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Place
Photo: Robert Haandrikman, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Musandam Peninsula (Arabic: جَـزِيـرَة مُـسَـنْـدَم, Jazīraṫ Musandam) is an exclave of Northern Oman. Musandam is the northernmost tip of a peninsula that juts northward into the Persian Gulf and is roughly divided along its length between Oman and the UAE.
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The new road allows access to Tawi where you can visit some prehistoric drawings and rock engravings of boats, animals and warriors.
Built in the 17th century and restored in 1990, its rounded pear-shaped watchtower is particularly notable.
Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains
Starting from the principal town of Khasab, a graded road straddles a ridge, high above valleys on either side. Jebel Harim is the highest point in Musandam. It's used for military purposes, so the road doesn't go over the top, but veers off about 0.4 km from the summit.
From the water is where to get a closer look at the fjords of Musandam. There are huge chunks of rocks towering over the serene waters and little villages that are only accessible by boat. One of the striking geological features of these mountains is all the twisting and turning they've gone through over the years. It is possible to see many of these on boat trips arranged through agencies in Dubai or Khasab. Dhow cruises take you either out to the Hormuz Strait or to the largest fjord, Khor Ash Sham.
Scuba diving is one of the main and most popular tourist activities in this region. There are over 20 established dive sites, all of them also suitable for snorkeling. The water temperature ranges from 22°C in the winter to 30°C in the summer, and the whale shark season is from May to October. There are SSI and PADI certified dive centers in Khasab and Dibba.
There are several pods of humpback dolphins living in the Musandam fjords. Dhow tours operating out of Khasab and Dibba include visitis to dolphin spots, and specific dolphin tours are available. Don't feed them, and let the dhow crew do the whistles.
UAE residents have brought this sport to Musandam. The constant wind and the long coast offer abundant places for kiting.
A niche sport activity that is growing fast on the Dibba coastline. It is one of the best areas in the world and offers breathtaking clifflines.
The main road access is from Ras Al Khaymah (RAK) on the road E-11 (after Al Darah border called Khasab Road) and with more difficulty from the Dibba border of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
Read in the guideThere is no public transport within Musandam. You will need a four-wheel drive vehicle if you intend to see more than Khasab.
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Khasab · Regional · KHS
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Khasab (Arabic: خصب) is a city in the northwest Omani exclave of Musandam and home to about 18,000 inhabitants. It is the state capital of the Musandam peninsula on the coast of the Hormuz Strait between Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Dibba Al-Baya (Arabic: دبا البيعة, Dibba Al-Baya) is a small border town in the southeastern corner of Oman's Musandam Peninsula exclave. It faces the Emirati conurbation that is also called Dibba, which lies both in an exclave of the Sharjah Emirate and in the Fujairah emirate.
Articles and travel topics about Musandam Peninsula and Oman.
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