[Dean]

Dean

December 23, 2015 at 8:26 am #34495

Great route. Can’t join because family commitments.

[zeeno]

zeeno

December 23, 2015 at 1:03 pm #34498

hey guys….
number of cars looking perfect for this drive so far :ymhug:
looking forward for a gd time with u all over the coming days 😀

might as well throw in some sand as a x-mas bonus on our way back on friday 😉 …
lets visit RAK gaf forest and do some dune bashing heading back to dubai

cheers

[Matteo]

Matteo

December 23, 2015 at 2:28 pm #34499

[quote=”joe.zeinoun”]hey guys….
number of cars looking perfect for this drive so far :ymhug:
looking forward for a gd time with u all over the coming days 😀

might as well throw in some sand as a x-mas bonus on our way back on friday 😉 …
lets visit RAK gaf forest and do some dune bashing heading back to dubai

cheers

That is a great idea Joe. I drove through there once entering near an airport. It was a great and unique drive. A great plan!!

Thanks and really looking forward to this trip with everyone 😀 😀

[Matteo]

Matteo

December 23, 2015 at 2:29 pm #34500

quote mustafah:

If anyone wants to drive together from Dubai I’m happy to do so. We can meet someewhere on E311 road

Hey Mustafa,

We would join you on the drive up but we are going to head up on 611. It is a closer starting point for us. See you there!!

[zeeno]

zeeno

December 26, 2015 at 9:12 am #34520

thank you guys for the wonderful Christmas time indeed :ymhug:
i had a great time with u all and enough excitement to make this a true adventure drive not to be forgotten 😀
perfect cold and cloudy winter weather, perfect scenery, perfect camp site, and best of all is the perfect company 😀

for those of you who missed out on this one, rest assured that there will be more to come B-)
looking forward for our next drive together, wishing you all a merry christmas and a very exciting and adventurous new year :ymparty:
cheers

[sahil-trehan]

sahil-trehan

December 26, 2015 at 9:27 am #34521

quote joe.zeinoun:

thank you guys for the wonderful Christmas time indeed :ymhug:
i had a great time with u all and enough excitement to make this a true adventure drive not to be forgotten 😀
perfect cold and cloudy winter weather, perfect scenery, perfect camp site, and best of all is the perfect company 😀

for those of you who missed out on this one, rest assured that there will be more to come B-)
looking forward for our next drive together, wishing you all a merry christmas and a very exciting and adventurous new year :ymparty:
cheers

I’m sure it was fantastic, eagerly looking forward to the next one

[Jatin]

Jatin

December 26, 2015 at 9:32 am #34522

Thanks a lot for the excellent trip Joe! Now i cant wait for the next adventure 😀

[Haijekov]

Haijekov

December 27, 2015 at 7:11 am #34523

Thank you all for a great weekend!! Ayat, Quint and I had a GREAT time!

Planning, routes, scenery, weather, all great but more importantly the company and friends we made! Hope to see you again soon

[Simba]

Simba

December 27, 2015 at 9:00 am #34525

quote joe.zeinoun:

thank you guys for the wonderful Christmas time indeed :ymhug:
i had a great time with u all and enough excitement to make this a true adventure drive not to be forgotten 😀
perfect cold and cloudy winter weather, perfect scenery, perfect camp site, and best of all is the perfect company 😀

for those of you who missed out on this one, rest assured that there will be more to come B-)
looking forward for our next drive together, wishing you all a merry christmas and a very exciting and adventurous new year :ymparty:
cheers

Thanks Joe – for leading and for the wonderful route – that had its fair share of thrills and more!

The great company, the beautiful cool weather and the Christmas spirit made the overlander all the more enjoyable! :ymapplause:

[zeeno]

zeeno

December 27, 2015 at 6:17 pm #34527

heres some nice fotos of our trip courtesy of Arnold @Simba

[Ahmad Pervez]

Ahmad Pervez

December 29, 2015 at 5:39 am #34537

Nice….
🙂

[Matteo]

Matteo

December 30, 2015 at 3:57 pm #34546

Our trip was one not be forgotten and those who were not able to join and enjoy a bit of off-the-beaten-path adventure — you must do this.

