The best road trips & scenic drives in the UAE

During my time in Dubai, I have taken many road trips and scenic drives in the UAE (United Arab Emirates)! Let me share some of my top picks!… Over the years, we had various cars at our disposal for these mini adventures! Ranging from a rental Toyota Corolla, an older Porsche Cayenne S, an Audi A5 Convertible, and a Maserati GranTurismo S…

Obviously if visiting the UAE, I advise to just rent a standard car. Most of the road trips & scenic drives below are easily done with any Toyota Corolla (or similar!). Just read my post about our road trip through Oman! We had a great time!…

Which car to use on your UAE road trip?

For all below road trips & scenic drives I will provide my preferred type of car, more for fun and to give a bit of an idea of the drive. Choosing between a:

  • Porsche Cayenne S – Loads of space and allowing for (slight) off-road experiences.
  • Audi A5 Convertible – Offering wide scenic views on more relaxed drives.
  • Maserati GranTurismo S – Performance and the amazing engine roars.

UAE Maserati GranTurismo S

UAE Maserati GranTurismo S

Let’s dive into the best road trips & scenic drives in the UAE!

Best road trips & scenic drives in the UAE #1: Hatta

The overall road from Dubai to Hatta gets windier and more mountainous the closer you get to Hatta! As soon as you reach the Hatta Fort Hotel roundabout, take a left! Here starts a very nice drive full of sharp curves, blind corners, surface changes, sudden steep inclines, and unexpected dips.

This road is not suitable for high-speed drives, as the surface isn’t completely smooth, and it is close to a cliff. This road is more to enjoy the great surroundings of Hatta Mountains!…

Car of Choice: Audi A5 Convertible

UAE Road trips and Scenic drives

UAE Road trips and Scenic drives

Best road trips & scenic drives in the UAE #2: Jebel Jais

The road towards Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the UAE, had to be on the list!… Located around 1.5-hour from Dubai it is part of the Hajar Mountain range. (Mountains that will offer more road adventures further below). The road has many hairpin bends which ensure an exhilarating ride up. After enjoying the views at the top the road down is similarly exciting!…

Car of choice: Maserati GranTurismo S

UAE Road trips and Scenic drives

UAE Road trips and Scenic drives

UAE Road trips and Scenic drives

Best road trips & scenic drives in the UAE #3: Khasab, Musandam (Oman)

Staying in the Hajar Mountain area, the next stop is the breathtaking journey towards Khasab in Musandam (Oman). See my detailed Musandam post for all my experiences and tips & tricks!

As it means a border crossing into Oman, make sure you have the right papers (from your rental agency)!

This drive leads you via the beautiful Musandam coastline with fjords and bays. You could take the full coastal road via Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain and Ras al Khaimah…

Car of Choice: Audi A5 Convertible (to take in the Musandam coastal views)

Musandam scenery

Best road trips & scenic drives in the UAE #4: Khorfakkan Road

The drive over the Khorfakkan road is very nice one, as I also describe in my Fujairah post. Crossing the Hajar mountains, this road takes you from Sharjah to Fujairah. I takes you past the Al Rafisah Dam. Definitely add this to your itinerary! The Khorfakkan road likely one of my favourite stretches of road in the UAE!…

Car of Choice: Maserati GranTurismo S

UAE Road trips and Scenic drives

Best road trips & scenic drives in the UAE #5: Kalba Road

Well, it is clear that the Hajar Mountain range provide some great road trips & scenic drives for the UAE!… The last road in from the area in this list is the Kalba road. From Dubai you take the Kalba-Sharjah road. Starting as a straightforward road you will soon see the mountains rising ahead. This is where plenty of bends make this a very enjoyable mountainous ride. After the tunnel you reach the scenic coasts of Fujairah.

Car of Choice: Maserati GranTurismo S (let the engine roar in the tunnel)

UAE Maserati GranTurismo S

UAE Road trips and Scenic drives

Best road trips & scenic drives in the UAE #6: Jebel Hafeet

We leave the East and drive towards the South from Dubai towards Al Ain (read full details about Al Ain here). Jebel Hafeet is the mountain that towers over Al Ain. Follow the steep winding 7km asphalt road towards the top to enjoy breath taking views…

Car of Choice: All type of cars have their benefits depending on your wider trip itinerary!

Al Ain Jebel Hafeet

Best road trips & scenic drives in the UAE #7: Liwa Oasis

On this final road trip, let’s head East, this time towards the Liwa Oasis in the Empty Quarter. I have created a detailed post of all you need to know about Liwa Oasis and the Moreeb Dune! The road here is mostly flat and straightforward and it is possible to camp slightly off road!… It is about a 3.5-hour drive from Dubai, so overnight stay is likely the better option!…

Car of Choice: Porsche Cayenne S – most comfortable on the long (high-way) drive and allowing for camping.

Moreeb Liwa

Moreeb Liwa camping

Fun Fact: Beyond Abu Dhabi, towards Saudi Arabia, the roads are very quiet. Therefore, the speed limit is increased until 160 km/h… The highest posted speed limit in the world.

Moreeb Liwa 160km sign

Bonus: Sightseeing in Dubai

With Dubai being one of the (super)car capitals of the world the best way to explore Dubai is by car!… For full details of Dubai, see the ultimate insider itinerary of Dubai. However, as bit of a bonus to this post, lets venture out to key sights as the Burj Al Arab or the Burj Khalifa… Or stroll past the Umm Sequim Beaches or jampack yourself in the queue of JBR Boulevard where most people drive to see and be seen…

Road Trips & Scenic Drives UAE

Road Trips & Scenic Drives UAE

Road Trips & Scenic Drives UAE

UAE Maserati GranTurismo S

UAE Maserati GranTurismo S

The cars that got away

Well, I believe these road trips & scenic drives, as well as the related posts, provide a great basis to venture out into the United Arab Emirates! When writing this post the only car we still own in our ‘car park’ is the Audi A5 ConvertibleThe already older Porsche Cayenne ‘died’ on my a few years ago and was replaced by the Maserati GranTurismo S.

Road Trips and Scenic Drives UAE

As you can read on my About Page, we do still have our base in Dubai! However, we are traveling (Even more) extensively around the world! Given our new nomadic setup, one car is enough for our stays in the UAE. Therefore, we chose to sell the Maserati. In comparison, The Audi A5 convertible is by far the much more reliant, risk-free and cost-effective choice…

So, while I actually do not care too much about cars, this post is a bit of a homage to the ‘cars that got away’

Interested in Road trip adventures in the Gulf Region?

Here are some of my stories that cover great road trips & scenic drives as well!…