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→WildWill
|language = Arabic, English widely spoken
|capital = [[Abu Dhabi (city)|Abu Dhabi]]
|pop = 49,621346,399 000 (2006 census2013)
|currency = UAE dirham (AED)
|hitch = <rating country='ae' />
|avp = OAE
}}
'''The United Arab Emirates''' is a [[Middle East]]ern federation of seven emirates(states), situated on the Arabian Gulf. It has land borders to with [[Saudi Arabia]] in the south and [[Oman]]to the east, while [[Iran]] is across the Strait of Hormuz to the north. Its capital is [[Abu Dhabi (city)|Abu Dhabi]], though the most prominent city is Dubai.
==Common visa facility with [[Oman]] ==
==User experiences ==
===[[WildWill]]===
I grew up in Dubai and love it for its culture (which might surprise you). It's a mix of all the worlds cultures with an overall Arabian feel... and with history. Outside the city, there is pure Arabia to explore and I wish I could take you to all of it.
Hitchhiking is super easy once out of the city, to the extent that I choose which cars to hitchhike. I will say that if you came this far, you must go to Oman as well - it's what you've come to see (and be sure to go all the way to Salalah).
My recommendations:
*In Dubai, go to the Creek (Al Ras metro stop), this is where Dubai started as a port town. The traditional wooden dhows coming from Iran, Kuwait, India and Somalia still line the quayside. Definitely a cultural experience! Find the Spice Souk and breathe in the frankincense and spices. The Gold Souk nearby is worthwhile to see such a heap of gold in one place, then take an Abra ("Open" boat) across the Creek (1 Dirham/$0.27). Find an Indian restaurant hidden in an alley and get some cheap food (shawarma!! or biriyani etc) and a fruit smoothie or chai (also 1dhs).
*The Hajar Mountains in the east are full of oases (wadi), ask your drivers for a good wadi to camp/swim in. Some wadis are dry and barren, some are lush Edens.
*In the very north is an enclave of Oman called Musandam. This is one of my favourite places on Earth, an unknown gem of Arabian fjords. Get to Khasab and pay for a dhow cruise (~150 Dhs, w/ lunch), that will take you into the fjords. You always see dolphins, and they'll probably ride the bow wave. The fjords are peaceful and you'll stop for a swim.
*3 hours south of Dubai is the epic desert of Liwa, near the Saudi border and the start of the Empty Quarter [closer to Dubai, the desert of Badayer is beautiful]. Huge dunes. Bring water. It's quite quiet but even just a drive through here will be a lasting memory. Hopefully you'll find someone to take you off-road. If this tickles your fancy, the Wahiba Sands in Oman are also epic, and more cultural. Make your way to Falaj Al Mashayikh, NW of Jalan Bani Bu Hassan. This is a Bedouin village and any ride here will likely result in you being welcomed to their Majalis, and inshallah, a desert drive too. Wadi Bani Khalid starting ~30km N of here is another gem, follow the road through the mountain oasis.
Update: I see others are curious about the ferry from Bandar Abbas to Sharjah. I took this route completing my journey from the UK to the UAE. Originally I wanted to hitchhike a dhow, but the port I went to had security gates preventing me from reaching the dhows (Bandar Lengeh - "Dhow Port"!) [this isn't the case in Dubai or Sharjah]. I could have persevered by trying another port, but with home so close and the ferry leaving that day, I took it. I didn't have enough cash left for the ticket, so they agreed to take my passport as collateral and in Sharjah the friendly police escorted me to the ATM, I bought back my passport from the captain and they fast tracked me through security.
Ferry took 13 hours, through the night. Not much to report except that it is possible. I don't know how reliable the schedule is.
PS. Iran is an incredible country, the friendliest I've been to. Please see for yourself :)
===[[User:Alex|alex]]:===
===[[User:Jakobwithk|Jakobwithk]]===
*In January 2012 I spent about a week in [[Dubai]] before I hitched into [[Oman]]. I successfully managed to hitchhike inside the city. Especially the people from India and Pakistan was very happy to help me. The big E11 highway inside Dubai city would be insane to try and hitchhike on though, unless you find a good on-ramp. Combining the (quite cheap) metro and hitchhiking worked pretty good well in the city. I also found it very easy to hitchhike to [[Oman]], I never waited more than 10 minutes, usually one of the first cars passing by picked me up. Only 1 guy asked how much I would pay. But as Felix writes, you might want to get a taxi out of the city center. I stayed with a host outside the center, so I managed without a taxi. --[[User:Jakobwithk|Jakobwithk]] 10:12, 16 January 2012 (CET)
== Emirates ==
== Links ==
* [http://abgefahren.hitchbase.com/DE/blogs/alex/20090213/just-hitching-rides-a-journey-eid-christmas Just hitching rides: A journey from Eid to Christmas], abgefahren Blogs (article partly based on)
== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
{{nomadwiki}}
[[Category:Western Asia]]
[[Category:Middle East]]
[[Category:East Route from North Cape to Cape of Good Hope]]