Leaving Dubai, it took us about 2 hours to reach the UAE/Oman border along Khasab Road in RAK. The border crossing delayed us a bit as it was a long weekend so there were several people crossing into Oman for the long weekend. We were all finally through into Oman by about noon. The final count consisted of 6 cars: Joe, Mustafa, Jatin, Mohamed (with his wife Ayat and friend Quint as passengers), Simba, and me (with my wife Sandra and daughters Sienna and Meila as passengers). The eleven of us departed the border crossing right away to try and make us for the delayed time at the border. We scurried along the very scenic Khasab road route, which runs along the sea. As we entered the town and harbor area we were greeted with the largest cruise ship any of us have seen. It was docked at the harbor.

We continued on our way towards the Khasab airport, which would be our entry point for our drive. We stopped at a Shell petrol station for our last fuel-up and to fill our jerry cans. Our first stop was Khor Najd, the only beach accessible by car in the fjords. We drove to the top, which was a great viewpoint on the beach down below. From there we back tracked a bit for our turn-off into Wadi Khasab. The gravel road was long and windy and then begin to climb. We quickly increased our altitude hitting each of the steep switchbacks one at a time. We passed Sayh Pateau, which was a lush green oasis in the middle of the mountain. We continued on the trek to reach an altitude of 1,500 meters. The scenery was magnificent with the mountain being cut through by a gorge.

After we hit the peak of our track we began to descend down towards Wadi Bih and Rowdah Bowl. The sun was shining on us, the dust was kicking up heavily, visibility was poor at times, and we had an accident. Mustafa’s front wheel hit a rock and it dragged the front end of his car into a rock-filled ditch. The front axle was bent and prohibited the car from being driven. We were in a very high and remote area of the mountains thus having few options. We decided to leave the car for the evening and get down to camp before night fell. We continued onto Al Rowdah Bowl where we found the perfect spot for our camp. We had a great evening of food, drink, chit-chat, and a massive bonfire.

We awoke in the morning to a camp full of goats and donkeys. They were the friendly type and malingered around for any morsels and scraps that they could find. With a small morning bonfire to warm us up we had our breakfast and packed up camp. On our drive back out we were able to flag down a truck, which had an in-built crane on our mountain track back. He accepted our request to lift Mustafa’s car onto his truck and transport it back to Khasab town. This was a big relief for the convoy and especially Mustafa as we now were sure the car would be recovered off of the remote mountain track. From here we continued on our drive and Joe took us onto another track, which led even higher up. By this point there was quite dense fog blowing through and our drive had turned into a session of rock-rolling as we ascended. Reaching our peak of 1,700 meters was a great trip. We were on top of the world straddling the border of Oman and UAE and overlooking Stairway to Heaven.

We continued on our drive, which took us on explorations of newly cut tracks high on the mountain tops. As early evening began to set, we decided to head back to Khasab to end our trip and connect with the recovery truck bringing Mustafa’s car down. Before our final descent however, I had to change to my spare tire as slashed my sidewall, most likely on jagged, rock edge. We landed back at the Khasab petrol station where we refueled, inflated, and had our last few laughs and reflections of a great trip before thanking Joe, shaking hands, and heading back to Dubai.

This was a great trip and is highly recommended for any adventure seekers!!

A million thanks to Joe and the other members of the convoy for such a great trip!

[zeeno]

zeeno

December 30, 2015 at 4:37 pm #34547

thanks for the great trip report matt 🙂
looking forward to the next adventure together!!
and thanks again for the initiative man, probably i wouldnt have considered this trip without it 🙂
cheers

[Matteo]

Matteo

December 30, 2015 at 4:44 pm #34549

quote joe.zeinoun:

thanks for the great trip report matt 🙂
looking forward to the next adventure together!!
and thanks again for the initiative man, probably i wouldnt have considered this trip without it 🙂
cheers

Thank you Joe for the great lead. You really showed us a great time and also handled some adverse and challenging issues very well. Hats off to you and your leadership. We are looking forward to the next one!!

[Deva]

Deva

December 31, 2015 at 10:06 am #34557

Great trip report Matt… now I see, what I missed .

Cheers !!

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