6 Free spots in the UAE to watch Perseids meteor showers

Dubai: Meteor showers are one of the few genuinely spectacular things you can see with your naked eye.

What you do need is distance from city light and somewhere you are allowed to be.

Dubai Astronomy Group has asked people to stay away from Al Khatim Desert in Abu Dhabi unless attending an organised event, because most of it is private land. The two sites the group specifically names as authorised for independent stargazing are Al Qudra and Al Quaa.

1. Al Qudra Desert, Dubai

Distance: About an hour from central Dubai Access: Saloon car fine for the main areas Cost: Free

The easiest option in the country and the one Dubai Astronomy Group names as authorised.

Facilities nearby are a genuine advantage. Last Exit Al Qudra has food trucks and toilets, which makes it workable with children in a way that a remote desert site is not.

2. Al Quaa Milky Way spot, Abu Dhabi

Distance: Roughly 90 minutes from Abu Dhabi, around two hours from Dubai Access: 4x4 recommended and some desert driving confidence Cost: Free

The darkest accessible site in the country, and the other one DAG names as authorised.

It is called the Milky Way spot for a reason. On a moonless night you can see the galactic core with the naked eye, which is not true of anywhere closer to a city.

The trade-off is the drive and the terrain. This is not somewhere to attempt in a saloon car at midnight without having looked at the route first.

3. Jebel Jais, Ras Al Khaimah

Distance: Around two hours from Dubai Access: Sealed road all the way, any car Cost: Free to access the observation deck and rest areas

Altitude does two useful things. It gets you above some of the coastal moisture, and in August it gets you somewhere marginally cooler.

The observation deck sits at 1,400 metres, with the peak above 1,900. There are public rest areas along the winding road up, and plenty of pull-offs where you can stop.

The mountain road is well maintained and lit in places, so pick a spot away from the lighting rather than parking at the first viewpoint you reach.

4. Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, Dubai

Distance: Around 45 minutes from central Dubai Cost: Free

The largest unfenced conservation area in the country, and considerably darker than its proximity to the city suggests.

It shares its general area with Al Qudra and offers the same benefit of open desert without a long drive. Cycling tracks, heritage sites and camel racing areas mean there are established access points rather than uncertain tracks.

5. Wadi Shawka, Ras Al Khaimah

Distance: Around 45 minutes from Ras Al Khaimah city Cost: Free

A rocky valley with a dam, popular with hikers by day and quiet by night.

Two cautions worth heeding. Wear proper footwear, because the terrain is genuinely rocky rather than sandy. And stay near the dam rather than venturing into the valley after dark, since some of the land beyond is privately owned and it is easy to wander into it without realising.

The mountain backdrop makes it one of the better photographic locations on this list.

6. Mleiha, Sharjah

Distance: About 40 minutes from Sharjah city Cost: Free for the surrounding desert. The archaeological centre runs ticketed events.

Mleiha Archaeological Centre hosts organised stargazing evenings with dinner and expert guidance, and those cost money. The surrounding desert, including the area around Fossil Rock, is publicly accessible and free.

If you go independently, you get the dark skies without the telescopes and the talk. If you want the guided version, that is a booking rather than a drive.

What to take

A torch with a red filter, or a red screen mode on your phone. Your eyes need around 30 minutes to fully adapt to darkness and one flash of white light resets the process for everyone nearby.

More water than you think you need. August overnight temperatures inland sit around 35C, and it does not drop much before dawn.

Something to lie on. Meteors appear across the whole sky, so a groundsheet or a reclining chair beats standing and craning your neck.

A power bank. Long exposures and a bright screen will flatten a phone in a couple of hours, and you do not want a dead battery two hours into the desert.

Timing

Between midnight and 11 pm 4 am is the window for almost any shower, since that is when your side of the planet is turning into the debris stream.

Give yourself half an hour before you decide whether it is working. Most people who report seeing nothing looked up for five minutes with a phone in their hand.