Musandam - the Norway of Arabia

It’s a shame, I admit. Being here in the UAE for four years, I hadn’t yet been to Musandam in Oman. It is only now that I am back from the trip that I see what I had missed. This peninsular region that lies to the north of UAE is rightfully called the Norway of Arabia.

For the geographically challenged, it is important to understand that the state of Musandam lies to the north of UAE. Khasab (a name unfortunately infamous back home) is the capital of Musandam. The other states of Oman (along with Muscat), lie to the south. The two regions are connected by land only through UAE. That tiny crown on the unicorns (UAE shape) head, you see,  is Musandam.

Source: omanroadshow.com

To avoid multiple UAE-Oman border crossings, most Omani residents fly from Muscat to Khasab. 

Travel: 

For UAE residents the most convenient way to get to Khasab is by road. It is just a 3 hours’ drive, only 40 mins from Ras-al-Khaimah, the UAE’s northern most state. Before you plan make sure your car insurance covers travel to Oman. Without it, you will be denied entry.

The drive till the border is mundane. The moment you cross over, you realize what awaits you. With gigantic, rocky, mountains on one side and the Gulf on the other, it is one of the most scenic drives I have been on. 

It is interesting to know that as you drive, what lies on your left is first the Arabian gulf, then right at the bend is the Strait of Hormuz and what lies on the east after that, is the Gulf of Oman.

The travel itself is actually the highlight of the trip. Here are a few more sunset photos from the drive back home

Border crossing and visa *: 

At the border, when leaving UAE you will first have to visit the Departure lounge where you will get a departure stamp on your passport. A fee of 33 AED per passport is applicable. You will have to show proof of car registration and insurance. You then cross over to Oman where you apply for an Oman visa on arrival. You will need to fill a form, show your UAE ID and pay the visa fee of 50 AED per person. On the way back you will do the reverse – get the departure stamp on the Omani side and show your residence visa on UAE side. No fees need to paid on the way back.

By the way, there is also an option of applying for the visa online. This can avoid wait times on crowded long weekends. But there's a slight problem. We did apply online for our family of 4, 3 days before the travel date. We only received 2 visas on time. For the other two, we had to reapply at the border (money, spent twice :( ). The pending visas came a week later, after the trip, so were of no use.
So apply online, only if you are doing it well in advance. 

Note: If you have family or friends visiting from India, they cannot accompany you here. The visa on arrival scheme is available only for GCC 'residents'.

Currency:

The Omani Riyal(OMR) is a strong currency with 1 OMR almost 10 times the UAE dirham. You however do not need to carry OMR. Dirhams are accepted in most places. International credit cards can be used in supermarkets and hotels.

People: 

Most people we interacted with were – no surprise there – Indians. The few Omanis we met in the resort and at the nearby Lulu supermarket were friendly and soft spoken. Most importantly they seemed very hard working. 

Fishing seemed to be a major activity in the region. Boat loads of fish can be seen making their way to the shore at the Khasab port.

Military and Border Security offices could also be seen in plenty. Considering the strategic location that Musandam lies at, right at the entrance of the Arabian gulf, this is expected.

Food:

Food options are limited, even more so if you are a vegetarian. The resort we stayed at - Atana, Musandam had a decent breakfast buffet included. The dinner buffet there was exorbitantly priced, especially for the choices offered. We ate at a small restaurant call Telegraph Island restaurant (close by). There is also a Lulu supermarket where you can buy water and other snacking items so you don’t have to pay too much for the same, in the hotel.

Things to do:

The town itself is a sleepy town with small houses and narrow by-lanes. So there isn't much to do in the city. 

But the two things that you must do in your visit are the Mountain Safari and the Dolphin cruise.

Mountain Safari

The Mountain Safari was a 3-hour excursion in a rugged 4x4 up into the mountains. A driver/guide picked us up from the hotel and took us through some of the most scenic areas of the mountains. The ride itself was fun – not scary – but thrilling.

