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Our region is a little short on what would be described as decent driving roads – unless you really get your kicks on vast swatches of arrow straight motorway. So we’re (www.carmiddleeast.com) highlighting some of the best roads – and want your help in finding more. First in the series is perhaps one of the most famous roads in the region – Jebel Hafeet.
Situated on the Jebel Hafeet mountain on the border between the UAE and Oman, this 12.3km stretch of tarmac leads to the highest point accessable by a regular car in the UAE. And what great joys await at the top of a mountain? A crappy little restaurant at 1016m above sea level. However, the Mercure Grand Hotel a few kilometres down the mountain is good for tea and cake around the pool.
Set the sat-nav for Al Ain – basically follow the E66 until it ends. Once there, follow the brown tourist signs to the Hafeet. Beware, if you’re visiting at the weekend, arrive early to avoid the traffic. Better still, stay overnight at the Grand Mercure and you can play all night – there’s little else to do in the area. Make sure you fill up in Al Ain itself though, as it’s a very long walk down to get fuel.
Jebel Hafeet can be a killer – we’ve had plenty of cars throw up all manner of warnings due to overheating. If it’s your first time, take it easy – some of the corners are very deceptive and the scars on the concrete crash barriers bear the marks of those who’ve overcooked it en route to the summit.
Don’t worry about holding anyone up, it’s two lanes up and one down. Just leave the gawping at the view for the numerous parking areas on the way up. Enjoy!
24°3’ 30” N 55°46’ 40” E is your end goal
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Tom Bird
Kalba Road:
24°57’ 25” N 56°12’ 41” E
Liwa to Moreeb Hill (Top Gear Lambo Road):
22°59’ 22” N 53°46’ 45” E
Musandam Road:
26°13’ 55” N 56°11’ 35” E
I have a few more great stretches of road under my hat, but I’m keeping them quiet for now…
Tom Bird
The road I drove the length of Oman in the Phantom to get to is at:
16°44’ 52” N 53°11’ 49” E
Or follow this link: http://tinyurl.com/y8a9ecj to see it on Google Maps.
Be aware, it’s a blooming long drive to get down there. Factor in at least one day’s driving each way – I drove back to Dubai from Salalah in just over 11hours with the only stops being for fuel and 20mins at KFC just outside Muscat. Don’t forget, that was in a Phantom which will happily swallow potholes at 160kph without any bother. I sincerely doubt any other car could do the journey quicker.