While the UAE’s northernmost region is one of the country’s more off-the-beaten-track destinations, it’s still got all the booming developments, the ubiquitous modernist high-rises, and glitzy hotels expected of an Emirati province. All of this sits neatly between the wild ridges of the sandy Hajar Mountains, the scintillating surf of the Persian Gulf, and the rolling swathes of hinterland desert—peppered with sporadic oases of swaying palm and date trees.

With such diversity in landscape, Ras al Khaimah is fast coming into its own as a tourist destination, catering to varied interests, from camel racing, water parks and ski clubs to golfing retreats and sun-kissed beaches that hug the Gulf. History buffs should head to the Old City, with its charming restored souq, and the National Museum housed in the bulwarks of the Al Hisn Fort. Sightseers will not want to miss the pearly domes of the newer Shaikh Zayed Mosque, or an evening of dining at the popular Al Qawassim Corniche. Ras Al Khaimah tour guides also recommend a jaunt to the beautiful Wadis that lurk in the backcountry around town, or the sheer cliffs of the Musandam Peninsula just across the border in Oman.