The Abu Dhabi to Khasab drive is 4–4.5 hours (350 km), which is too long for a same-day round trip. We recommend the 2-night package (1 night in a Khasab hotel, 1 night on the dhow), or the self-drive + transfer option (we drive your car back, you fly home). From 500 AED per person self-drive + 1 night.
The total drive is 10–12 hours. The border is busiest on Friday afternoon and the day after UAE public holidays. The earliest you can leave Abu Dhabi for a same-day dhow cruise is 04:00, and the latest you can be back is 23:00 — a 19-hour day, with 10 hours of driving. It is not safe, and we do not run same-day trips from Abu Dhabi.
Day 1: drive Abu Dhabi to Khasab (4.5 hours), check in to hotel, evening corniche walk. Day 2: full-day dhow cruise + Telegraph Island snorkel + mountain safari. Day 3: drive back to Abu Dhabi.
From 1,400 AED / person
Includes hotel, dhow, safari, all transfers from Abu Dhabi
You drive from Abu Dhabi to Khasab (4.5 hours), do the dhow cruise + hotel, and we drive your car back to Abu Dhabi while you fly home from Khasab Airport (or vice versa).
From 80 OMR / way
Saves 4.5 hours of driving on each end
The best option from Abu Dhabi is the self-drive + transfer service. Drive to Khasab on day 1 (4.5 hours), enjoy the dhow cruise on day 2, and while you are on the water our driver returns your car to Abu Dhabi. You fly home from Khasab Airport (1.5 hours, 35 OMR). Total time saved: 9 hours of driving.
Six hours on board the dhow Al-Salam or Al-Khaleej through Khor Sham, with a swim-and-snorkel stop at Telegraph Island, an on-board Omani buffet, and a 90%+ chance of seeing dolphins on the way in.
20 OMR
A 3.5-hour morning or afternoon dhow cruise into Khor Sham with one snorkel stop at Telegraph Island. Best for cruise-ship passengers and short-stay visitors.
12 OMR
A 9–10 hour 4x4 expedition to Jebel Harim (2,087 m), Khor Najd viewpoint, fossil sites and a Bedouin village, with a mountain-top picnic lunch.
25 OMR
A 24-hour dhow trip: full day on the water, BBQ dinner under the stars, sleep on board in a sheltered cove, dawn snorkel and breakfast before returning.
50 OMR
Charter the dhow Al-Salam or Al-Khaleej privately. Pick the route, the menu and the schedule. Best for families, honeymoons and small events.
150 OMR
A 2-hour speedboat dolphin-watching tour in Khor Sham with a marine guide. We see dolphins on about 85% of trips; same species every month of the year.
15 OMR
4 to 4.5 hours one-way, plus 30 to 60 minutes at the border. Total door-to-door is 5 to 6 hours. The route is E11 north through Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, RAK to the Al Dara border, then the mountain road to Khasab.
Not safely. The total drive is 10 to 12 hours. We recommend either an overnight in Khasab, a 2-night package, or the self-drive + transfer option where we drive your car back while you fly home from Khasab Airport.
Self-drive + 1 night in Khasab: from 500 AED per person. 2-night package with dhow cruise and mountain safari: from 1,400 AED per person. Self-drive + transfer (we return your car): 80 OMR each way.
Yes. 50 AED per person at the border (Oman visa), 35 AED per person (UAE exit fee), 100 AED per car (1-day Oman insurance). Total border cost for 2 people with 1 car: approximately 270 AED.
Wednesday or Saturday. Avoid Friday afternoon (worst traffic) and the days after UAE public holidays (worst border queues). Tuesday morning is also quiet.
No. There is no direct bus. You can take the E101 bus from Abu Dhabi to Dubai (2 hours, 25 AED), then a Dubai–RAK taxi (150 AED), then a RAK–Khasab shared taxi (20 AED). Total: about 200 AED and 6 hours.
Tell us your group size, your dates, and your preferred option. We will send back a custom plan with the cost, the drive time, and the border procedure within 30 minutes.
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