UAE

The United Arab Emirates (also the UAE or the Emirates) is a Middle Eastern country situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, comprising seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. It borders Oman and Saudi Arabia.

My Trips

• 2003 March 08 (1 Day): I arrived in Dubai on my way to Kenya and stayed there a night and visited friends and relatives in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
• 2014 July 29 to August 02 (5 Days): Road trip from Doha to Dubai and Abu Dhabi with relatives and families.
• 2015 June 20 to 27 (7 Days): Business trip from Qatar for training.

Visited Places/Attractions

• Dubai (Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Burj Al Arab, The Palm Islands, Atlantis, Deira City Center, Bur Dubai)
• Abu Dhabi (Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque, Mazdar City, Yas Island, Sadiyaat Island, Corniche )

One day stop at UAE

2003 March 08
I started from my room in Cochin at early morning and reached the airport before 7 AM. My flight 'Emirates' was scheduled to fly at 10:25 AM, but it took off only at around 11 AM. It was an excellent aircraft offering many comfortable features for its passengers. It provided individual video screens in front of the seats with audio and video channels besides a lot of interesting games. But the most attractive channel was the one that showed live scenes outside the aircraft using two cameras, one forward and the other downward. The forward camera gave a pilot eye view of the outside scenes and I enjoyed it during take off and landing. Once the plane started flying, the downward camera gave the beautiful landscape scenes. During the flight, they served typical Kerala food (rice, aviyal, mango pickle and payasam) for lunch.

We were flying at 39000 ft (11887 Meters) height at a speed of 807 Km/Hr and reached Dubai after 03:38 Hrs (2785 Kms) at 2:41 PM IST, while the local time being 1:11 PM.

I had to pay 65 US Dollars to get transit visa and hotel accommodation in Dubai for one day. The procedures were simple and straight forward.

My friends were waiting outside and with them I went to their room and after having delicious Chicken Majboos, we went to Abu Dhabi in their car to visit my relatives. It took about 2 hours to reach Abu Dhabi and we spent some time there. Before leaving for Dubai, we visited a big shopping mall there and I bought a SonyErricson T-100 mobile handset for 359 Dirhams.

At night, we returned to Dubai and it was over midnight when we reached there, so had to drop the plans of further sight seeing. We got our dinner parceled and enjoyed it from a beach, watching the newly built Burj al-Arab (Arabian Tower).

It was 2:00 AM when I checked into the hotel and I got only about 3 hours for sleeping.

One day was too short to see the places in UAE and I hope that I will be able to come back here again to visit more places.

Doha to Dubai Road Trip Notes

2014 July 29 to August 02

More than 100kms and 1 hour dirve through Salwa road to reach the Qatar border from Doha. More than half tank petrol will be required though no full tank is needed to reach UAE border. Best time to reach Border is just before Subah prayer.

QATAR EXIT

At Salwa road end, drive past petrol station and just after the round about, drive through the gated roads to enter the border compound. Food and snack shops, ATMs and rest rooms are available there. ATMs will give Saudi and UAE currencies as well. Do all the exchanges from Qatar itself. After break, drive the car through the booths.

1 - Booth - Give Vehicle Registration Card and License. Get them back plus Vehicle Exit white paper.
2 - Booth - Give Passport. Get it back after exit stamp.
3 - Booth - Show Passport with exit stamp for final check.

Drive around 15 kms.

SAUDI ENTRY

1 - Booth - Show Passport with Saudi Visa page.
2 - Booth - Show Passport with Saudi Visa page and ask to park the car.
3 - Park the car and walk to the counter in the office building on left side of road. Give Passport and Qatar Vehicle Exit white paper. Do fingerprint scan and photo. Get the Passport and white paper back with Saudi entry stamps along with a small slip.
4 - For females and children, walk to the building at the beginning on right side and give passport. Do fingerprint scan and photo. Get the Passport back with Saudi entry stamp.
5 - Open the car trunk and ask office to inspect it. After inspection get the small slip stamped. Drive the car after that to the next booth.
6 - Booth - Give Passport and Qatar Vehicle Exit white paper for final inspection. Get only the Passport back.
7 - Booth - Give Vehicle Registration Card and pay SAR 70. Get the card back with Insurance paper.

Drive through Saudi for around 125 kms and one and half hours. Stop at the petrol station before the border and get petrol filled to the full as it's cheaper in Saudi. Take break there having tea and snacks and then drive to the border booths.

SAUDI EXIT

1 - Booth - Give Passport and Vehicle Registration Card. Get them back with a small slip.
2 - Booth - Give Passport and small slip and get them back after exit stamps.
3 - Booth - Give Passport and small slip for final check and get all of them back.

