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Hi there, I am planning to drive down to Salalah for the first time. Looking at the map, there seem to be two routes: the inland one and the coastal…

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ONLINE

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 08:58:46 +0000

Hi there,

I am planning to drive down to Salalah for the first time. Looking at the map, there seem to be two routes: the inland one and the coastal one. I've been driving along the brand new coastal route from Muscat via Sur down to the ferry landing for Masira island and found it pretty scenic. I've also done the inland route from Mahud to Sinaw and then through the mountains back to Muscat.

Question 1: Can you drive with a sedan car (!) all ALONG THE COAST (i.e. NOT on the inland road) to Salalah? I heard that only the last bit you can't but nobody can because it's a military area? Anybody has more information on that?

Question 2: How long does it take to drive ALONG THE COASTAL ROUTE from Muscat (I know the inland route is supposed to take 10-12 hours)? I'm quite a fast driver, from Muscat (Khuwair) to the ferry landing for Masira Island took me about 4 1/2 hours via the coastal route through Sur. How good or bad is the road south of that?

Question 3: Is anybody aware of a hotel between Sur and Mahud? I stayed at Mahud's single hotel last time and wasn't exactly impressed by the room (highly recommend the restaurant though).

Any help is greatly appreciated.

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ONLINE

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:03:07 +0000

The coast road to MCT-SLL is not completed as yet. They are still carving it out and it will be a few years before it is completed. If you plan to go it will have to be inland for now. Shame as I would love to do it myself - maybe one day.....

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Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:06:52 +0000

I went last weekend and here are the answers:
(1) from Sadah to Shalim you need a 4WD, apart from that sedan car is fine
(2) about 11 hours (without stops) if you go really fast. The inland road Salalah-Al Khuwair took me a little over 8 hours including stops which is very fast. Coastal road is MUCH more interesting.
(3) there don't seem to be any

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Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:25:11 +0000

Great info. Thanks, aki2006

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Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:24:44 +0000

Hi,

I am planning a road trip from abu dhabi to salalah, I would like to stop over somewhere either in Sur or Masirah Island, I would like to know if I am taking the right route, Abu Dhabi to Masirah Island to Salalah, or is it a long way I am taking. We are 2 adults and 2 kids any help would be appreciated.

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Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:31:22 +0000

Unless you actively want to spend time on Masirah, using the island as a stopover is a bad move, just because of the cost and time needed for the ferries. The crossing takes an hour plus in each direction, and depending on the time of day, you could end up waiting for a couple of hours for the ferry.

If you want a stopover point to break the journey into 2 days, I'd suggest one of the desert camps in the Wahiba, or maybe the turtle beaches at Ras al Hadd or Ras al Jinz. This would be a much better way to break the journey than Masirah without adding hours of waiting around to your route. And much more fun for the kids.

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Wed, 20 Jul 2011 06:29:31 +0000

Thanks Genghis, for your reply and advice, I agree with that, so, if you could help me little bit more, and suggest what is a good time to leave from Abu Dhabi to stopover and Ras al Jinz, secondly I was thinking of Jabal Shams too, but found that Jabal shams resort is not in service any more. I appreciate support.

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Wed, 20 Jul 2011 07:15:12 +0000

It would take around 7 hours (maybe 8 depending on speed) of driving time to get from AUH to Ras al Jinz, and I'm guessing that with kids in the car you'll be needing to take proper stops for lunch etc, so assume it will take 9 hours minimum. I'd be aiming to hit the road at 08:00 in the morning.

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Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:43:03 +0000

Thanks for the info, would you kindly guide me the best route from abu dhabi to salalah, and what about night driving, I am looking for stopover, if needed, thanks in advance.

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Tue, 26 Jul 2011 06:59:15 +0000

Hi aki2006, i've private messaged you, i'm doing this drive soon and would love to know more about the portion of the "off road" coastal route at the end of the journey from Sadah to Shalim

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