RSee

hello all,

Can you recommend(with directions) some nice camping areas within one hour of Dubai?

I am looking for something that has a nice Sand Dune vista, and is relatively easy to get to without a 4x4.

thanks.

shiva

Head to Hatta plenty out that way

Desert Dweller

Fossil Rock

Benson

4x4 might be needed for fossil rock.

However Fossil Valley in Al Ain is rock, little bit of sand. Not many fossils left but can be accessed by 2x2 car. In one of the offroad books it did give the wrong turn off from the road but you will see when you end up in the landfill not fossil valley

Also Kelba the south end of the east coast is accessible with a saloon car so are most beaches on the east coast but they can get very busy on the public holidays and weekends. Also Jebal Ali beach but you need a permit as it was getting over crowded but has gone quite since the JA palm has been built. will attatch the permit.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

RSee

thanks for the ideas all.

I think I would need a 4x4 for fossil rock.

Do you need a permit to go to Jebel Ali beach now?

Autonomy

offically yes. however we've been many, many times camping and the police do patrol but not once have they asked us for any ID or permit etc.

They are quite content to make sure all quiet and normal.

beers, barbeques whatever a blind eye has been turned so far...

2 things though - clean up completely afterwards, please. not a trace of your stay - it's getting screwed up...

second - if you get caught without a permit - don't blame me - but I've never bothered in 3 years of camping...

Go to the very end by the petrol station to get close without a 4x4. there is a road all the way to the shore pretty much.

Desert Dweller

Sorry, didn't see the 'no 4x4' bit.

shakh your bootie

A couple of other options for camping within 1 hr of Dubai:

a) Take the Hatta road (also called Al-Awir Road), and keep driving past Big Red (where all the Quad bikes are) and through Maddam. After Maddam, take a right by the EPPCO petrol station and you will be on a road through the mountains that will eventually end up in Al-Ain (i think it's sign-posted to Al-Maha). Follow this road for about 15 kms, and then take the dirt track road to your left. This will take you on a circuitous, mountainous route back to Hatta, but with some nice places to camp next to pools, wadis etc on the way. If you don't have a 4x4, you will be OK so long as it hasn't been raining (in which case, many of the fords will be deep, and the track roads may be washed away). I can look up the GPS co-ords for anyone who wants them.

Very important - even if you are in a 4 x 4, don't drive in the wadis if it is raining. Several people every year die in flash floods!! Last time I was out that way, there was a totally trashed Nissan patrol washed up in a gully...

b) For a gentler option, drive out towards Abu Dhabi, and take the turning for the Al-Jazeera resort near to Ghantoot. On the road between the resort & the holiday bungalows, there is a gap in the fence and a dirt track that will take you down to the creek. There is a 3km water-front stretch that is nice to camp in, plus you can try some of the watersports at Al Jazeera without paying to stay in the hotel. Don't know if this is kosher or not - there are no signs saying "no camping", and I have never had any problems there....

Have any of you camper-types ever tried taking the car ferry from Sharjah to Bandar Abbas? I have been thinking about taking my jeep over and checking out the historic sites of Iran (Isfahan, Shiraz, Persepolis)... before they nuke themselves out of existence, or get the "George W" treatment.....


Would like to know if it has been done by expats before - the fact that there is a working car ferry would suggest that some folk must use it???!!!

Jammy_Dodgers

How easy is it to get a visa for Iran?

NorthernLad

These people may know....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4427096.stm

MJC

Also look at Lonely planet's Thorn tree discussion page, loads of useful info

shakh your bootie

You may have a point, my cloth-caps and whippet friend.....

By the same token, I know a lot of Brits who travel regularly to Iran on business without getting busted...

The dispute over the islands has quite a history - Sharjah wants 'em back, but the Iranis have massively built up defences there. Perfect location to blockade the straits of Hormuz and therefore the oil main-line into the vein of Western industry.... Eeek.

shakh your bootie

If you have an Irani sponsor, you can get a visa (for a biz trip, that would be the company you are visiting). The ferry company claims to be able to arrange a toursit visa & car insurance...

Check out:

http://www.irantravelingcenter.com/v...rsian_gulf.htm

If anyone fancies a bit of a convoy, I am thinking about a trip in late June....