Masfout

Masfout is a piece of Ajman that lies nowhere near the rest of it: an enclave high in the Hajar mountains close to Hatta, where the air is several degrees cooler than the coast and the winter nights are genuinely cold. Date gardens and small farms sit in the wadis between bare rock ridges, and a fort stands on the crags above the village, built to guard against raiders on the routes to Oman and restored in the 1940s by Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid.

Highlights

• Masfout Fort - the watch fort on the crags above the village, restored in the 1940s.
• The altitude - mountain air noticeably cooler than the coastal emirates.
• The wadi farms - date gardens and small holdings between the rock ridges.
• The enclave geography - a piece of Ajman separated from the emirate by other territory.

When to go

October to April; winter nights are cold by local standards and the days are pleasant. Summer is hot but less so than the coast. Rain in winter can flood the wadi crossings.

What to expect

There is very little laid on for visitors and no real facilities. The castle has irregular opening. The roads in are winding and the drive from the coast is long.

Nearby

Hatta is south-east, and the Hajar mountains surround it.