A pocket of Dubai sitting inland in the Hajar Mountains, separated from the rest of the emirate and ringed by Oman and other emirates. The turquoise Hatta Dam, kayaking, mountain biking, and a heritage village make it the city's go-to escape when the coast gets too hot or too flat.

Measurably cooler than the city in winter, and one of the few places near Dubai where the landscape does something other than glitter or stretch out as sand.