There are lots of Eid Events in Oman (cultural, family oriented and a horse event) this August 2018 – check them out and some places to see when you visit each.
22nd August 2nd Day of Eid 16:00 – onwards; SUR – N’ama Beach
The UAE AND OMAN BORDER crossing gives 7 options between the two countries.
Below I detail them – in Musandam, Al Batinah (for Muscat) & Al Buraymi (for Nizwa, Ash Sharquiyah & Dhofar). I also give information for Oman Visa, Bus information, Insurance needed for Oman and British Embassy Oman Travel page.
OMAN EDITION 5 NEW
My updated Bradt’s 5th guide to Oman 2022 has completely rewritten regional chapters and maps. These cover Oman from the tip of Musandam’s peninsula, through to the hotels near the border with Yemen. Available from June 2022 at most online book stores incl Bradt and Amazon. (my earlier 4th Edition of the guide is still available at Bradt and Amazon)
Here are both of the Oman UAE Border Crossings in Musandam below – with Maps.
The crossing from Ras Al Khaymah for Khasab. This is accessed using the Emirates Road (E611) and driving through Ras Al Khaymah to link with E11 , or take E11 from Sharjah. After exiting from the UAE the Oman border is very close & the road to Khasab dramatically hugs the coast.
The crossing at Dibba can be a bit confusing as there are two, 1 for GCC nationals only. The one for all non-GCC nationals is on the coast, taking route E87 from Ras Al Khaymah and then drive through Dibba.
Here are both of the Oman UAE Border Crossings on Oman’s Batinah coast. One from from Sharjah and another from Dubai – with Maps.
Crossing from Sharjah south of Fujarah at Kalba can be accessed via routes E102 & E84, then turn south to Kalba. Both border posts are close to each other. The Oman road south is in good condition.
The crossing from Dubai at Hatta through Al Wajajah means driving out of Dubai or Sharjah and take route E102 from Al Aweer to Hatta. The UAE exit is about 10km away from the new Oman border post. There are refreshments in the Oman border post & toilets etc. The road into Muscat is in good condition.
I list all 3 of the Oman UAE Border Crossings in Al Ain below – with Maps.
Al Buraymi Gate
The Sa’ara border point in Al Al Buraymi is now open for Omanis and expats, making it easier to travel to the UAE from Oman.
“Both Omanis and expats planning a trip to the UAE can use this new border point, which was opened on Tuesday,” said a Royal Oman Police (ROP) official in Times of Oman and quoted at length by the Khaleej Times in the UAE.
The Royal Oman Police have also announced the opening on Twitter.
بالصور:
احتفلت #شرطة_عمان_السلطانية صباح اليوم بافتتاح منفذ صعراء بمحافظة البريمي، تحت رعاية سعادة الدكتور سعيد بن خميس الكعبي رئيس الهيئة العامة لحماية المستهلك، وبحضور اللواء حمد بن سليمان الحاتمي مساعد المفتش العام للشرطة والجمارك للعمليات. pic.twitter.com/NvWU4A4TuN
— شرطة عُمان السلطانية (@RoyalOmanPolice) May 15, 2018
With this announcement about the Sa’ara border point in Al Buraymi (corresponding to Hilli in Al Ain UAE) there are 3 locations to cross between Oman & the UAE at Al Buraymi.
Here are all 3 of the Oman UAE Border Crossings from Abu Dhabi or Dubai at Al Ayn / Al Buraymi – with Maps and comments.
The Mezayad crossing through Al Buraymi / Al Ain is ideal to use if you intend to travel from Abu Dhabi & Dubai to Nizwa, Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Wihaba Sands and down to Salalah (all covered in my guidebook available from Kinokuniya Dubai and worldwide Bradt Guide to Oman and my guide to The Land of Frankincense covers historic sites in Salalah and Dhofar).
For Muscat and the Al Batinah regions of Oman the Dubai Hatta border (above) or Khatm Al Shikla (below) are used.
Below is the Sa’ara/Hilli border.
The Sa’ara/Hilli border is ideal to use simply to move in and out of Al Buraymi and Al Ain. If you want to go onto Suhar then you will also pass through another Oman border post at Wadi Al Jizzi.
Below is Khatm Al Shikla (Shakla/Shiklah ) which is paired with Wadi Saa or Wadi Al Jizzi.
Khatm Al Shikla leads to either Wadi Saa (the right turn after the UAE emigration), that is really little used and not suggested, or Wadi Al Jizzi (left fork and about 20mins farther on) that is by far the more used route.
Below is Mezyad in the UAE which is paired with Hafeet in Oman.
Although out of town these two immigration/ emigrations are the principal crossing points with excellent facilities and capacity for numerous vehicles, making the crossing quicker. As said earlier this route is ideal for Nizwa and Salalah. They are ideal to use as the staff in them are used to any type of crossing issue (passport, period of time, language etc) and the offices are very unlikely to close for administrative reasons. It is the one preferred by the UAE authorities.
The distance between the UAE border and Oman border offices at Mezyad – Hafeet is about 1500meters.
As always things may change and it is always advisable to check with the authorities to get information about the situation when you plan to travel.
For Visa requirements, I suggest that you carefully review the impact of the new Visa Application procedure for Oman announced by the Oman Government.
You will also want to review your insurance for Oman and new government policies on the horizon. Also ensure your vehicle is permitted to cross out of the UAE.
Note should also be taken about travel advice from your own foreign ministry – I use the British Foreign Office.
To link from Al Ain into Dubai there is a fast highway at the north-east of Al Ain with 3 lanes in either direction.
Insurance for vehicles remains as before and covered on page 57 of the Bradt Guide to Oman.
When exiting from the UAE make certain you can pay the AED35 charge to the emigration authority.
I uploaded some Oman and Yemen inspired magazine articles I wrote
The Arabian Leopard was the subject of an article in the new daily paper from the UAE http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081009/NATIONAL/76935597. The piece highlights how few of the animals there are – the writer covered the possibility that there might be, or might not be one Arabian Leopard in the UAE mountains. That prompted me to scan in the piece I did about the Leopard for ‘Oman Today’ along with 3 other ones .
The visit I made into Wadi Hadhramaut which Oman Today (again) published in 2007 was a wonderful journey . Seeing ‘hand made’ houses rather than ones made from mass produced material was very stimulating. Each one individual and yet harmonious . To get some nice photos I wandered around just after dawn – in Seyoun waking up a pack of several dozen ‘wadi dogs’ on a mountain slope which made me back away very carefully and in Mukalla enjoying watching the men of the old town take up their places in the tea houses . Along the coast, the scenes of fishermen chasing gulls away from drying sardines spoke volumes of their need to preserve ‘wealth’ .
Bank Muscat asks me to produce brief articles which cover towns where they have branches . I am waiting in hope that they will ask me to do one for their Egyptian branch – and of course pay my travel expenses.
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