This is the guide for those who are planning a road trip to Salalah, the land of Frankincense and the capital of Oman’s Dhofar Governorate, from Dubai or other parts of United Arab Emirates (like Sharjah, Ajman, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Ummal Quwain, and Fujairah). You can travel either by car or by Bus. Yes, there is a daily bus service from Deira in Dubai to Salalah. Read: GTC Bus Service between UAE and Oman

This Post Contains

Dubai to Salalah Road Trip by Car

There are although two highways that connect Dubai with Salalah, Haima will come on the inland highway. The other highway, which is also known as the coastal highway, goes through Duqm, but that will make the route longer. For those who have more time, and would like to explore Oman by road more on this trip can choose the later option. I haven’t traveled on that route till now, but have got good feedback from those who have used it in the past.

This post covers drive through Haima, which is the shortest possible route to get to Salalah from UAE. There could be two possible variants to reach Salalah – via Muscat or Nizwa or without traveling to Muscat and / or Nizwa. Some travelers, who want to see the capital of Oman, which is merely 4 hours drive from Dubai, on the way to Salalah, they can for sure cover Muscat also in this trip. However, that would add an additional couple of hours drive to go towards Muscat and then drive from Muscat to Salalah. Before reaching Muscat, you will pass through Nizwa.

Type of Vehicle to Drive – Saloon or SUV?

My road trip was in Nissan Sentra, 1600 cc, saloon / sedan vehicle. Most people recommend to drive in 4×4 car as this will be more comfortable and have a better road grip.

On various places on the road, there are signs that desert dunes are located and can cross the road if windy. So with a 4×4 vehicle there wouldn’t be a problem. Luckily we didn’t have any sand storm that day and there wasn’t any hindrance.

There could be some days when the wind is stronger and a 4×4 would definitely have a better road grip in this scenario.

However, Saloon car is fine too and I have traveled in it.

Dubai to Salalah Road Condition

Road is entirely marked and have proper sign boards throughout the journey. Some of the uncommon signs will be for the sand dunes and diversions. The diversions were due to road construction at the time of traveling (at some part building the dual carriageway).

From Dubai to Haima, the road is usually dual carriageway, except for a few patches. While from Haima to Thumrait, the road is single carriageway. From Thumrait to Salalah, again the road is dual carriageway.

There is a lay bay every 10 kilometers on the single carriageway.

Type of Vehicles on the Road

The road is mostly used by private cars, trucks, trailers and bus services like bus service from Dubai to Salalah by GTC, and within Oman bus services by Mwasalat, Gulf Transport Company, Gulf Line Transport, Salalah Line Transport, Desert King and Al Ghazal). On the single carriageways, beware of the long vehicles and drive with caution. Overtake only wherever permitted.

Is it safe to Drive?

In the day time, there is hardly any difficulty in driving as the visibility is good (unless its a day of sand storm). The drive from Haima to Thamrait requires more caution and attention due to single carriageway.

Don’t drive at night unless necessary. Everyone I consulted with before driving to Dubai / Salalah forbade me to drive at night. This is mainly as the highway is not lit and in single carriageway it will be quite difficult. In this case an overnight stay can be helpful.

Do I need Extra Fuel?

Actually no, just get the car gasoline tank filled in Al Ain or Dubai at the start of the journey, then in Ibri and then in Haima and once you reach Salalah you can refill again. That depends on the tank storage and fuel consumption of your vehicle. My car can run 500 kilometer once fully filled.

Can we split the journey by staying overnight somewhere?

Splitting the journey with a night stay depends on your circumstances. Below are the questions to consider before taking a decision:

Can you drive in one stretch to Salalah, which is 16 hours?
Can you drive at night? as 16 hours will have some hours of drive without day light even if you start early
Do you have another driver with you who can be behind the wheels?
Are you all adults? as kids can be quite uncomfortable with long trip

If the answer to all the questions above is a No, then it’s better to split the journey with an overnight stay. Read My Hotel Guide In Haima for more details on Overnight Stay

Things to Keep during the Road Trip

Although you can bring things whatever you like as it’s your own car, but at least keep the following:

Keep lots of water bottles
some light snacks to eat on the way
Car charging cable for Cell Phone
Portable mobile charger like power banks
Omani rials as some of the fuel station and restaurants on the way will not accept credit card or AED.
Most Important: Preload Google Map for the trip – or buy Omani sim card for data or activate roaming data on UAE sim. Google map will be very helpful for your journey.

