I got a question:
How easy is it to backpack the UAE?
With easiness I mean:
expenciveness - I don't got a ton of money - what would I use a day as a budget travelller?
getting around - Can I get around with public transport or by walking?
cheap(er) activities - What fun, cool and cheap things are there to do? Are organiced trips whitin option?
food? - cheap street food, is that normal?
My girlfriend and I are thinking of a two week trip for the UAE and Oman in January.
Karl
You can backpack pretty much anywhere, but the UAE is not exactly well set up for backpacking or budget travllers and I can think of better places in this part of the world to backpack. India and Africa are very close to here, and places like Jordan and Egypt are good backpacking locations assuming the political situation remains OK.
There is plenty of public transport to get between the main cities in the UAE, which is cheap. A bus from Abu Dhabi to Dubai is about AED25. There is also good public transport within Dubai, both buses and the metro, which makes getting around easy and affordable.
Street food can be bought cheaply, say around AED15 for a schwarma and a juice. Booze is expensive; it'll cost you around AED30 for a beer in most places.
Accommodation is going to be the main issue for you; there is hostel in Dubai but I think that's it. Other than that, you can find cheap hotels for maybe AED150 per room per night but they can be fairly unpleasant.
Organised trips are generally aimed at package tourists e.g. a desert safari will cost around AED200-300 per person. Fun/cool/cheap things in Dubai: you can go to the beach, go browsing around in the gold souk & spice souk, watch the dancing fountains at Burj Khalifa, look at the Dhows along the creek, visit a mosque, the old fort and museum, the old wind towers around Bastikiya and the Textile Souk. Outside of Dubai, there are a few forts and of course the desert. Sharjah has a few things of cultural interest. The east coast has a few nice beaches and a bit of snorkelling but it's nothing to get massively excited about as a backpacker.
Oman is a slightly different proposition as it is much bigger and has a lot more heritage and a huge coastline, but even then I am not sure it's well suited to backpacking. A car would be a better way of seeing Oman.
The UAE is an expensive country, on the whole, and while it's possible to travel more cheaply than most people, the tourist infrastructure here is still geared towards the higher end traveler.
I honestly don't think there's enough in the UAE or even Oman to justify a two week backpacking tour. It's fun to come to Dubai for a few days en-route to India or Asia or Africa, but beyond that it may quickly grow stale. The cities are expensive and the countryside remote and difficult to access without a private car. While Dubai may have a few historical odds and bits, the real standouts are the fancy hotels and malls and skyscrapers, none of which are cheap. The countryside is also not necessarily that impressive. There's plenty of countries with sand dunes and scenic mountains and quaint villages, when combined with lower travel costs and more extensive (and genuine) culture, make for a far more interesting trip. In short, you'd get more value for your money by doing a two week backpacking trip through Egypt or Jordan (as the other poster mentioned) or Morocco India or Nepal and save Dubai for a 2-3 day layover.
Edited by: tallybalt
I think tallybalt sums it up well - there is not that much to see, culturally it is rather lacking, and it's expensive, so consider it as a stopover but don't plan an entire 2 week trip here.
I honestly don't think there's enough in the UAE or even Oman to justify a two week backpacking tour.
Correct about the UAE. Dead wrong about Oman. Traveled on a tight budget for a week there, and would've killed to have another.
Where would be the best area to stay in for a few days to a week? I am also on a backpackers budget. I don't intend on going to the bars much. But sightseeing in the daytime.
Is there anything to see outside of Dubai?
apologies if this should be in a new topic, but it seems to apply here.
@ quentinlittle, if you're got a few days or a week in Dubai on a backpackers budget, then I guess the best thing is to stay at the hostel in Al Nahda or one of the cheap hotels in Deira. In terms of things to do that won't cost you much, you could easily pass a day or two exploring both sides of Dubai creek. this is the original hub of Dubai so there are quite a few souks (Gold souk, Spice Souk, Textile souk, Fish market etc) and lots of dhows loading and unloading.
There is also the Bastakiya area which is traditional, where there are a few good cafes and some art galleries which I think are free to enter. Then there's Dubai museum nearby Bastakiya and Sheikh Saeed's house etc. There are some interesting little lanes off Al Fahidi Street which have a bit of an atmosphere.
Crossing the creek is cheap and easy on the abra (small boat - cost is about AED1 I think).
You could also spend a day just messing around on Dubai metro - gives you a good feel for the city. A one day pass is only AED16 and I think that includes the buses too (not sure).
Have a look at the Burj Al Arab, go to the public beach in Jumeirah (free) or the Jumeirah Beach Park (AED5 entry). There's Palm Jumeirah but it's little more than a very expensive housing estate.
Go and look at the Burj Khalifa (world's tallest building), they don't charge you for looking at it. You can also watch the dancing fountains at the Burj Khalifa at night which sounds rubbish but it's actually fairly good. Or am I just getting old? There's ice skating in Dubai Mall and also an aquarium - the latter is free.
Have a schwarma and a pomegranate juice at one of the many street cafes in Deira or Bur Dubai. Try Cheese manakeesh from the Lebanese Bakery in Karama. Go wandering around the shops in Karama selling fake watches, clothers and handbags.
Outside of Dubai, consider a trip to Sharjah for souks, the waterfront, a few museums and more of a traditional Islamic atmosphere. If you're staying in Al Nahda, you are anyway on the Sharjah border.
There are the mountains and wadis in Ras Al Khaimah but I don't think it will be easy for you to access them without a car unless you take a tour. There's also the desert but again it requires a car or going on a tour. On the east coast there'a a bit of snorkelling and diving around the Dibba area, plus a few old forts and mosques. You can probably get a bus over there but budget accommodation is generally quite difficult to find - it's mainly international hotels.
My suggestion is just spend 2-3 days here if you're backpacking, there's not enough to warrant staying longer unless you just want to sit on the beach. One book worth reading is 'Hello Dubai' by Joe Bennett - he covers all that good bits and the bad bits of Dubai.
Hi Karl
Myself and my partner have just completed 1 week backpacking around Oman. We have 2 more weeks left and fly out of Muscat on 29 Jan. I am currently compiling a post of the information we have picked up on our travels, as there are no tourist information centres here and maps and info can be very hard to find. I will post in the next week or so I hope (prefer being outside not inside on computer!).
If you are still looking at doing this trip then please message me, as we have a full set of camping gear we would like to sell.
We are driving Muscat to Salalah and return, with a trip up to Musandam also.
Gear includes single gas burner, kitchen box, etc - everything you need to camp. You can stop at any beach, park, etc and camp. Every place has been very safe and very friendly, helpful people.
Let us know if you are planning to arrive on or just before 29 Jan and we could sell you the whole kit for a reasonable price.
Thanks, Erin and Keith