On your checklist! World’s first bear camp in Ras Al Khaimah on UAE’s highest mountain

Ras Al Khaimah’s RAK Leisure (RAKL), the lifestyle subsidiary of RAK Hospitality Holding (RAKHH) announced that the world’s first Bear Grylls Explorers Camp (BGEC) will open close to the Via Ferrata on Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah this October.

As travellers across the globe navigate through the ‘new normal’, the opening of BGEC aligns seamlessly with travel experiences set in expansive, open and natural environments and that are curated for smaller groups with safety protocols and social distancing measures fully in place.

Following the huge success of Bear Grylls Survival Academy in the United Kingdom, his globally renowned survival courses will debut in the Middle East in addition to the world’s first Bear Grylls branded camp accommodation opening in 2021 and featuring 20 recycled and redesigned containers, lending to the overall mountain experience.

Bear Grylls is known worldwide as one of the most recognised faces of survival and outdoor adventure. Famed for hit TV shows such as World’s Toughest Race, Running Wild, You Vs Wild and Man Vs Wild, SAS trained Grylls has taken a US President (Barack Obama) and many of Hollywood’s biggest names on survival journeys through the wilderness.

The survival courses, run by UK experts trained at the Bear Grylls Survival Academy, launching in October, will include half-day (3 to 4 hours), 8 and 24-hour options designed for adults and families and team building activities for corporate companies. 48-hour and instructor courses for outdoor enthusiasts will follow later in the year. Participants will be exposed to practical and extreme survival techniques necessary to survive some of the toughest terrain in the wilderness.

The element of surprise will be a key feature of all the courses but activities may include how to make a fire in the wilderness, build emergency shelters, learn the best ways to use a knife for survival as well as dedicated practical instruction on remote medical trauma treatment, navigation techniques and extreme weather survival.

The 20-container accommodation, set to welcome visitors in 2021 are designed to host up to three guests with basic self-catering, including a private BBQ on a private outdoor terrace to prepare meals. The accommodation caters to all those seeking a true outdoor experience to unwind and reconnect with the wild.

“Following on the announcement of the Bear Grylls Explorers Camp last year at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), we are thrilled to debut this one-of-a-kind experience in October. Within a larger global context, the launch of BGEC represents both innovation and resilience during what has been a very challenging year for the travel and tourism industry,” said Alison Grinnell, CEO of RAK Hospitality Holding.

Raki Philips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development (RAKTDA) added: “As a tourism destination, Ras Al Khaimah has demonstrated time and time again, a robust identity aligning with current travel sentiment for remote and curated experiences, which is exactly what BGEC offers travellers in a new era of travel.  In 2018, we launched the world’s longest zipline on Jebel Jais and are delighted to announce another first with the Bear Grylls Explorers Camp on the UAE’s highest mountain. As Ras Al Khaimah continues to grow as the adventure capital in the Middle East, this exhilarating survival experience from one of the world’s best-known experts will drive us on that path to attract outdoor enthusiasts from across the globe.”