Detailed Experience of Dubai to Salalah Road Trip

I am breaking Dubai – Salalah Road Trip into 6 parts – Dubai to Al Ain, Al Ain to Ibri, Ibri to Nizwa or Haima, Night Stay in Haima or Nizwa, Haima to Thumrait, and Thamrait to Salalah. Each section will cover in details what I did in that part of the journey and I hope this information will be helpful for you to plan your journey.

Part 1: Dubai to Al Ain – Mazyad / Hafeet Border Post Checks

The drive from Dubai or any other emirates in UAE like Sharjah, Ajman, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Ummal Quwain, and Fujairah, will not be difficult as being a resident there it will look like another normal drive in UAE. Just follow the speed limits and drive with necessary caution. Google map navigation will help.

The ideal check post for this trip at Al Ain, UAE will be Mazyad border post. Once you leave UAE, you will enter Oman and the border post of Hafeet. Keep your passports ready with you as you will need to show that on both border posts for immigration process.

Oman has launched E-visa facility for GCC residents, you can apply for Oman Visa Online on the Government Portal.

Other than the passport, resident cards and E-visa, you will need the driving license, car registration card and insurance of the vehicle to pass the border.

Part 2: Hafeet to Ibri Road Trip

Once you enter Oman at Hafeet, the entire landscape will change. You will not see high rises or ultra modern construction. Life in Oman is simple and during the entire trip you will be seeing two to three stories villas or a building with few floors. This is where Oman stands out in the entire Middle East, it is a country which is preserving its rich history and is famous in the world for its pristine places and simple yet modern lifestyle.

From Hafeet to Ibri, the journey is around 200 kilometers and it will take approximately 2 hours.

Part 3: From Ibri to Nizwa or Haima – Depends on Breaking the Journey

Well this really depends on you if you want to make an over night stop over. In case if you want, you can choose between Nizwa, Haima or Duqm. Haima will be on the way to Salalah, without driving any extra mile.

Nizwa on the other hand will be on the eastern side and would need an extra drive. By the time you reach Nizwa, you would have traveled 5 hours and this will enable you to start late from Dubai or if you arrive Nizwa earlier, you can have some sightseeing there. Next day you can proceed from Nizwa to Salalah as per this post.

Duqm is an option which you can access from Haima and its on the southern side of Haima. From Duqm you can travel to Salalah on the coastal highway via Ash Shuwaymiyyah, Hasik, Hadbeen, Sadha and Mirbat.

Part 4: Night Stay in Haima or Nizwa – Breaking the Journey

If you don’t want to break the journey, you can skip this part and proceed to part 5 of this post. In case if you want to break, there are two options for overnight stay to choose from – Nizwa or Haima.

Why I recommend Staying in Nizwa?

If you want to make an overnight stay for breaking the road trip, my preference will be that you do it in Nizwa. Mainly in that way you can also explore Nizwa, which is one of the oldest cities in Oman and has couple of sightseeing options. It has second largest mosque in Oman, a famous souq, splendid fort and a big mall as well.

Read: Top Places to Visit in Nizwa Oman

In this case, you have to drive some 140 kilometers extra to drive from Ibri to Nizwa and would take approximately 85 minutes. Another reason why I prefer staying in Nizwa over Haima is that in Nizwa you can book the hotel of your choice online prior to arrival. Whereas, in Haima, the hotels are not bookable online.

Definitely Check out the hotel options for a lovely night stay in Nizwa on Booking.com

Haima Hotels are not Bookable online

Second option for an over night stay is in Haima. In this case you don’t have to drift from the main route. Unfortunately, Haima doesn’t have many hotels and the accommodation options are not so great. Staying at Haima is just an option to avoid driving at night and sleep. You need to go to the hotel and check for its availability on arrival.

