"Day trip to Musandam" Muhafazat Musandam by chizz

We took a day trip to Musandam from Dubai where we took a boat cruise, had lunch at a local hotel and looked at the forts nearby. We also tried to go to the top of Jebel Harim, but due to the bad condition of the roads and the steepness of the ascent, our little car couldn't manage it!
We set off from Dubai at 6am and drove the 2 hours 40 minutes to Khasab, Musandam. The border crossing is located around 35km from Ras Al Khaimah, north of Dubai and the visa costs AED25 per person (GCC Residents) with an extra AED10 for the processing of each visa on the Oman side. The crossing was quite quick (around 20 minutes) on the Friday we visited, but the process can be quite slow on some occasions. We proceeded to the port just after the Golden Tulip Hotel (next to the ferry terminal) to catch our boat for the cruise and this was organised through Khasab Travel and Tours in Dubai. The cost of the half day cruise is AED150 per adult and AED250 for the full day cruise. They also organise overnight trips on both land and sea, details of which can be found on their website - www.khasabtours.com.
The half day cruise started at just before 10am (although we were told to be there for 9am) and returned at 1.30pm. The full day cruise I'm told leaves officially at 9am and returns at 5-5.30pm.
The cruise sails through the fjord of Khor Ash Sham and you can see dolphins at regular intervals. It passes several mountainside villages such as Nadifi, Qanaha, Maqleb and Sham and heads to Telegraph Island for snorkelling. Telegraph Island is the most famous landmark of the area and it was here that the British laid the first telegraph cable in 1864 which ran from India to Basra, Iraq.
The boat then makes it's return journey through the fjord, back to the harbour on the half day cruise, which we did.
On board there are free refreshments and fruit on the half day cruise and snokelling gear can be rented for a small fee.

Rugged scenery at Khasab, Musandam

After our cruise we decided to have lunch at the nearby Golden Tulip Hotel. A lunch buffet was available for around OR8, plus tax or you could have a snack style meal at the Conservatory Cafe overlooking the pool.
After this, we decided to look at the forts nearby and tried to ascend the nearby peak of Jebel Harim. Unfortunately a 4x4 vehicle is needed due to the bad road leading up to the mountain, which we didn't have!
We then headed back to Dubai.