Desert and mountains: 7 days in the Gulf away from the city
There is a version of the Emirates that has nothing to do with the skyline, and most visitors never see it. The Hajar mountains run down the eastern side of the peninsula, dry and grey and steep, cut by wadis that hold water in pools long after the rain has gone. Behind them the Gulf of Oman is a di
- Duration
- 7 days
- Pace
- Active
- Hotel changes
- 4
- Best months
- Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
- From
- $2,310 per person
This route spends two nights in Dubai and five outside it. It involves walking, some scrambling, a boat, and a lot of driving on good roads.
Who it suits: walkers, divers, drivers, anyone who has done Dubai before and did not much like it, and families with teenagers.
Day by day
Day 1: Arrive Dubai. Met and driven to the hotel. Late afternoon on the creek and in the Deira souks, which is the only part of the city this route bothers with. Dinner in the neighbourhood.
Day 2: Dubai to Hatta. East into the mountains, about 80 miles (130 km) and ninety minutes. Hatta is a Dubai exclave in the Hajar range and it is ten degrees cooler than the coast. Kayaking on the dam, which is a turquoise reservoir in a grey rock valley, and a walk on the marked trails in the afternoon. Overnight in Hatta.
Day 3: Hatta to Jebel Jais. North through the mountains to Ras Al Khaimah and up the highest road in the country, to around 6,345 feet (1,934 m). The drive itself is the point. Walking on the ridge trails at the top, where the temperature is genuinely cool even in March, and a via ferrata route for those who want one. Overnight in Ras Al Khaimah.
Day 4: Musandam. North across the border into the Omani exclave of Musandam, an hour and a half from Ras Al Khaimah. A full day on a traditional dhow through the inlets: steep rock walls straight into deep water, fishing villages reachable only by boat, and dolphins that are close to reliable. Snorkelling from the boat. Overnight in Khasab or back across the border, depending on the season and on how your visas work, which we confirm before we quote.
Day 5: The east coast. South down the Gulf of Oman side to Dibba and Fujairah. This coast is quiet, the water is clearer than on the Dubai side, and the diving and snorkelling around the offshore rocks is the best in the UAE. An afternoon in the water, or a walk into Wadi Shawka or one of the other accessible wadis if you would rather stay dry. Overnight on the east coast.
Day 6: Into the dunes. West and south to real desert. Depending on your dates and appetite this is either the Liwa area at the edge of the Empty Quarter, which is a long drive and worth it, or a good camp in the dunes closer to Dubai. Liwa has dunes several hundred feet high and almost nobody in them. Dune driving for those who want it, a walk at sunset for those who do not, dinner outside and a night under a sky with no light pollution in it.
Day 7: Back to Dubai and fly home. Two to three hours on the road. If the flight is late, a few hours on the creek or at Alserkal Avenue before the airport.
What is included
Six nights across four locations, a private four-wheel-drive vehicle with a driver-guide throughout or a self-drive vehicle with a detailed route document if you would rather drive yourself, the Musandam dhow day, kayaking at Hatta, guided walking on Jebel Jais, diving or snorkelling on the east coast with a licensed operator, the desert camp with dinner, all border formalities and vehicle paperwork for the Musandam crossing, and a WhatsApp group with your consultant here and our partners in Dubai and Oman.
Honest notes
This is a driving route. There are four hotel changes in seven days and three days with two to three hours in the car. If that sounds like work, the five-day classic is the better trip.
The Musandam crossing is the part that needs the most planning. It is a land border into Oman and back, the rules for vehicles and for individual nationalities change, and we confirm the current position for your passports and your dates rather than assuming. On some dates we run it as a day trip with an Omani vehicle from the border to avoid the paperwork entirely.
Wadi walking is genuinely hot work even in season. Start early, carry more water than feels sensible, and do not attempt the wadis at all if rain is forecast anywhere in the mountains, because flash flooding is a real and fast risk.
If this is the trip that appeals to you, read the Oman fortnight before you book. Almost everything here exists in Oman at a larger scale and with fewer people in it, and we would rather you knew that.
Related
Shape this trip around us All Dubai and the Gulf, with a clear view of what is worth your time trips
