Update December 2018

Countries visited: Iran, UAE, Oman

Cycled mileage in December: 777.9km
Cycled mileage per country: 256.4km Iran, 118.4km UAE, 403.1km Oman
Total cycled mileage incl. December: 45,744.2km
December mileage not cycled 619.6km (Ferry, Bus, Walking)

Days per country: 12d - Iran, 7d - UAE, 12d - Oman
Days cycling: 14d

Technical failures: 1 Puncture

Link to this month's route

We had finished last month arriving on Qeshm Island after crossing Iran from north to south. With more than three weeks left on our extended visas for Iran we decided to take it slow now that we had reached the Persian Gulf.
From the port of Loft where we had arrived to the island we leisurely cycled on towards the western tip of Qeshm. For the first half of the day the ride wasn't all too interesting. This changed when we reached the famous Hara Forest, a vast stretch of mangrove jungle. We stopped at one of the jetties from where tourist boats started further into the mangrove forest. We weren't too keen to do such a boat tour but the jetty offered some nice views plus there was an inviting picnic park where we stopped for an early lunch. From the mangroves we continued to the so called Chahkouh Canyon where rainwater has over centuries washed a cross-shaped structure out of the soft rock. The canyon looked like a surreal painting. We spent pretty much the entire afternoon exploring this weird geological formation.
On the way to the canyon we had taken a short-cut via a dirtroad. Along that dirtroad we had spotted what looked like a perfect camping spot. On closer inspection it actually was a perfect spot, well hidden between shrubs. The spot seemed to be popular with shepherds and was even featuring a water tank. What a luxury to scrub off sweat and dust under running water rather than using wet wipes! With bugs out in full force we retired into our tent early. A quick check revealed that we had hit the magic mark of 45,000 cycled kilometres today. A good feeling to fall asleep to!

Cycling on Qeshm Island

Coastline

Mangroves in...

...Hara Forest

On the way to Chahkouh Canyon

Chahkouh Canyon

We made it - 45,000 cycled kilometres!

Camping near Chahkouh Canyon

We were woken up early the next morning when a noisy motorbike sped down the dirtroad towards Chahkouh Canyon. Usually we would have slept in but as things stood we packed up quickly and got an unexpectedly early start. We followed the northern coast of Qeshm for a bit longer until we found a small and bumpy road that led us to the southern coast. The road along the southern shoreline turned out to be unpaved – bummer! Actually it wasn't all too bad, if a bit dusty, and we made good progress. Salt deposits were a ever repeating theme along the coast and there was even less vegetation than on the northern side of the island. Still it was weirdly beautiful. We passed a site called 'Salt Dome' where salt-filled cracks in a steep rockface made the structure almost look like a man-made wall. Next were some salt caves. Only one of them was accessible and apparently it would have led into the mountains for some kilometres but the heat and humidity inside made the experience too claustrophobic for us to explore more than a few hundred metres. From the salt caves it was another ten or so kilometres to a long stretch of beach that had been recommended to us as a camping spot. We arrived there just before sunset and found two vans parked at probably the most beautiful spot of the beach. The vans belonged to Iranian couple Nermin and Hooman and German couple Janine and Fred with their dog Pamira. We quickly set up our tent and then we joined the others for dinner. Good conversations and a campfire made it a perfect evening.

Crossing Qeshm north to south

Cycling along the southern coast

Salt Dome

Salt caves

Inside one of the caves

Beach camping

Spectacular sunset

We did get a good night's sleep and after a beautiful sunrise we had breakfast together with our new friends. In fact we kept chatting until it was almost midday. We didn't have to go far anyway plus there were no sights along the way really. Still it was a beautiful ride through some of the more remote corners of the island. In the late afternoon we reached the small town of Suza. There was a nice picnic park right at the water front and we decided to set up camp right there. We shouldn't have been surprised to run into some more overlanders. Again two camper vans, both German this time. We set up tent under a covered picnic platform and then we sat together with the Germans and kept chatting until late.