Below are the options for Night Stay in Haima:

Arabian Oryx Hotel: This is the first hotel on the right side, even before entering Haima. The hotel is pretty basic but since its the first one on the route from Dubai to Haima, some people prefer to just stop here and break the journey. Read: Review of Arabian Oryx Hotel, Haima Oman
Arabia Gulf Hotel: Arabia Gulf Hotel is another option to stay in Haima Oman. I didn’t stay in this hotel, nor I saw it from inside so I don’t have any knowledge about how the hotel is from inside. Check out the Google Map Location of Arabian Gulf Hotel Haima
Arabian Sands Hotel: The above two hotels (Arabian Oryx and Arabian Gulf) are on the other side of the highway, while the town is on the other side. Arabian Sands Hotel is the most popular one in the town. Check out the Google Map Location and Reviews for the Arabian Sands Hotel.
Al Masa Furnished Apartments: I checked one of the apartment buildings in Haima as well for exploring all the options to write the review. The apartment name is Al Masa Furnished Apartments, check the Google Map Location and Reviews.

Part 5: Haima to Thamrait Road Trip – Single Carriageway Travel

The journey from Haima to Thumrait is the forth part of the road trip from Dubai to Salalah. As of 2019, this part of the highway is single carriageway. For safety purposes, I choose to drive on this path in the morning after a night stay in Haima.

We started our journey from Haima after Fajr prayers around 6 am. After driving for around 4 hours, we reached Thamrait, the third largest wilayat (province) in Dhofar Governorate after Salalah and Mirbat, via Muqshin, another province in Dhofar.

Part 6: Thamrait to Salalah Road Trip – The Journey in Dhofar Mountains

From Thumrait, we started the last part of this journey, which is around an hour drive on the dual carriageway.

This the best part of the entire road trip from Dubai, as before reaching Salalah, the journey is through the famous Dhofar Mountains, which are around 3000 feet in altitude. These mountains are green and have fog in Khareef season (July to September each year).

We saw dense clouds covering the mountain from Thumrait and it was indeed worthy sight. Subhan Allah!

When descending from Al Qara mountains (one of the three series of mountains that form Dhofar Mountains), the view of Salalah city from this elevation is extraordinary.

I would highly recommend that you focus on the last part of the journey and this would make all the effort worth doing.

Recommended Place to Stay in Salalah

For a memorable and comfortable family vacation, there is no better options than to stay in the best hotels and resorts in Salalah, some of which are at the coastline. The white sandy beaches, palm trees, tropical and Khareef weather and the hospitality of the Salalah 5 star hotels is incomparable to any place in the world.

There are Over 100 Hotels and Resorts on Booking.com for Salalah, which you can consider for your comfortable and memorable stay. Below are my recommendations:

1. Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara The finest and premium resort in Salalah with private pool villas, is a great place to have a fun filled family vacation.

2. Crowne Plaza Resort Salalah This 5 star resort in Salalah which is near Al Baleed Park and Coconut huts and is located central to the Salalah City.

3. Fanar Hotel & Residence This 5 Star resort located on Hawana Salalah Marina and is nearest to Wadi Darbat and East Salalah.

Things to Do in Salalah

There are many places to visit in Salalah and for a memorable vacation with your family, I would recommend you to visit the following places:

Sultan Qaboos Masjid, Wadi Darbat, Mughsayl Beach and Blowholes, Al Fazayah Beaches (including Masood Hidden Beach on the way), Taqa Castle, Al Baleed Archaeological Park and Frankincense Land Museum, Tawi Attair Sink Hole, Jabal Samhan, Sumharam Archeological site and Coconut Huts in the city.

The above places can be visited in any part of the year, and you will be fascinated to visit these places.

If you are visiting in Khareef season, you must visit the waterfalls in Salalah, specially Ayn Athum, Ayn Khor and Wadi Darbat Waterfalls.

If you are visiting this lovely city from September to May, you must do Dolphin watching and Sunset trip to Rub Al Khali Desert.

Sightseeing Tours in Salalah

Sightseeing tours to all these can be arranged by Beautiful Salalah Tours, they are Number 1 tour provider in Salalah as per TripAdvisor. Read All Reviews of Beautiful Salalah Tours on TripAdvisor

To contact Beautiful Salalah, Call / whatsapp +968 9120 6678 or email info@beautifulsalalah.com

Tell us about your experience of Dubai – Salalah road trip in the comments section below. If you have any questions, you can also ask them in the comments section or any my social media pages. Have a safe journey.

Guide: Dubai to Salalah Road Trip by Car