Khorfakken to do a talk to some young ladies so decided to stay the night there. Driving from central Sharjah to Khorfakken took over an hour and a half and included some spectacular views. I haven’t been down this route for many years, so had forgotten the rocky landscape, long tunnels and greenery. It is very beautiful (and even better if you go in winter).

The first night I went to an overpriced seafood restaurant (they tried to get me to buy a bottle of voss water for 30 aed – I am in a village in Sharjah. There was no way they were getting me with insane Dubai prices). I also drove through the Corniche (well the bit which wasn’t closed due to roadworks). The corniche has been taken over by Meeras so looks like JBR and La Mer, but I guess it is helping the economy there, even if it is the same as we see in Dubai.

In the morning, I had an hour to see the sights so saw the newly built Amphitheatre, the waterfall next to the theatre, the ruins of the fort and Al Adwani Tower. As you can see from the pictures, there is not much to see except what is in front of you so no fees, not too much walking and yeah… it was a quick tour.

There is a craft museum and I am sure I could have walked around the ruins if I had time and it wasn’t the summer. There is also a new tourist attraction – Al Suhub Rest House, which is on top of the mountains overlooking Khorfakken. It looks like the views will be spectacular, but I didn’t have a chance to view it.

On my way out of Khorfakken I stopped to visit the Al Rafisa Dam. As it was the summer, it was hot and not an ideal time to enjoy the view, but it did look spectacular to see the dam nestled in the moutains. It is possible to do watersports in the lagoon by the dam including kayaking which I have surprisingly got into. So I may return to the area to kayak in the future.

I did take a detour to Masafi as well to see the market there, but it was Sunday and everything was closed. But on a plus I got an awesome cup of Karak (AED 2 due to the cup) and also harees (like Halim) take-away for one person (AED5!!). I also bought fruit from a car on the side of the road near Masafi but he ripped me off and claimed local fruit is more expensive. God help me with the market con artists. The fruit does taste lovely though.

Would I recommend going to Khorfakken for a day trip. Yeah sure if you can handle the long drive and want to just cruise around to see some natural sights. If you are going to Fujairah or the area nearby it is a good place to drop off and view. It has changed a lot since I last saw it and I am sure will change even more (and hopefully retain its natural and historic elements).

So several places done on the list. Next up a trip to Kalba.

Thanks for reading.

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©  Photos by Shelina Jokhiya.