Making new friends

On the way along the southern shoreline

The last stretch of dirtroad

Camping in Suza

The chatting continued during the breakfast the next morning and again we didn't leave before midday. First stop was Naz Islands Beach, a rather lacklustre stretch of beach opposite the namesake islands. The islands were basically just big rocks dotted with some ramshackle sheds used by fishermen. We couldn't really figure out why the beach was so popular but it made for a convenient stop for an early lunch. It was also quite entertaining to watch heaps of cars driving the short distance to the islands during the low tide. Next on was the 'Valley of Stars'. The origin of the name didn't make much sense to us. Basically the site was a collection of smaller canyons formed by erosion. Still there were some quite spectacular views. The last sightseeing stop were the Khorbas Caves. A limestone cliff with some naturally formed caves. Apparently some of the caves had historically been used as shelters during pirate attacks. From the caves we continued to Qeshm City. It was a bit late to look for a hotel in town so we stopped at yet another picnic park before town. Coincidentally we ran into Janine, Fred, Nermin and Hooman once more. We joined them for dinner in a nearby fast-food restaurant and later set up our tent behind their vans.

Valley of Stars

Khorbas Caves

We faffed about the next morning but eventually we packed up and cycled the last three kilometres into town. The search for a hotel surprisingly didn't last long. At the first hotel we managed to bargain the receptionist down to about 30% of the starting price and got a pretty good room. The next 2 days went by rather uneventfully. We couldn't be bothered to do much and mostly just stayed in our room. There wasn't much to do in town anyway. We did however visit the old Portuguese fortress but it was rather underwhelming.

Qeshm Portuguese fortress

Eventually it was time to move on. There were two ferries daily from Qeshm to Hormuz island, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. We opted for the latter. Just before sunset we arrived on Hormuz. We cycled a few kilometres along the coast until we found a nice spot to camp on the beach. Not only did we have a stunning view from our tent. We also realized there was a lot of driftwood scattered along the beach. No way we would pass that opportunity and so we lit a campfire. What a great start of our visit to Hormuz!

Ferry from Qeshm to Hormuz

Looking for a camping spot...

...and found one!

There's nothing better than a camp fire

We slept late the next morning and it was scorching hot by the time we hit the road. With one full round around Hormuz measuring a mere 25 kilometres there was no need to rush. We slowly huffed and puffed up the hills and admired the beauty of the volcanic island. There were a few sites of interest. First stop was 'Rainbow Valley' where rocks, sand and salt deposits showed almost all colours of a rainbow. Next was the 'Valley of Statues' with its weirdly shaped rock formations. Shortly after the valley the tarmac ended and we continued on a dusty track. The eastern side of the island turned out to be less interesting. We did see a dried out lake that was covered in sort of yellow crystals but that was pretty much it. Eventually we were back in Hormuz Town. It was still fairly early so we decided to visit the Portuguese fortress. It was much better preserved and also much bigger than the one in Qeshm. The rest of the afternoon we spent in a cafe near the port. In the late afternoon we returned to last night's camping spot, set up our tent and once more lit a fire.

