Mirfa the small coastal town of Al Gharbia

The isolated coastal city is a perfect break from the furious E11 highway connecting Abu Dhabi to Saudi Arabia. The public beach has been landscaped with a small corniche and a green park where it is pleasant to walk. Like many provincial towns, the locality is rather conservative and the beach deserted most of the time, except perhaps the evening when the inhabitants like to meet there. It is not allowed to camp or take pictures on the beach.

The Mirfa Hotel stands on the other side of a small stretch of sea and offers a restaurant and some rooms. It is a three-star establishment mainly attended by executives of companies carrying out projects in the region. It is struggling to seduce the tourists and the inhabitants of the big metropolises of the United Arab Emirates.

Even today Mirfa has kept the soul of a fish-fishing town, the flourishing era of pearls being long over. The locality is located in a strategic zone where transits large amounts of electricity, water and oil. The Al Mirfa plant produces gas from electricity and desalinated drinking water supplying the region and partly the capital Abu Dhabi. It also has storage tanks containing 37 million liters of drinking water.

Mirfa hosts the Al Gharbia Watersports Festival for 10 days, usually in the late April to early May period. Kite Surf enthusiasts from all over the country come here. There are also traditional and modern sailboat races.

Only one hotel more than 100 kilometers away is the Mirfa Hotel. Reservation required due to the small number of rooms available for passing tourists. Other options are located in Abu Dhabi, in Liwa Oasis and further afield on the coast with Danat Resort Jebel Dhanna, and the luxurious Anantara hotels of Sir Bani Yas Island

Continuing on the E11 westbound, you can continue the adventure on the lush island of Bani Yas where we recommend you spend two nights for a unique nature experience in the region among thousands of mammals .

By taking the E11 Eastbound road, you can get to the must-see Abu Dhabi, or visit the Liwa Oasis and empty Grand Quart, the most beautiful stretch of desert in the UAE. Our article on the routes of the Al Gharbia region gives the keys to this little-known region.

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