Masfout

Masfout is a piece of Ajman that lies nowhere near the rest of it: an enclave in the Hajar mountains close to Hatta, at around a thousand metres, 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 restored castle of the late nineteenth century stands on a spur above the town, built to watch the routes through the mountains.

What you actually see

• Masfout Castle - a nineteenth-century watch castle restored on a spur above the town.
• The altitude - around a thousand metres, 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.

Honest expectations

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 northwest, and the Hajar mountains surround it.