Road Trip from UAE to Oman winter 2018

Living in UAE for almost 3 years now and we finally took the road trip to Oman!

We had heard about camping in Oman for a few years now but decided it may be too long of a trip for our family of 4.

Now that we’re going to be a family of 5, we decided there’s no better time than now to make the trip. My husband had to do some convincing since I’ve been more inclined to staying home during this pregnancy. A real home body! We agreed Jasmin and Noah are at a perfect age to really enjoy the road trip, the camping, and the dhow cruise.

Our Route

Day 1

We drove through Abu Dhabi into Dubai where we stopped for lunch. The Last Exit Dubai is the perfect stop as there’s many food truck options, a bathroom and it’s location was great too. We stopped for about an hour on our way to Ras Al Khaimah (RAK).

RAK- including stops before arriving in Oman was ideal for us. The children handles the short car drives really well. And my pregnant behind really appreciated being able to break up the trip!

Also we had never been to RAK and had hear great things about the beaches and scenery. It was definitely well worth the stop! We stayed at The Cove Rotana. It had spectacular views, the property was family friendly, the staff was helpful, and yes the beach was suuuper nice to hangout at with the kids– they even provided beach toys!

Day 2

After we had breakfast and hung out at the beach for a while, we packed up and headed towards Oman. It was only a 2 hour drive, and we had to meet the staff there at 4pm, so we had time. What we had to include in our calculations was the border crossing too!

At the border crossing we had to get in and out of the car 2 times, once for the Emirati border and again for the Omani crossing. If you ask me, there must be an easier way to do this, but all in all it was a smooth process, even though it still took about an hour altogether.

The drive was pretty scenic all through RAK until the meetup location in Oman. Mountains, sea, and plenty of goats! It was a windy road on the coast of Khasab, Oman thankfully it was bearable and not too long. The view of the coast really made the drive enjoyable.

We arrived at the Omani office where we were then asked to follow a driver who would take us to the motor boat that would drop us at the campsite.

RAK
the drive
motor boat to camping

The campsite

The camping spot was only accessible by boat, so imagine how secluded we felt! My husband had chosen a night where there would be the least amount of campers, and that night it would just be us!

Of course we were really weary of being so secluded, me pregnant, and 2 children, we could be easily outnumbered! The camp worker was super nice and accommodating. He had beverages for us and asked what we would like for dinner. When we asked about fresh fish, considering we’re right on the sea and could see all the fishermen, he told us he would get fresh fish from the fishermen!!! We felt totally spoiled, yes something so simple!

As he prepared our dinner, the kiddos enjoyed finding shells and showing them off as we rested on the rug and cushions on the sand. The breeze was cool and the water too cold to jump into without the sun sun to warm us up.

After our yummy fish dinner, including, rice, curry veggies, salad and all, we sat by the fire the worker made. Except Noah kept playing too close, we just could NOT relax watching him run around the fire pit! We decided to call it an early night and went into our tents for much needed shut eye.

Day 3

Being out in nature, under the stars, in the cold, it was only natural our kiddos what be up with the sunrise. I am usually not so grateful for these early risers, but that day we appreciated getting to watch the sunrise over the peaks and the water.

My husband and I talked about how we saw little Desert fox and goats in the night! It was a little frightening but they mostly stayed away from us. Only one of them dashed through the campsite out of sight.p, I barely caught a glimpse of it!

Breakfast was simple, boiled eggs, coffee or tea, a selection of fruits and bread.

The Dhow Cruise

The same motor boat picked us up from the campsite and took us to the Dhow boat that was waiting for us around 9am. It was full of people who must’ve only wanted to do the half day cruise sans camping!

On the Dhow they provided fresh fruits and hot tea as we enjoyed the sites of the Omani Fjords. It was pretty loud but our children didn’t mind it one bit as their eyes were fixed on the water to spot dolphins!

Indeed we did see dolphins!

They followed our boat, playing in the waves it created! We got to capture them on video and photos. The children loved the whole experience and wished the dolphins wouldn’t be scared to swim with us.

We stopped at a fort where some people got off to hike the rock and get a shirt tour of the history of that location. And then we were off to the snorkeling spot. We are not much for snorkeling, we just wanted to take a dip in the sea, the sun was rising and warming us all up!

Yes the water was freezing cold but I did NOT mind it at all. My pregnant body tends to be hot constantly, so the cool water was very refreshing. They even provided towels, a hose to wash off at and a little bathroom.

The ride back to the dock felt like forever but it was enough time to dry off and enjoy the scenery.

Camping and cruise over

We drove back through the borders, back into RAK where we stayed the night at a simple little Hilton hotel. Got some much needed rest after a long day!