After 12 years in Dubai and hearing everyone rave about Musandam – we finally made the trip there in February of 2024 during the mid-term school break. What a beautiful place, and such a great spot to go to with the kids as well. Now we know what the fuss is all about! 🙂
Here’s a brief rundown of our Musandam trip with the family – which will hopefully be helpful for you, if you are planning to go there with the kids. Read on.
How did we get to Musandam, from Dubai?
We drove, from Dubai Marina to Musandam – on a two-car convoy.
The main routes northbound from the marina is E311 or E611 depending on traffic which later on connects onto E11 to Al Dara Border Crossing. This took about 2 hours.
Allow a minimum of half an hour at the border crossing – which again depends on how busy it is, and if there are any complications within your troupe or car (more details, below).
It’s another hour drive to our resort in Musandam.
What is the Dubai-Musandam border crossing like?
The only way to Musandam via car, is through the Al Dara Border Crossing (see Googlemaps location below).
When you get to the crossing, you will have to park your car and then go inside with the entire family. It’s basically a customs check-point.
Note : We initially thought we could make a detour up Jebel Jais, have lunch in 1484 by Puro and then drive down the mountain on the other side. No – you cannot do that.
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What are the current rules at the Dubai-Musandam border crossing?
Well – we stressed for days leading up to the trip, as there was a lot of information online but some were conflicting, and we weren’t sure what was the latest info. The following notes is our personal experience at the Al Dara Border Crossing.
Kindly check current rules on Oman Directorate General of Customs.
Our experience at the Al Dara Border crossing in February 2024 – UAE Side :
- Visa Requirements :
- You can apply for an online e-visa beforehand (we got ours from Royal Oman Police website).
- Alternatively, you can also get your visa at the border – if your passport is eligible for visa-on-arrival. Check this on the Visa Eligibility page on the Royal Oman Police Website.
- Note that passport needs to be valid for 6 months from day of entry to Oman.
- Own Cars :
- Bring your Mulkiya or Car Registration Card/Document.
- Cars with a personal loan needs an N.O.C from the bank which allows them to take car across to Oman.
- Some banks would insist that you pay off the entire sum of the loan, before they can issue you the N.O.C, or
- Request that you transfer a sum, equivalent to the remainder of the loan, into your bank account with them, before they can issue you the N.O.C
- If you do not get this N.O.C – customs will NOT let you take the car across.
- Bring your orange card, which shows insurance coverage in Oman.
- In case you don’t have Insurance for the car you can do it after the UAE border. On the right side – there is a kiosk where you can apply for one, using only your car registration card, Emirates ID and Credit Card.
- Rental Cars :
- Rental Cars needs an NOC to take the car across to Oman.
- FYI We did ring a few companies and none of them would lease us a car to bring to Oman.
- Fees : We had to pay 30.42 AED per person for the exit fee (see snapshot below)
Our experience at the border crossing in February 2024 – Oman Side :
You get back into your car, and drive pass the gate – showing them the approved visa, to get to the ‘Oman Side’.
Again, you have to park your car and get the whole family out to the customs check-point. They asked for the same things as above. There was no fee at the Oman side.
If you have any queries about our UAE-Musandam border crossing experience – ask in the comments section.
Where did we stay with the kids, in Musandam?
We stayed in Atana Musandam for two nights.
It’s a lovely boutique hotel located about an hours drive from the Al Dara Border Crossing.
See our review of Atana Musandam, with the family to see how it’s like, and if it’ll suit what you’re looking for!
Another family-friendly hotel, located on the edge of the mountain by the sea is Atana Khasab. The views from there are absolutely breathtaking! They do have a large family pool, and a smaller kids pool with a kids playground. More details on Atana Khasab’s website.
We would recommend you choose either of these for your staycation in Musandam with kids. They’re both quite different – in terms of location, views, as well as amenities. So it all depends what you like as well 🙂
- Whatsapp Atana Hotels on +968 9199 9030
- Call Atana Hotels on ＋971 50 4101461
- Email Atana Hotels on stay@atanahotels.com
Did you do any excursions outside of the resort in Musandam?
Over the weekend in Musandam, we went out on two excursions or trips :
- Boat tour through the Musandam fjords, with Dolphin Khasab Tours. Have a look at our boat tour experience. Whatsapp +968 9956 6672 for more details.
- Musandam Zipline, at Oman Adventures Centre. Have a read how the musandam zipline experience went, and why you should do it if you’re a thrill-seeker!
We spent the rest of the time in Atana Musandam with the family – by the pool, playground and surroundings. Just chillin’ 🙂
How was the journey back to Dubai?
It definitely felt quicker going home. It always does, doesn’t it?
The customs was fairly strict with our car, at the Oman side as they got us to remove all the luggages to be put through the baggage scanner. It must’ve been a spot check as we did notice that they didn’t ask everyone at the queue to do that. No issues though, as we got through to the Dubai side. We popped in for the customs checkpoint – passports and all.
And……… that’s it – border crossing, done 🙂
Overall Thoughts
Musandam is such a beautiful place to go, with the family. It’s a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Dubai – with the beautiful landscape. You definitely have to take the kids on the boat trip to see the dolphins, and if you’re not too scared of heights – add the Musandam Zipline on your bucket list.
There are definitely lots of trekking options as well but we ran out of time. We will definitely be back.
Any queries, please ask in the reel below!
Disclaimer : We were guests of Atana Musandam, Dolphin Khasab Tours & Oman Adventures.
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