Quick Dubai to Oman Round Trip Boarder Run

Quick Dubai to Oman Round Trip Boarder Run

I have done two of the fastest bus boarder runs in history from Dubai to Muscat (Sept & Oct 2009) and found both trips have been easier than getting a Noble Peace prize. Here’s how I did it…
I live in AL Bad’a near Satwa, so I grabbed a cab around 6:15 from Satwa. Told the driver I was heading to Oman and I wanted to go to the Al Rigga road bus station. Make sure your clear about saying ‘Oman’ cause there is a local bus station near by. Arrived behind the buses lined on the road destined for Muscat. 6:30, Flicked the taxi driver 20Dhs and bought a ticket from the bus driver. I paid 50 Dhs and said I was heading to Sohar. Still half asleep, I jumped on the Comfort Line bus that left the ‘station’ at 7:00 SHARP! Alternatively, you could jump on the Metro and get off at the Al Rigga underground station. The metro operates from 6:00, so should give you enough time to get there. Check if this station is currently open.

Full steam ahead until the Hatta boarder and jumped off at the first boarder post. Passport exit stamped. Back on the bus for 50m for a bag inspection and dog-sniff, then on to Wajaja boarder post on the Oman side. Big concrete arab building where you fill out an entry form and pay your 6 Rials or 60 Dhs. Passport Oman entry stamped. Now you are in Oman.

As you are heading roughly 10kms from the boarder into Sohar pay attention, drop that book you were reading and pause the mp3 player. Now this is where this round trip gets precise. The bus will be going for it on the long straights and it will start to slow down for a few roundabouts. The roundabout you are looking for is the one with a large silver world globe. A massive Lu-Lu Hypermarket is on the right side of the round about. Tell the driver you want to get off at the Shell bus station on A’Suwaiharah St service road (the road running parallel to the main road). This particular station is approx 3kms from the globe roundabout and is where all the action happens. It’s where the Muscat bus stops on the way into Dubai. It’s a regular Shell station with pumps, etc, and there’s a white building behind with blue windows with several fast food shops inside. There is a sweet little mosque to the left of this white building. At this point you want to check the time. If the boarder run was smooth and the driver was boosting like mine, then you should be at the Shell station at around 9:45. Muscat to Dubai bus should pull up outside the mosque at 10:00 and depart around 10:15. So If you make this bus, then you are sorted. If not, not sure how long the wait is for the next one. Ticket from the bus driver 3 Rials or 30 Dhs back to Dubai.

Trip back is so easy it’s not funny. Head back to the Wajaja boarder. Hand the driver your passport for an Oman exit stamp (you don’t even have to get off the bus). Then head to the UAE boarder post where you will have to get off your butt and front up at the window with your passport, smile and get a 30day visit visa for UAE for free. See if you can ask for a 90 day visa?

Back on the bus, the boarder patrol may do a quick search. Then its back to your novel and snacks for the 2.5 hour ride back to Deira. The bus arrives back at 14:00 to the same point you caught it earlier on that day. I asked the driver to drop me off at the Deira city center metro station on the way back.

That’s it! Back home by 15:00, with another 30days in the UAE. Back to bad driving and window shopping at the Dubai mall. Just a note: The Ladies may want to wear long pants and a jumper/sweater as the air conditioning on the bus is a bit chilly. I have done 5 boarder runs and the passport officers do not care that you are doing all these boarder runs. Only downside is there are quite a few stamps involved and can max out the pages…