{"id":2889,"date":"2015-12-26T20:43:05","date_gmt":"2015-12-26T15:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prasadgupte.com\/blog\/?p=2889"},"modified":"2020-08-01T11:22:45","modified_gmt":"2020-08-01T05:52:45","slug":"camping-dubai-musandam-cruise-khasab-oman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prasadgupte.com\/blog\/camping-dubai-musandam-cruise-khasab-oman\/","title":{"rendered":"Camping trip from Dubai to Musandam, Oman"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long weekends are hard to find in the UAE. And with the weather getting better for a change, it was just the right time for camping. As amateurs, Balan & I\u00a0picked up\u00a0the entire kit\u00a0from Lulu and packed it in the trunk. Yes, the camping list is planned for another post.<\/p>\n

After a lazy start, we set on the road to Khasab via Ras Al Khaimah. We got a bit lost and instead landed on the road to Jabal Jais – the highest mountain in the UAE. It’s a 30 min detour that goes uphill through\u00a0rocky mountains and serves a view from the not-so-high summit.<\/p>\n

\"View
View from Jabal Jais<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"I
I love bakeries!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We headed back to RAK to join the coastal road and stopped by at a local bakery for a quick bite. The freshly baked pizza & assorted fatayer were just delectable – only to release that the delivery boy had baked them in absence of the chef \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Next stop was the border. On the UAE side, we had to park to\u00a0get exit stamps. This is where they verify that the visa is eligible for visa-on-arrival in Oman. There’s an exit fee of\u00a035Dh per head, only accepted via the e-Dirham card. So if you have one, carry it along. We were given a slip mentioning the number of people &\u00a0vehicle number which we had to give at the UAE border exit.<\/p>\n

\"Omani
Omani Border post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We stopped again in about 100m at\u00a0the Omani border to get our visas. Lucky for us, there were no queues. The visa fee of\u00a0OMR 5 \u00a0(~50Dh) is not accepted in Riyals, so we paid by card. A 30 day permit was stamped in exchange for the fee and a small form. Back in the car, Omani customs took a quick peep in\u00a0the boot and let us go. 5 minutes in to Oman and the views were heavenly. We were just in time for sunset.<\/p>\n

\"Sunset<\/a>
Sunset at the border<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We kept driving on the coastal road for the next 40 kms and kept finding camping spots that we’d marked on GPS<\/a>. We thought of driving around the town to find eateries and fuel. An Al Maha fuel station was just around the corner, and 800m away, there was a Lulu on the other side of the road. Lulu was a blessing! For the next 2 days, it was going to be basecamp\u00a0for our camping adventure. That’s where we freshened up, refilled food, water and other essentials.<\/p>\n

\"Optimal
Optimal use of the boot space<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back to camp, we had a bit of trouble on\u00a0my debut firing up the barbecue. A generous Arab camping next to us helped us with his flame torch that fired the briquettes in moments, saying this was the ‘arab style’ of doing it. We relaxed on the beach and then setup our tents right on the shoreline.<\/p>\n

\"Dhow<\/a>
Dhow cruise near Khasab (Musandam, Oman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next morning, we headed \u00a0to town and with a lot of help, found the port. We negotiated 300Dh for a 2 hour ride on a private boat with Abdullah. A native fisherman, he was not only an astute navigator, but also knew tricks to surface dolphins.<\/p>\n

\n

Dolphin Tour in Musandam Oman<\/a><\/h4>\n

A short tour we took in the waters around Khasab port. Our expert boat driver Abdullah knew all the tricks to get the dolphins dancing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n