Musandam Road Trip – How To Visit Oman While In Dubai

Musandam Road Trip – How To Visit Oman While In Dubai
Reading Time: 4 minutes

 

Consider a road trip from Dubai to Musandam and explore one of the best peninsulas on earth. Musandam is a rough, hilly peninsula and a part of Oman. Despite its location in the UAE, this intriguing peninsula is still regarded as an Omani region because of its geographical exclave. A geographical exclave is a region separated from the mainland and surrounded by one or more foreign states. In this case, Musandam is surrounded by UAE states. Book a Musandam tour package while in Dubai for this amazing road trip.

 

Where Is Musandam?

The tiny Omani enclave of Musandam sits on the northernmost point of the Arabian Peninsula and protrudes dramatically into the Strait of Hormuz. Between mainland Oman and Musandam Governorate (a small enclave of Madha sits within Fujairah) is the UAE.

 

 

How To Reach Musandam

The UAE, especially Dubai, has amazing road connections that make traveling across the country hassle-free. A Musandam Road trip is nothing short of enjoyable, considering the good roads. The drive to Musandam from Dubai is roughly 2 hours, and the route has stunning views. The dreamy highways and the slightly rugged path surrounded by mountains contribute to an enriching experience. Book an arranged tour that will cater to your needs, from pick up to drop off, and take you to sightseeing spots if you are not looking for a road trip.

A majority of travellers start their journey from Dubai to Dubai is our reference point. If you are starting your journey from Abu Dhabi Airport, it will take you an extra 1 to 1.5 hours to get to Musandam from downtown Abu Dhabi.

Dubai to Khasab, Oman, is about hours, but because it’s an international border crossing, it may take 2 hours and 45 minutes to 3 hours. The journey may take even longer on popular holiday weekends.

Dubai to Dibba is shorter (145 km) and takes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.

 

The Musandam Peninsula, Oman

If you drive directly from Dubai, it will take about two hours to reach the border, depending on traffic. If you make stops for sightseeing, the trip could take you three to four hours, depending on how much time you take on your stops.

The time taken to cross the border depends on whether the immigration staff has closed for lunch or tea. You should cross from the UAE to Oman in minutes if you have your passports and some Omani currency and the staff is available at the time. Speed up the clearing process by getting an Omani e-visa in advance.

Once you have your entered Oman, Musandam can very well be the gateway to an epic Oman Road Trip Adventure, as mentioned in this 6 Day Oman Itinerary.

 

A Guide To Border Crossing Into Musandam

If you are going to Khasab, the west coast crossing into Musandam is through the Al Darah border post at the northern tip of Ras Al Khaimah emirate. This is exactly where the mountains start touching the ocean.

The crossing posts for UAE and Oman are adjacent to each other, making it a popular spot for tourists in Dubai and the UAE for ‘border runs’ as you only need to stop once and walk between the entry and exit offices. Border runs enable you to extend your 30-day tourist visa. Border cross will involve two stops in each direction; however, if you are not a GCC resident.

Places To Visit In Musandam

The Musandam Peninsula is naturally beautiful, with quite a few attractions you can’t miss out on during your Musandam Road trip.

 

Khasab

Photo by Martin Adams on Unsplash

Khasab, a small old town and the capital of the Musandam Peninsula, is an Omani exclave and geographically part of the UAE. The Khasab Fort is one of the predominant attractions in this town. The town is a charming cultural place, and apart from the fort, the Khasab Castle is also a famous attraction. You can visit the Oman Fjords and Bimmah Sink-hole if you are not in a hurry or if you are planning to spend a night on the peninsula. The road trip to Musandam is generally captivating.

 

Dibba

By Joel Azcuna  – CC BY-SA 2.0

Dibba town crosses between the UAE and Oman. A part of the city is in Fujairah, partly in Sharjah (Dibba Al-Hisn), and a part of it in Oman.

This is not a full border crossing but only a small police station checkpoint. You need pre-arranged permission to access the border crossing at this point, either through your accommodation or tour provider.

Your visa will be taken care of 7 days before your visit if you book with the luxurious Six Senses Zighy Bay on the Dibba side of Musandam but over the border. The same treatment will be offered if you are staying at the Dibba Beach Hotel.

Some day trips to Dibba may depart from the UAE side and never set foot on land, bypassing the formality of a day trip border crossing.

 

Other Information

  • You can quickly go to Khasab in a typical saloon car thanks to the sealed roads that run all the way and the considerable reinforcing work being done to prevent the Cliffside drive from collapsing.
  • You need a 4WD if you want to explore the interior, especially from the Dibba side.
  • Never leave your passports behind. Despite the fairly seamless border connections, you need to keep in mind that you are in a different country.
  • The official currency in Musandam is Omani Rial (OMR), but locals may accept dirhams as they get a slight upside in the exchange rate using 10AED:1OMR.

 

About The Author – Robeena Brown is a travel blogger & destination expert living in the UAE and works for local tourism companies like Arabiers. 



1 thought on “Musandam Road Trip – How To Visit Oman While In Dubai”

  • Musandam is a pristine, beautiful drop of land located in the Omani Peninsula. It is surrounded by the Omani and the Persian Gulf, separated from the UAE by a strip of land. Here are the craziest things to do in Musandam. So dramatic are its mountains and the roads that literally hug their sides, that Musandam is known fondly as the ‘Norway of Arabia’. Spend a few days in Musandam and refresh yourself with lovely oceanic views, mountain 4WD rides, boat tours, limestone coastal scenery, and much more.

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