UAE border problem at wadi bih

[keitho]

Hello All,

Ok so, I have been away too long from AD4x4 due to work (not good), wedding (good) and holidays (also good) so finally get a chance to get back into this...

Drove from Dibba to Ras al Khaimah last weekend through wadi bih, had no trouble getting through the UAE checkpoint at Dibba and the Omani checkpoint in the middle of the wadi but at the UAE checkpoint at the end of the wadi near to Ras al Khaimah they would not leave us through..we had our passports with uae residence and all other documents for the jeep, but the soldiers wouldn't let us through and were certainly not open for discussion on it either...

anybody know why??? is this a new thing or was I an eejet for trying it in the first place???

So had to drive back again the way we came, which was not a bad thing as the scenery is great...

Cheers,
Keitho

[Xof]

welcome back Kheito,

no, it's not new, the border there is permanently closed, except is you are Emirati or Omani.

BUT the good info from what you are saying is that it now might be possible to start from Diba, cross the mountains and ends in Khasab, then get back in at the border in Al Qir.

[keitho]

Thanks for that xof.....so i was an eejet for trying so

just to clarify, the omani post in the middle in wadi bih would not let us go to khasab either...they would only leave us travel along wadi bih and wadi khab al shamis (so from dibba to the uae checkpoint near ras al khaimah and back again).

So it looks like a trip to wadi bih is not a circular route (unless omani or emirati of course)..but with that kind of scenery it isnt a bad thing!!

Cheers for that,
Keitho

[Mpenzi]

This is completely NEW.
Nice to know but why ?? Did they stamp your passport.

[keitho]

Nope, no passport stamping at all, they checked through our passports at the uae checkpoint in Dibba and at the omani checkpoint in the middle of wadi bih they just looked at our passports but made it clear that we weren't allowed go up to khasab...but they didn't stamp our passports either..

so what to do..

[Xof]

ouch, so the border is still closed there. There is a warning in UAE and Oman Offroad book... unfortunately, it is still valid.

[heinz]

What about if you enter Wadi Bih from Ral Al Khaimah side? I thought it was possible to drive Ras Al Khaimah to Dibba... but not Dibba to Ras Al Khaimah.

I think it has to do with some checkpoints not being allowed to issue entrance/exit stamps in your passport