Ras Al Khaimah

The highest peak in the UAE at nearly 1,900 m, Jebel Jais offers markedly cooler air than the lowlands and trails and viewpoints where you can walk the dog on the leash. It is the emirate's real nature escape, best kept to the cooler hours and with plenty of water.

Perched on a hill above the palm groves, this eighteenth-century mud-brick fort is the last relic of the Al Qawasim resistance and gives a superb view over the coast and mountains. The site is open-air and visited on the leash, but the stepped climb heats up fast in the sun.

A former pearling town built of coral and abandoned in the 1960s, Al Jazirah Al Hamra is one of the few intact traditional villages left on the Gulf. You wander its lanes and coral houses in the open air, dog on the leash, best in the late afternoon.

The Al Qawasim Corniche runs along the Ras Al Khaimah creek with its walkways, lawns and views of dhows and the old town. You can walk here early in the morning on the leash, but the public bathing beaches remain off-limits to dogs.

The mangroves lining the creek and the Al Wadi desert shelter a rich birdlife and are best explored by kayak along the channels. Some trips will take a small dog aboard on the leash, to confirm with the operator, and only in the cooler hours.

Housed in the former fort residence of the ruling family, the national museum traces the archaeology, pearling and history of the emirate. The interior is off-limits to dogs, but the courtyard and outer walls can be walked on the leash.