The first spot was Khor Najb – a fjord like ravine that reminded us of our trip to Norway (read my Norway blog here).  It would be unfair to compare the two because Norway would win hands down. But this was spectacular nevertheless. The bare-chested mountains showing off their ruggedness, and the blue Gulf water finding its way through them! What was not to like?

The car took speed as we climbed to almost 800 m above sea level. We stopped to inspect a Wadi (A Wadi is a small channel or valley that is normally dry except during rainy season. Flash floods are common in the area whenever it rains.)

As we kept with the ascent, we suddenly reached a surprisingly green, flat land. Date trees and fenced farms – at 1000m. Who would have thought? On the hill slopes in the distance a tiny Bedouin village could be seen.

We took a quick photo-stop but the mountain goats seemed a little too friendly; especially curious of my camera.

Just further ahead was one of the highlights of the trip. A vast area with numerous rocks.

What’s so special about rocks in a mountain you ask? Well, each of these rocks has fish and other marine fossils preserved in it for over a million years. Unbelievable! The guide explained that in the Jurassic period, this area, now a soaring 1100m above sea level, was in fact, under water. Goose bumps.

We continued with the climb, still untired of the endless range of mountains - one after the another, finally reaching the last point by road at 1600m. From there we saw the summit of Jabal Harim (Mountain of Women) – the tallest peak in Musandam, at 2087m.  

Wow, the tallest peak named after ‘Women’ I thought in pride, only to realize later, that history had an unhappier story to tell. Back in the old days, women used to retreat into the caves up there to avoid being carried off by pirates or rival tribes while the men in the family were away on fishing or trading expeditions. Why is it never any different? ☹

From where we stood, we could see the vast Hajar mountains (Al Hajar = The Rock in Arabic) spreading right up to the horizon.

This was the final stop of the trip. We were on the way back, traversing the exact same road (so if you have missed anything on the way to the top you can do it on the way back).

The guide showed us photos of the mountains covered in snow (it snows rarely once in 5 to 6 years).

 [PC: Akram, our friendly driver. Absolutely recommend him]

Now, that would make for an excellent re-visit!

Dolphin cruise

One can do the cruise as a full day or half day cruise. We had checked out of the hotel and had nothing to do so we opted for the full day cruise. The cruise starts from the Khasab port. We were around 30 of us on the double-decker dhow. The dhow cruised gently on the waters, slowly entering the fjords.

Around 45 minutes into the cruise we sighted the dolphins for the first time – a beautiful pair. The tour operators mention that there is a 95% chance that one will sight the dolphins and most of our friends who have been there before have said they were lucky. So, looks like that’s a pretty good probability.

We continued for an hour. The kids continued feasting on the unlimited oranges and soft drinks 😊. The dhow then parked itself in the middle of a fjord. Those who wanted to jump into the water for a dip, could do so. Snorkeling gear was provided but not many seem interested in that.  The water was cold, but that wasn’t the main deterrent for me to dive in. There were more than a hundred jelly fish in the water.

The dare devils (aka other members of my family) jumped in. I gladly took pictures.

After the swim, food was served.  The food was decent – not particularly lip smacking. The dhow continued further to another point where people jumped out again. The jelly fish welcomed us again. Tired divers got onto the boat after the second swim. It was time to head back. 

Most people on the deck were now enjoying a siesta in the pleasant breeze on the upper deck. We reached back to the port at 4:00pm and then drove back home to Dubai.

Other things to do:

We didn’t have the time, but with an extra day we could have visited the Khasab fort. The Bassa beach looked like a quiet, inviting beach where we could have easily spent a good evening. Maybe next time.

To sum it up, Musandam is a wonderful getaway within a couple of hours of drive from the UAE. Find the next long weekend on the calendar and go for it.

If you need help planning it, I really recommend our tour operator Sherin (+968 9171 3449). He tried his best to accommodate my request for the double decker dhow as my daughter was a little afraid of being in the smaller one. All bookings were made easily through whatsapp and payment was made after each tour.

*- At the time of writing. Please check official sites for exact fees and rules.