Drive for few minutes and enter through the UAE border booth.

UAE ENTRY

1 - Booth - Show Passport. They will tell us to go to arrival hall.
2 - Park the car in the parking lot and walk to arrival hall.
3 - Give Passport to the main officer there for checking profession and get it back along with visa applications for every passengers.
4 - Fill and sign the application and go to Iris scan room with it. Get the eyes scanned and get the form stamped. Ladies has separate room. Not required for kids.
5 - Give the stamped form, Passport and small slip from Saudi exit to the officer. Wait till all data is entered in the computer.
6 - When he says it's done, go to the grocery shop within the hall. Get a prepaid cash card (AED 10) or use the existing one. Top it up with 105 AED per Passport.
7 - Wait for the name to be called near the officer. Pay using the cash card. Collect Passport, Saudi exit slip, and the yellow visa form page with stamps on it.
8 - Get in the car and dirve through the booths.
9 - Booth - Give Vehicle Registration Card and Saudi exit slip. Get them back with a white paper.
10 - Drive through XRay machines. Stop and park the car on the side. Get out and open the trunk and ask the officer there to inspect. Get the white paper stamped and get in the car and drive.
11 - Booth - Give Vehicle Registration Card and white paper for Insurance. Pay AED 150 for 10 days. Get all of them back plus the insurance paper.
12 - Booth - Give Passport, yellow visa form and white paper final verification. Get all back except white paper.

While coming back to Qatar from UAE, reach at the place called Ghuifat Customs center and drive through the booths there.

UAE EXIT

1 - Booth - Empty. Just drive through.
2 - Booth - Give Vehicle Registration Card. Get it back with a white paper (Vehicle Customs Paper)
3 - Booth - For GCC Citizens. Just show passport and yellow visa page.
4 - Park the car and walk to the Departure Hall. Top up the cash card with AED 35 per Passport from the grocery shop.
5 - Stand in a queue where only payment is made. Give the cash card and inform total number of persons. The officer will deduct the amount and issue a receipt.
6 - Stand in another queue with that receipt. Give Passport, Yellow Visa Page and receipt. Get the Passport and reciept back after stamping. They will keep the visa page.
7 - Get in the car and drive through booths.
8 - Booth - Empty. Just drive through.
9 - Booth - Show Passport and Vehicle Customs Paper for final check and get all back.

Drive for five minutes to reach Saudi entry.

SAUDI ENTRY

1 - Booth - Welcome gate. Empty booth. Just drive through.
2 - Booth - Give Passport and Vehicle Registration Card. Get all back. Passport will have entry stamp.
3 - Booth - Give Passport, Vehicle Registration Card and UAE Vehicle Customs Paper. Get all back.
4 - Booth - Give Vehicle Registration Card and UAE Vehicle Customs Paper. Get all back.
5 - Park the car, get out, open the trunk and ask officer to inspect showing Passport and UAE Vehicle Customs Paper. Get stamp on this paper. Get in the car and drive through booths.
6 - Booth - Give Vehicle Registration Card and Saudi Insurance Paper. Get all back. No new insurance needed if that is already valid. Otherwise pay and get new insurance paper.
7 - Booth - Give UAE Vehicle Customs Paper and they will keep it.

Take a break at the petrol station and fill in tanks and drive for around 125 kms and one and half hours to Salwa to reach Qatar border.

SAUDI EXIT

1 - Booth - Empty booth. Drive over the blades.
2 - Booth - Give Vehicle Registration Card. Get it back with a Vehicle Exit Slip.
3 - Booth - Give Passport and Vehicle Exit Slip. Get all of them back after stamp.
4 - Booth - Give Passport and Vehicle Exit Slip for final check.

Drive for few minutes to reach Qatar entry booths.

QATAR ENTRY

1 - Booth - Empty booth. Drive over the humps.
2 - Booth - Empty booth. Drive through.
3 - Booth - Give Passport and Saudi Vehicle Exit Slip. Get entry stamp on both and get them back.
4 - Booth - Give Saudi Vehicle Exit Slip. Get it back with a white paper.
5 - Park car, get out, open the trunk and get it inspected by an officer. Get stamp on the white paper. Get back in the car and drive through booths.
6 - Booth - Empty booth. Drive through.
7 - Booth - Give Passport, Saudi Vehicle Exit Slip and white paper. Get only the Passport back. They will keep the slip and paper.

That's it and drive through Salwa road to reach Doha after more than 100 kms and 1 hour.