Brand Dubai Camping Experience In Hatta Mountains For Festival Participants
Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office, organised a special overnight camping programme in the Hatta Mountains as part of the community activities of the Hatta Festival 2025. The initiative brought together more than 50 people for educational, environmental and cultural experiences highlighting Dubai’s outdoor tourism and the Hatta region’s natural landscape.
The camping experience gathered participants near Suhaila Lakes and focused on strengthening social ties between different age groups, while promoting environmental awareness and sustainable behaviour. Through a structured schedule of workshops, exploratory activities and knowledge sessions, the event aimed to showcase the diversity of Dubai’s tourism destinations and the cultural and natural features that distinguish the Hatta Mountains.
As evening approached and the sun slipped behind the Hatta peaks, participants chose camping spots along the shores of Suhaila Lakes and set up tents. The night programme began with an interactive astronomy lecture supported by visual presentations, followed by a competition that tested their ability to identify star names and the times those stars appear throughout the month.
Later that night, the group joined a live stargazing session led by professional Emirati photographer Yousef Al Qasimi. The session linked science with local traditions, as Yousef Al Qasimi explained how ancestors read the sky, used stars to determine directions, and planned travel schedules, creating a connection between heritage knowledge and the clear Hatta night sky.
The programme’s exploratory segment took place earlier, when participants joined a guided hike in the Hatta Mountains. Environmental researcher Sultan Al Balushi led the route, explaining the area’s distinctive geological formations and wildlife. The hike served as an outdoor classroom, designed to deepen environmental understanding and reinforce sustainability concepts for participants from different age brackets.
Photography enthusiasts then joined a specialised wildlife documentation activity guided by professional Emirati photographer Abdulla Alhattawi. Participants learned techniques for photographing nature and wildlife, while being introduced to bird and animal species native to the Hatta Mountains. By the end of the session, they produced images that highlighted the unique character and natural beauty surrounding Suhaila Lakes and the broader Hatta area.
Across its hiking, astronomy and photography elements, the Hatta Festival 2025 camping experience created a multi-layered learning environment. The programme combined social interaction, environmental education and cultural storytelling, while also presenting Hatta and Dubai as destinations where tourism, community engagement and awareness of nature operate side by side in a single integrated experience.
With inputs from WAM
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