E-Paper
Sign In
UAE public holidays: Salalah, Bhutan and Jebel Akhdar top August long weekend escapes
From misty Khareef season to Himalayan landscapes, these are the destinations topping wish lists
- PUBLISHED: Thu 23 Jul 2026, 6:00 AM
As the UAE gears up for the next long weekend break, travellers are looking beyond the usual beach check-ins and towards cooler, more colourful escapes, with Salalah still leading the conversation but no longer alone.
UAE has announced Friday, August 28, 2026 as a holiday for public and private sectors this year for the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), leading to a long weekend.
Recommended For You
The question, however, has little to do with where to go and more to do with what to feel. Travellers are seeking a shift in both climate and mood as a mid-year reset, say travel agents in Dubai.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Ipshita Sharma of SCN Travel & More says Salalah is still the headline destination, but travellers are also widening their lens to Oman’s mountains and farther-flung retreats such as Bhutan, Kathmandu and Sri Lanka’s hill country. “The trips travellers rave about are usually the ones where they experience something different,” she said, pointing to misty drives, secluded beaches, tea plantations and Himalayan views.
Neha Joseph of Sharaf Travel believes the capital city of southern Oman still stands apart. “Salalah remains the only true climatic anomaly within reach,” she said, adding that Khareef brings Dhofar “down to the low 20s°C with mist, drizzle and waterfalls while the rest of the Gulf sits past 40°C”.
In other words, if you want the monsoon feels, Salalah is still the closest thing the UAE has to a weather reset.
Hidden gems to watch
Beyond Salalah, some of the other winners are the places that swap heat for higher altitudes or crowded spots for slower, more local travel. Ipshita recommends Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams for a cooler mountain escape in Oman, alongside Bhutan, Kathmandu, Sri Lanka’s Ella and Nuwara Eliya, and underrated options like the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry for travellers after something more distinctive.
Neha makes a similar case for Jebel Akhdar, describing the 'Green Mountain' as “a proper altitude escape rather than a monsoon one,” with cooler air, terraced farms, hiking trails and cliffside villages. She also flags Bandar Al Khairan – a fjord-like stretch of coves and inlets near Muscat – as a place worth paying attention to, especially for snorkelling, dolphin-spotting and dhow trips.
Timing the short break
For a three-day weekend, both experts stress on not turning a short holiday into an airport marathon. Ipshita says the destination should match the time in hand and that road trips or nearby Oman escapes make sense because they save precious hours.
If flying, she advises choosing places with easy connectivity and focusing on one region rather than trying to do too much.
To this, Neha adds, “Salalah is under two hours by direct flight, and for a three-day break, the trip works best as three nights rather than two”. She recommends an early morning departure, so travellers can check in by midday and still get two full days plus a relaxed final morning, which makes the trip feel like a restful break rather than a sprint.
What peak season in Salalah feels like
The trade-off for Salalah’s appeal, however, is that everyone else has the same allure. Ipshita says hotels book fast, prices rise and the main sights get crowded during Khareef, so early booking and weekday travel make a noticeable difference. She also suggests stepping slightly off the usual route, since the most memorable moments often come from those detours.
Neha advises residents to travel mid-week, cutting both crowds and room rates. “Go in late August or early September once the peak fortnight has passed and book 4x4 detours to more remote wadis and viewpoints.”
