Forum

UAE

Posted by Jack Mormon on March 14, 2013 at 10:58am

My wife Nancy (also a member) and I are planning a 1 week trip to the United Arab Emirates in November. Looking for ways to visit the 7 Emirates and perhaps Oman in that time frame. I like to run in every "location" that we visit (97 TCC runs out of 113 visited). Is it safe to run in the UAE? Is it safe to drive. We plan to rent a car. Has anyone driven from Dubai to Muscat? Is it safe? Any other ideas would be appreciated. Jack

You need to be a member of TCC Forum to add comments!

Join TCC Forum

Email me when people reply –
Follow

Replies

  • Jack Mormon September 16, 2013 at 4:26am

    Jeff

    Thanks for this information. If this happens it would probably be over the (in the US) Presidents Monday off weekend. She will be coming from California and I'll be meeting her in Dubai coming from India. Spend 7 or 8 days in the UAE and travel home together. As the time gets closer, we can "talk" more. Much appreciate your imput. Jack<113> (& Nancy <119>)

     

  • Jeff Kietzmann September 16, 2013 at 12:28am

    Jack, 

    This is my first post on TCC as I am new member. My wife Lisa and I live full time in Abu Dhabi. It is perfectly safe here to run and easy to travel across borders, even to Oman.  I see you have received a lot of feedback, so will not belabor those points, but if you would like to get a more intimate view of life in the Emirates and Oman or want some suggestions on specific locations or activities in each of the Emirates to enjoy, please drop me a line. If nothing else, we can meet up in Abu Dhabi for Thanksgiving brunch or something overlooking the grand mosque. 7-8 days is a tight schedule for all 7 Emirates and Oman, but can be done for sure. If you happen to ride motorcycles, doing a 7-Emirates ride is also a possibility in that time frame. We have a HD here, so we ride and explore often and rentals are certainly possible- Jeff

  • Wouter van Zwieteren August 16, 2013 at 11:00pm

    Jack, you're welcome! Enjoy your trip! Wouter

  • Jack Mormon August 6, 2013 at 1:11pm

    Wouter:  Will probably be in the UAE in February with my wife. Probably be renting a car. Thanks so much for your input. Jack

     

  • Wouter van Zwieteren July 26, 2013 at 9:14am

    Hi Jack, I was in the UAE and Oman a few years ago and took the local bus from Dubai to Muscat. That was very easy and reliable and the journey was about 5 hours. Both countries are really safe and I don't expect any problems if you do it by car. Have fun!

    Best regards, Wouter

  • Jack Mormon May 22, 2013 at 6:08am

    Peter. Thanks. Lots of good information from you. Planning on a one week trip in February 2014 (as of now). Muscat Oman is said to be a wonderful destination. Might be better to fly there from Dubai, spend a couple of days and fly back to Dubai. Then rent a car and drive around the UAE for the remainder of the time. That way we can visit all the UAE destinations and perhaps even the Musandam Peninsula. Also visit  Madha and the UAE exclave of Nawah. The weather should not be too stifling in February. Appreciate your input. Jack

  • Peter Deegan May 21, 2013 at 11:53pm

    I did a similar thing (driving not running) about 5 years ago.

    It's safe to drive in the UAE but watch out for the mad, fast drivers who will whizz past you at speeds well in excess of the legal limits or good sense.  The locals can get away with it but visitors are treated much more harshly.

    Get a GPS with local data (I took my Garmin with the Middle East data ) -- almost essential for getting about the cities.  Dubai/Sharjah is a driving nightmare of traffic, roadworks etc but once you get beyond that it's OK.

    I don't know about taking a rental car into Oman proper but, as already mentioned, there's a small exclave of Oman called 'Dibba' near Fujeriah that you can usually drive in/out of with the checkout unmanned.  It seems, visitors to the UAE can enter Dibba without a permit (there's advance paperwork for UAE residents)

    The Golden Tulip Hotel, Dibba http://www.goldentulipdibba.com/default.aspx and other accom. in Dibba might be cheaper than ones on the UAE side.

    Also useful to get a local SIM card for your phone -- it makes bookings, planning and info a lot easier.

    Running should be OK if you take the precautions you would take in any other place.

    Hope this helps,

    Peter D/

  • Jack Mormon March 23, 2013 at 10:33am

    Thanks Pamela. Getting some very interesting information about all of this. We are not going till November and there is time to try to sort it all out. We have only 7 or 8 days in the area. Nancy has to get back to work and I'm heading to India for 2 weeks after an absence of 11 years (been there about a dozen times over the years). I really enjoyed finding out about the "enclave within an enclave". UAE inside Oman inside UAE. High on my priority list. 7 Emirates and Oman. 8 "TCC's" in a week with a 1/2 hour run in them all! That will put me in over 100 "TCC's" in which I've run. Will try and find a rental agency that will allow us to drive to Oman from UAE and return. Safe Travels, Jack 

     

  • Pamela Barrus March 23, 2013 at 7:47am

    I've rented cars in both the UAE and Oman and drove alone all over the place--and I'm female--with no problems. The only indication that you're driving from one emirate to the next is a billboard with a different emir on it welcoming you. And in Oman, there are some great fortresses out in the desert to see and don't miss Muscat. I probably enjoyed Oman more than the UAE--more authentic, imo. As for driving between UAE and Oman, you might have insurance problems driving a rental over the border--easier just to rent again.

  • Mike Kendall March 15, 2013 at 11:32pm

    Hello Jack. Ive been on a number of occasions, the first time I stayed a week in Sharjah but its the only dry Emirate and I like a beer, all subsequent visits I stayed in Dubai. I did enjoy Sharjah though. 

    Regarding you run, I would do that in Madha as there are security controls in Musandem but I'm not sure where they are once you drive into the territory. Madha is an oddity as it also has an UAE exclave Nawah within its boundaries, so an exclave within an exclave see http://geosite.jankrogh.com/oman.htm.

    You may also consider a day trip to the Fjords of Oman in Musandem from Dubai http://www.khasabtours.com/excursions.asp

    Im sure you could still go to Muscat if you find the right car hire firm. I know someone who drove Muscat to Abu Dhabi in a hire car in about 6 hours.

    Enjoy.

    Mike

This reply was deleted.