Cycling Hormuz Island

Rainbow Valley

Valley of Statues

The weird beauty of volcanic features

At the end of the round around Hormuz

Portuguese fortress

Chapel of the fortress

Back to our camping spot

There was no need for an early start the next morning. We slept in and then leisurely cycled to the port. Boats to Bandar Abbas on mainland Iran would leave approximately every two hours between 8am and 6pm. We deliberately missed the first one but were early enough for the one at 10am. There were some discussions about where to put our bicycles and about whether they would travel for free or not but eventually we got everything sorted. About one hour later we arrived in Bandar Abbas and started to search for a hotel. It took a while until we found a cheap but acceptable place. The rest of the day we spent indoors.
The next two days weren't much more eventful except that we booked our ferry tickets to Sharjah in the UAE and except for applying for e-visas for Oman.
Three days after arriving in Bandar Abbas it was time to say farewell to Iran. We had persuaded the receptionist of our hotel to let us stay until 2pm. Eventually it was 2pm and so we reluctantly checked out. The ferry would leave at 10pm but we had been told to be at the port at 5pm. There wasn't much to do for us in town and so we decided to cycle the 15 kilometres to the port and hang out there for the rest of the day. We took seat in the passenger hall and listened to audiobooks. Later we were joined by a Dutch backpacker, two German backpackers and a German cyclist. We all exchanged travel stories and the time flew by. Immigration and customs were quick and efficient and eventually we were allowed to board the ferry. We left the bikes on the car deck and hoped they would survive without damage! On the passenger deck there were basically only two big rooms with airplane-style seats. Luckily there weren't too many passengers and so each of us got a complete row. It took another hour or so until we left the port. The ferry was about two hours behind schedule and so it was close to midnight when they served dinner. Soon later the lights were dimmed and we all tried to get some sleep.

On the ferry to the Emirates.
Farewell Iran!

On board the ferry

We woke up around 8am, just in time for breakfast. Two hours later the skyline of Sharjah, a port about 50 km south of Dubai, got in sight. Together with the other German cyclist we were the first to leave the ferry. Guarded by a police officer we waited with our bikes in the shade until the other passengers had all boarded a bus. We were then ordered to follow that bus to the immigration office. Luckily the bus driver didn't speed to badly and we were able to keep up. The immigration police wasn't exactly efficient but eventually all passengers had gotten their entry stamps and we were all sent to the customs office next door. Again we were the first in the line. Our bags were x-rayed and finally we left the port. We said farewell to our fellow travellers who would all go to Dubai while we planned to stay in Sharjah. It was a short way from the port into the centre and we soon found a cheap hotel in a neighbourhood that looked like Little India. The sleep on the ferry hadn't been particularly good and we felt shattered. For the rest of the day we didn't leave our room and just tried to catch up on sleep.

Arrival in Sharjah

Initially we had planned to stay in Sharjah for just one night but we ended up staying four nights. Sharjah is a rather lacklustre place but it just felt as if we had lost all energy to cycle on. We had basically been powering on without a proper break for the last 5,000 kilometres and for four months. Now our batteries just virtually seemed to be running low.

Sharjah Corniche

Old souq

Modern Sharjah

Selfie with the staff in our hotel

After four days of doing nothing we still felt sort of tired and lacked motivation but at the same time we felt restless and so we decided to cycle on. We agreed to take a bit more time off once we would reach Muscat.
There were big signs that bicycles were banned from the highways but with no secondary roads to choose from we decided to ignore the signs. It wasn't particularly enjoyable riding along the highways but after a long day we arrived in Ras Al-Khaimah. We found a hotel and then just relaxed in our room for the rest of the day.

On the way to Ras Al-Khaimah

Simon nailed it!

We both had been struggling with the onset of a cold since our arrival in the Emirates. After the exhausting ride the day before things had change for the worse. Dominik felt too ropey to cycle on and so we elected for another day off.
The next morning Dominik felt much better and so we hit the road just after 9am. The ride was rather unpleasant with the sun scorching down unrelentingly and with the wind right in our faces. When we reached the Emirates' border post we were told that immigration police in Sharjah had messed up Dominik's entry in the system. Apparently this would cause trouble should we want to go back to the Emirates – which we were planning to. After long discussions and a lot of waiting we were told they had found a solution and that returning to the Emirates would be no problem. We really hope so! The Omani border checks were quick and efficient and so we entered the 31st country on this journey.
The coastal road towards Khasab was beautiful and we decided we would pitch our tent somewhere before Khasab to enjoy to coastline for a bit longer. In fact we found sort of a picnic park about 15 kilometres before town and set up camp right there.

On the way to Khasab

Bukha Fortress...

...full of very talkative parrots!

