# Ras Al Khaimah > Ras Al Khaimah has the beach and the country’s highest mountain forty minutes apart, and the mountain runs ten degrees cooler. This page as HTML: https://www.noorlight.cc/destinations/ras-al-khaimah - Coordinates: 25.7895, 55.9432 - Nearest airport: RKT Most visitors come for the resort strip of Al Marjan Island and Al Hamra — man-made islands and a long west-facing beach an hour north of Dubai — and the shoot there is a sunset on the sand. What makes the emirate worth more than a beach session is behind it: the Hajar rise straight out of the coastal plain, and the Jebel Jais road climbs to the viewing decks in about forty minutes. Up there, a winter morning can be near freezing and a summer one is the only bearable outdoor light in the country. Between the two are things that photograph quietly: the mangrove channels north of the old town, worked by kayak; Dhayah Fort on its hill above the date palms; and the abandoned pearling village of Jazirat Al Hamra, coral-stone houses with the roofs gone. Ras Al Khaimah is also less crowded than Dubai and less regulated in its outdoor spaces, which makes it a sensible place for a long session that moves — mountain at dawn, beach at sunset. ## When to go October to April for the coast. Jebel Jais has its own calendar: from December to February the summit can drop below zero at dawn and is sometimes in cloud, which is either the photograph or the end of it — we check the forecast the evening before. In summer the mountain is the only outdoor option worth booking, and the beach is a sunset-only proposition. New Year’s Eve fireworks over Al Marjan fill every hotel on the island. ## Photo spots ### Jebel Jais viewing decks - Coordinates: 25.9472, 56.14 - Best time: Sunrise, or the last hour of sun in summer - Access and permits: The road and viewing decks are free; the zipline and restaurant are ticketed. Aerial work needs a licensed operator and approval The highest road in the UAE, switchbacking up to a string of viewing decks above layered ridges. The ridges are the photograph: in low light they stack into bands of grey-blue. The decks face roughly west and south, so sunset sits over the plain toward the coast and sunrise lights the ridges from behind you. It is windy and colder than anyone packs for. - **December–February**: Dawn temperatures near freezing; cloud inversions fill the valleys some mornings. Bring coats, and gloves for whoever holds the reflector. - **June–August**: Around ten degrees cooler than the coast, which makes the last hour of sun genuinely workable. Haze softens the far ridges. ### Al Marjan Island - Coordinates: 25.6811, 55.7433 - Best time: The last hour before sunset - Access and permits: Resort beaches: for hotel guests, with the hotel’s consent for a session. Public stretches: free Four reclaimed islands of resorts and wide, west-facing beaches with shallow, calm water. The sun sets into the sea directly in front of you, so it is a backlit, golden location; a reflector does more here than anywhere else in the emirate. Most hotels allow a guest’s session on their beach if asked, and it is easier than finding a public stretch without towels in the frame. ### Ras Al Khaimah mangroves - Coordinates: 25.7928, 55.9664 - Best time: Sunset, by kayak - Access and permits: Kayak rental or guided tour, paid separately Calm channels between mangroves in the creek north of the old town, with herons and, in winter, flamingos. The photograph is made from a second kayak, which means a waterproof bag, a short lens and clothes that can get wet. Sunset tours are the right slot: the water goes pastel and the wind drops. ### Dhayah Fort - Coordinates: 25.8843, 56.0606 - Best time: The last two hours of sun - Access and permits: Free — open hillside site The only hilltop fort in the country: mud-brick walls on a steep ridge above palm groves, with the mountains behind and the sea in the distance. The climb is a steep staircase, ten minutes, and unshaded — not one for heels. Afternoon sun comes from the coast side and lights the walls front-on. - **November–March**: From three o’clock the walls turn ochre; the mountains behind stay in clean, even light. ### Jazirat Al Hamra heritage village - Coordinates: 25.709, 55.795 - Best time: Early morning or the last hour - Access and permits: Open site; parts under restoration may be fenced A pearling village left almost intact when its people moved out in the 1960s: coral-stone houses, a fort, a mosque, doorways opening onto sand. Being partly ruined, it is hazardous underfoot and unshaded, and it gives the kind of textured, empty frame that Dubai no longer has. ## Covered at no travel charge Al Marjan Island, Al Hamra Village, Mina Al Arab, Al Jazirah Al Hamra, RAK City, Al Nakheel, Al Dhait, Jebel Jais ## Popular here - [Couple photoshoot](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/couple.md) — from $220; 20 edited photos within 48–72 hours - [Honeymoon photoshoot](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/honeymoon.md) — from $240; 20 edited photos within 48–72 hours - [Sunrise photoshoot](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/sunrise-photoshoot.md) — from $230; 20 edited photos within 48–72 hours - [Family holiday photoshoot](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/family-vacation.md) — from $220; 20 edited photos within 48–72 hours - [Drone photoshoot](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/drone-photoshoot.md) — from $320; 25 edited photos within 48–72 hours, plus 25 aerial photographs — top-down and wide frames of you in the landscape, no video within 3–5 days - [Drone video](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/drone-video.md) — from $390; 60–90 s cinematic aerial film + 30 s vertical reel within 2–3 weeks - [Proposal photographer](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/proposal.md) — from $350; 20 edited photos within 48–72 hours - [Flying dress photoshoot](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/flying-dress-photoshoot.md) — from $390; 20 edited photos within 48–72 hours - [Holiday video](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/holiday-video.md) — from $350; 2–3 min film + 60 s vertical reel within 2–3 weeks - [Elopement photographer](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/elopement.md) — from $900; 200 edited photos within three weeks - [Destination wedding photographer](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/destination-wedding.md) — from $1,900; 500 edited photos within three weeks - [Villa & property drone shoot](https://www.noorlight.cc/services/property-drone.md) — from $450; 25 edited photos within 48–72 hours, plus 90 s aerial tour film within 2–3 weeks ## Frequently asked questions ### Can we do Jebel Jais and the beach on the same day? Yes, and it is the best use of a day here: the mountain at sunrise, breakfast, rest through the heat, the beach on Al Marjan at sunset. The drive between them is about forty-five minutes. Two outfits — one warm. ### How far is Ras Al Khaimah from Dubai? About an hour from Dubai Marina to Al Marjan on the E311, more at rush hour. Most of our clients here are staying in the emirate; for a guest coming from Dubai we suggest the sunset slot so the drive back is after the traffic. ### Is it cold on Jebel Jais? In winter, at dawn, properly cold — near freezing on the coldest mornings, with wind. It is roughly ten degrees cooler than the coast all year. Bring a coat even if the photographs are in a dress; it comes off for the frames. --- Noorlight · https://www.noorlight.cc