oman trip - ideas please

[Psychobert]

Gentleman Geoff said:

shirt said:

i'll buy the book, that looks a must see!

p150. 10km before Yasab.

I'll tap you both for ideas later, plan on a similar trip myself shortly..

[z4chris99]

wadi Shab the keyhole etc
snake canyon
turtle beach
green mountain
white sands (not the new hotel bit)

the grand mosque
the chedi
nizwa
kargeens for shisha and chilling
rock bottom so you never complain about Dubai nightlife


was much more fun back in the day when there were no roads to these places

[shirt]

cheers guys. i think it's going to be 3 nights/4 days.

drive to muscat via nizwa. overnight at the al bustan. the chedhi looks great but $$$,

explore muscat, drive and overnight at the desert nights camp: http://www.omanhotels.com/desertnightscamp/gallery...

dune bashing, drive and stay at geoff's campsite.

explore the mountains and hightail it home.


2 questions:

what's the easiest/cheapest method of getting omani car insurance? do i also need my driver's licence [have lost it ].

do any of you have an omani GPS i could borrow for a couple of days? the blackberry gps is hopeless at the best of times.

[Dusty964]

You can get your insurance at the border crossing point Phil.

I will check my Sat nav when i get home for you- it does fk all in Duabi, so it must know something, somewhere

[z4chris99]

you don't need a GPS there is only one motorway.

[K50 DEL]

Check your car insurance docs mate, all 3 of mine have Oman cover built in... I think it's almost standard now, the old Omani insurance place at the Hatta crossing was pretty much deserted when I went through a fortnight ago.

I have full 2013 Omani maps on my GPS, if you want to borrow it you're more than welcome.

[dxbtiger]

As Del said, I think you'll find your insurance has Oman cover, mine always has.

[IanUAE]

At the border I have only ever shown vehicle registration card and passport. If asked if I have insurance I say yes I have (I do as insurance is with AXA).

As is the case with Dubai the roads in and around Muscat are changing alot.

[yorky500]

IanUAE said:

At the border I have only ever shown vehicle registration card and passport. If asked if I have insurance I say yes I have (I do as insurance is with AXA).

As is the case with Dubai the roads in and around Muscat are changing alot.

yes, that's because you already have insurance and are talking to the people at the Visa counter. However if Shirt has to buy insurance he will need his DL and registration card.

[Gentleman Geoff]

IanUAE said:

At the border I have only ever shown vehicle registration card and passport. If asked if I have insurance I say yes I have (I do as insurance is with AXA).

I've been asked for my insurance documents at the Oman border and have had to go back out to the car park to retrieve them.

[K50 DEL]

Gentleman Geoff said:

IanUAE said:

At the border I have only ever shown vehicle registration card and passport. If asked if I have insurance I say yes I have (I do as insurance is with AXA).

I've been asked for my insurance documents at the Oman border and have had to go back out to the car park to retrieve them.

I was expecting to be asked, so the first few times I always made sure I had them.... since then I've never bothered taking them as I've never once been asked. Sounds as though I should start taking them again just in case.

[yorky500]

K50 DEL said:

Gentleman Geoff said:

IanUAE said:

At the border I have only ever shown vehicle registration card and passport. If asked if I have insurance I say yes I have (I do as insurance is with AXA).

I've been asked for my insurance documents at the Oman border and have had to go back out to the car park to retrieve them.

I was expecting to be asked, so the first few times I always made sure I had them.... since then I've never bothered taking them as I've never once been asked. Sounds as though I should start taking them again just in case.

On a not so long ago drive to Khasab. I had to show the border boys my newly purchased insurance. As we were "hooning" it along the coast road, I flew past a couple of army chaps manning a 50 cal thinking "mmmmmmm, what they doing there?" and not 500 or so meters later after a rather nice bend I was pulled over at an army check point. I was asked why I was "rallying" and asked to show my DL and insurance. It was funny as I had the Go-Pro mounted on the roof of the car and filming the whole time.

So, seems like they are implementing the same checkpoints that you find on the Dubai to hatta road.

I have also experienced these checkpoints on the Oman side after going through the Al Ain border crossing.

[shirt]

z4chris99 said:

you don't need a GPS there is only one motorway.

gps for mainly offroad use and finding the geo positions in the explorer guide. i don't trust the blackberry to be more accurate than throwing a dart at the map.

i've designated saturday morning to go sit in barsha police station/rta. need a replacement driving licence and i've also managed to lose my vehicle registration card along with it. careless, but i'm sure after 3-4hrs waiting it won't be something i'd care to repeat.

[Hitch78]

Pretty sure the police section is not open on Saturday - this was my experience a year or so ago anyway.

[shirt]

cheers, good to know. i'll do the police report at jebel ali then. def. barsha for the sit in though as they hve the licensing section based there.

[rabailey]

But don't you need a car to drive to Oman ?

[shirt]

[shirt]

New licence and registration card sorted at barsha, one hour all in, not bad!

Licence pic replete with denim workshirt and movember tache. Porntastic!

[Dusty964]

Good work.

When are you away again mate? You did tell me, but i forgot through the thick fug of Bombay Sapphire

[K50 DEL]

Update to the insurance situation....

Thanks to a valet parking muppet I've been to Oman and back twice in the last 2 days.

When I drove myself in in the Corvette I was not asked at any point for insurance details, however at the main immigration hall all the Indian nationals in the queue in front of me were asked and some had to leave the queue, buy insurance and then rejoin at the back.

My second trip through was in an Omani plated pickup, we obviously had to stop again so I could get another visa, my Omani driver was asked to produce his details and vehicle insurance as well.

Seems to be nationality specific!