Another great camping spot

View from our tent

After a late start we reached Khasab around noon the next day. Before we rolled into town we stopped at the port to book tickets for the ferry to Shinas for the next day. From the port we headed to the city centre. We quickly explored the Portuguese fortress and then stopped at the town's hypermarket. We were still struggling with having so much choice after so many months in Central Asia and Iran. With supplies sorted we cycled to another picnic park where we spent the remainder of the day listening to audiobooks. In the afternoon we continued to a beach just outside town. We had been told it would make for a good camping spot and in fact we found a quite corner and set up our tent. Given it was Friday evening, the Omani weekend, it was comparably quite and we got a good night's sleep.

Just before Khasab

Khasab fortress

Some more beach camping

After a late start and a second breakfast in town we cycled to the port. Our bikes and panniers were superficially searched for weapons and explosives and then we were allowed to push them on board the ferry. We took our seats in the front section of the boat and soon later the ferry left Khasab. It was a fun experience to take one of the supposedly fastest ferries in the world to cross the Hormuz Strait which in return is one of the busiest in the world. There were sooo many ships out there! After only about four hours the ferry had finished its 250 kilometres long sailing from the Omani exclave of Musandam to mainland Oman. We were among the first to leave the ferry and hurried up to find a nice camping spot before nightfall. Our map app suggested a public park at the beach about 10 kilometres from the port. In fact it looked like a good place to spend the night. We found a nice spot under some trees and set up camp. Shortly after we had retired into the tent the wind picked up and kept blowing hard for the best part of the night.

On board the ferry to mainland Oman

Busy Strait of Hormuz

We still managed to get some sleep but felt rather shattered the next morning. With only a mere 55 kilometres to cycle we faffed about for most of the morning and didn't get going until midday. The first half of the way was really nice with hardly any traffic and nice landscape. As soon as we reached the outskirts of Sohar the raffic got stressful. We felt relieved when we finally reached our hotel.

On secondary roads to Sohar

Yet another fortress

We had planned to visit the early-morning fish-market the next day but we slept in and got a rather late start instead. From Sohar we followed secondary roads along the coast and with the wind in our favour we made good progress. After an enjoyable ride we reached a long stretch of sandy beach where we intended to camp. The beach wasn't as remote as we had been hoping but we decided it would have to do. Unexpectedly we saw two camper vans right where we wanted to pitch our tents. Two German couples spending the winter in Oman. Score. After all it was Christmas Eve and we figured it would be nice to have some company. A good idea. We had a fun evening exchanging travel stories and sipping red wine that our new friends had somehow managed to source in this very sober part of the world.

Sohar beach

Cycling along the coast

Christmas picnic

The next morning we joined the Germans for a coffee and then we set off. We had been hoping we could again follow the coastline but at some point the small road just ended and we were forced to get back on the highway. The traffic got notably denser the closer we got to Muscat and the cycling wasn't too much fun. By late afternoon we reached a small peninsula where there was supposedly another remote beach to camp on. Again it was far from remote and again we decided it would have to do. In fact we didn't have a quite night. Cars with loud music on kept driving up and down the beach until well after midnight. As soon as the cars were gone straydogs and cats were fighting for food scraps.

Another beach, another night camping

Morning routine

View from our camping spot

We got up early and managed to get the earliest start in a while. It was about 85 kilometres left to Muscat and the traffic was intense. There wasn't much in terms of dangerous driving but just the sheer number of cars made it a stressful ride. We tried to stick to secondary roads for as long as we could but at some point we had to go on the highway. In the early afternoon we reached our hotel and were glad to call it a day.
The next days just flew by. We had planned to take a well-deserved break in Muscat and so we did. Apart from just doing nothing we managed to go on a sightseeing trip through town, to see a dentist for a check-up and to do some admin stuff. There is not much more to say about our lazy days in the Omani capital – except for wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

Muscat skyline from our hotel room

Al Muttrah Souq

Part of the sultan's palace