Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
can get to the desert experience from a sealed road anywhere on the Arabian Peninsula
(five hours from Muscat, three hours from Sur).
The trip by ferry from Shana'a, near the desolate salt flats of Barr al-Hickman, is cer-
tainly characterful. The journey to Hilf usually takes 1½ hours - a lot longer when the
boat gets beached on a sand bar - and the cost is OR10 each way per car; foot passengers
travel free. Ferries run from morning until evening, but only during high tide. They run
roughly every two hours but leave when full. The last guaranteed boat in either direction
is at 5pm. Tickets are bought on the ferry. From Hilf, be aware that the ferries leave from
all three jetties: ask locally, or spot the smoke, to guess which ferry will leave first and
from where. During weekends and holidays the queue for the ferry on the mainland can be
very long and entail chaotic waits of up to three hours or more with no opportunity to re-
verse out if you change your mind about waiting. There's no booking service. A new
high-speed ferry service is promised for 2014.
Getting Around
The only way to explore the island is by car or on foot - the taxis only service Hilf. There
is no car-hire service on Masirah so the most feasible option for getting around is to bring
your own vehicle. A sealed road circumnavigates the island but you'll need a 4WD to get
close enough to the sea to enjoy it or to camp by it.
