One of the interesting political and geographical features of the UAE is the division of land borders. There are a number of enclaves of Oman, one at the tip of the emirate of RAK and another in the emirates of Fujairah and Sharjah. These enclaves came about when the land was divided according to tribal loyalty resulting in little pockets of land under the rulership of the Omani sheikh. The border crossing between RAK and Oman must be one of the most pleasant land border crossings I have encountered in my travels. Until recently you could walk across (many use this border to renew their visas and will cross over and back in the same trip), now registered vehicles need to be utilized to make the trip, although the local goats retain the privilege of unlimited free entry and exit. The border police are strongly advising the use of E-Visas now although at the time of writing this it was still possible to get a visa on the border.
Searching for dolphins 
I’ve consistently used Khasab Dhow Tours for the trips I’ve taken. If you want they will process the visa for you as well as arrange for transfers from RAK or Dubai. For a group full day tour they charge 140AED per person without visa or transfers and for a private half day charter I was quoted 1200AED. Each time I have been I have had the pleasure of watching pods of dolphins surf on the wake of our dhow. The dhows themselves are beautifully crafted traditional wooden vessels and perfect for lounging on deck and taking in the scenery. You are taken across beautiful clear blue waters to snorkel with pretty tropical fish and provided with a lunch of chicken, rice, salads and fresh fruit with soft drinks and water as refreshments. There are a number of other options available such as overnight trips and custom built charters.
If you prefer to self-drive make sure you contact your car rental agency in advance as you will require permission and some paperwork to prove you are eligible to drive the car in Oman. With your own vehicle, if your insurance doesn’t cover Oman then you can arrange temporary cover either over the phone, in advance, or at the border where you will find an insurance kiosk. You will need your car registration (gold card) as well as insurance documentation to proceed. The drive to Khasab town is stunning as if follows a coastal road carved out of the cliffs and you have ample opportunity to take in the fjords along the way. Throw a tent in the back and a grill and you will have your pick of beaches along the way where you can stop overnight and enjoy waking up to the sound of the ocean in the morning.
If you choose to camp there is a beautiful spot to do so where you might be fortunate to see natures ocean light show of bio-luminescence. The climb down the cliff can be a little hairy, if you have a bad relationship with heights, and you will need a 4WD to get up and down safely, but it’s worth the jaunt. It is a sufficiently “dark skies” spot to get quite the impressive star filled night canvas. Even thought this is a little-known camping spot it does attract expats, in the know, so if you want to stake a good claim on the small beach then arrive earlier in the weekend rather than later. It’s also worth remembering that the transport of alcohol across the border is illegal, so you if you feel like a few beers around your campfire, do so at your own risk.
Khasab town itself is not the most exciting place to stop overnight, there are a number of hotels. I stayed in Diwan Al Amir before and while it is perfectly adequate, you probably won’t be falling over yourself to take a million photos here. The most exciting thing to happen to me in Khasab was mistakenly exploring a very narrow road at precisely the time when the mosque was emptying out after Friday prayers. My travelling companion, at the time, also had fair skin and light colored hair and we literally stopped traffic as curious onlookers stopped in the road to look at these two very out of place women in the 4WD wandering aimlessly in their town. If you drive out past the town limits in any direction the road quite abruptly ends and you can off-road until you hit a rock face in any direction. Little villages and goats inhabit these farther reaches.
Khasab is about 85km from RAK city and will take you about 2 hours including the border crossing shenanigans. Be aware that tour groups will likely be travelling for an 8am start and returning across the border around 1 and 4pm from the half and full day tours. You will need to factor this in if you don’t want to stuck in a clog of traffic at the border checkpoints. If you arrange a bus transfer, of course, you just sit on your bus and wait for the agent to worry about the immigration checks.
