SAIJ Mountain Lodge by Mantis
The first hotel on Jebel Jais — announced for Q4 2026, after two delays
SAIJ Mountain Lodge by Mantis
SAIJ Mountain Lodge by Mantis is a mountain lodge under construction on Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah. It will be operated by Accor. It is planned at 70 keys. It is currently expected to open Q4 2026, though UAE opening dates move often. It is not yet open and is not taking bookings.
What you’ll find on-site
- Swimming pool
- Restaurants & bars
- Free Wi-Fi
- On-site parking
Where exactly is it?
Ras Al Khaimah, UAE — with the coastline, the Hajar mountains and Ras Al Khaimah’s growing dining scene all within easy reach.
- Check-in / out15:00 / 12:00
- Best monthsOct – Apr
What it’s actually like
What this is and when it lands
SAIJ Mountain Lodge by Mantis is a 70-key eco-lodge being built at roughly 1,680 m on Jebel Jais, in Wadi Sheha. It is developed by Marjan and operated by Mantis Collection, part of Accor, and it will be Mantis’s first property in the UAE. The current announced opening is Q4 2026.
Its significance is straightforward: when it opens it will be the first and only actual hotel on Jebel Jais. The mountain currently has two overnight options and neither is a hotel — Bear Grylls Explorers Camp and Camp 1770, both camps. Sleeping on the UAE’s highest mountain in a proper room has not been possible before.
Opening date
Q4 2026 is the current figure. It is the third one. The project was originally announced for 2023, was subsequently moved to Q2 2026, and has since moved again to Q4 2026. That is a pattern, and it is the single most useful thing to know about this lodge.
The scope has grown alongside the delays — earlier plans described 35 lodges, the current figure is 70 — which partly explains the slippage. We are not treating Q4 2026 as reliable. A fourth revision would be entirely consistent with the history so far, and no opening day, booking channel or rate has appeared.
At a glance
- Operator: Mantis Collection, part of Accor
- Developer: Marjan
- Location: Wadi Sheha, Jebel Jais, at about 1,680 m
- Keys: 70 eco-lodges (earlier plans said 35)
- First for the brand: Mantis’s debut UAE property
- Announced opening: Q4 2026, revised from Q2 2026 and originally 2023
- Star rating: not classified
- Drive from Dubai International (DXB): about 90 minutes
Where it sits
Wadi Sheha, at around 1,680 m on Jebel Jais. That is high enough to be meaningfully cooler than the coast and to give the lodge a genuine mountain setting rather than a foothills one. The drive is about 90 minutes from Dubai International and roughly an hour from Ras Al Khaimah city.
There is a seasonal problem here that nobody markets, and it is the most important practical fact on this page. Jebel Jais closes for the summer. Road access, the attractions and the restaurants all shut. At the time of writing in September 2026 the mountain is still closed: the official Visit Jebel Jais site carries a maintenance notice, its published programme runs only to April 2026, and no reopening date for the 2026/27 season has been announced — the operator has said only that the mountain will reopen once the weather cools.
How a year-round hotel works on a seasonally closed mountain has not been explained by anyone. It is a legitimate question for the lodge’s commercial model and for anyone hoping to book a summer stay. See our guide to staying near Jebel Jais for how the season currently works.
What is being built
70 eco-lodges, up from the 35 in earlier plans. The announced programme is sustainability-led and specific: guided treks, beekeeping, farm-to-table dining, sunrise meditation, greywater recycling and replanting of endemic species. Mantis builds its properties around conservation credentials, and the detail released so far is consistent with that rather than generic.
What has not been published is almost everything a guest would want to know: lodge sizes and layouts, how many restaurants, whether there is a pool or spa beyond the announced wellness activities, whether children are catered for, and how guests reach the site.
Who it looks right for
Walkers, birdwatchers and anyone who wants a night on the mountain without a tent. Couples wanting somewhere cool and quiet within 90 minutes of Dubai. Travellers who actively choose conservation-minded operators — Mantis’s audience elsewhere is people who would otherwise be in a safari lodge.
It is not a beach holiday and will not be a substitute for one. It also will not be a year-round option unless the mountain’s summer closure changes.
What is still unconfirmed
- Whether Q4 2026 holds. The date has already moved twice.
- Whether the mountain reopens in time. No 2026/27 reopening date for Jebel Jais itself had been announced as of September 2026.
- Summer operation. Nobody has explained how the lodge trades when the mountain shuts.
- Dining. Farm-to-table is the concept; no venues, counts or covers published.
- Lodge specification. No sizes, layouts, bathroom or heating detail.
- Rates, star classification and family policy. None published.
- Access. Whether guests self-drive to 1,680 m or are transferred has not been stated.
Where to stay in the meantime
On the mountain itself, the only options are Bear Grylls Explorers Camp and Camp 1770, both camps rather than hotels, and both subject to the same seasonal closure. Check the mountain is open before booking either.
Otherwise the practical approach is to base yourself on the coast and drive up for the day. Cove Rotana is a reasonable compromise between the mountain road and the beach, and the Jebel Jais accommodation guide covers the rest. Everything open in the emirate is in the hotels index.
FAQ
When does SAIJ Mountain Lodge open?
The current announced date is Q4 2026. It has already moved twice, from an original 2023 target to Q2 2026 and then to Q4 2026. No opening day, booking channel or rate has appeared, and a further revision would be consistent with the project’s history.
Is there a hotel on Jebel Jais right now?
No. SAIJ will be the first and only actual hotel on the mountain. The two existing overnight options are Bear Grylls Explorers Camp and Camp 1770, which are camps rather than hotels and are closed along with the mountain during the summer season.
Does Jebel Jais close in summer?
Yes. Road access, attractions and restaurants all shut for the hot months. As of September 2026 the mountain was still closed and no reopening date for the 2026/27 season had been announced — only that it would reopen once the weather cools. Check before travelling.
Bottom line
Genuinely interesting, genuinely uncertain. A 70-key Mantis lodge at 1,680 m would be the first real hotel on Jebel Jais and unlike anything else in the UAE. But the date has slipped twice, the lodge doubled in size along the way, and the mountain it sits on was still closed with no announced reopening when we last checked. Watch it. Do not plan a trip around it.
How this page was prepared and when it was last checked
Project facts — Mantis Collection as operator, Marjan as developer, the Wadi Sheha site at about 1,680 m, 70 eco-lodges revised up from 35, Mantis’s first UAE property, and the guided treks, beekeeping, farm-to-table dining, sunrise meditation, greywater recycling and endemic replanting — come from Mantis, Accor and Marjan announcements and regional trade coverage. The opening-date history (2023, then Q2 2026, then Q4 2026) is drawn from those successive announcements. The mountain’s status was checked directly against the official Visit Jebel Jais site and regional reporting in September 2026, which showed a seasonal closure notice and no announced 2026/27 reopening date. This is a status page, not a review. Last checked: September 2026.
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