How To Do A Saudi Arabia To UAE Road Trip
- Kerri
- Mar 28, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 7, 2024
(*Please note that this blog post has not been updated from the time it was first published (March 28th 2022) so please check the most up-to-date travel requirements if you plan to visit the UAE from Saudi.)
We recently took a more spontaneous than usual road trip from our home in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, all the way across the UAE and back again. It was our first cross-border road trip and was made possible due to most of the travel requirements and restrictions being lifted quite recently. The UAE borders Saudi Arabia and from the east coast where I live, it is just a five-hour drive to the border. This makes it a great destination to explore for those living in Saudi Arabia.
Why Drive?
This is a question we get often when we tell people that we are going on a road trip. There are a number of reasons why driving to the UAE is a great idea. First of all, for a family of five like my own, flying would cost us around $1500, whereas driving costs us around $200 dollars. That is a huge saving and allows us to splurge on a nice hotel or extra special meal out. The second main reason is that we like to sightsee and explore. While sitting around the pool is nice we do like to see a little of the area we are traveling to so having our own car enables our itinerary to be more time-efficient, gives us more freedom, and again, saves us money on taxis. We also love to drive with the kids because it means we always have all our things with us and a safe and familiar place to go to at all times should we need to leave quickly or any of the kids need a break from exploring.
How long does it take?
Our whole road trip was approximately 2100 km across seven days. From Dhahran to Abu Dhabi it took us 10 hours with a decent lunch stop and getting out at the border to get our visa on arrival. Within the UAE we traveled in a circular route which meant that each destination only took us around two hours or less. On the final day, we stayed closer to the border in a hotel called Dhafra beach resort. There is also another lovely resort next to that too (https://www.danathotels.com/ruwais/danatjebeldhannaresort). Staying here meant that the drive back to Dhahran was only 5 hours. If I went again with the kids I would stay at one of these hotels going there and back to make it more relaxing. A note about petrol; keep topped up as the gas stations are mostly closed after you pass Alhasa on the Saudi side. The gas stations on the UAE side are wonderful and you will find one not long after crossing the border
What documents are required to cross the borders?
Please be aware that this is based on personal experience on the day we traveled and not official guidance. Requirements are constantly being updated so always check the official websites for the most up-to-date information.
When we traveled on the 13th of March 2022 in addition to several check points we were required to exit the car and to have:
-Passport and Iqama
- Saudi Exit/re-entry visa
- UAE visa (arrange online or on arrival depending on passport)
- ICA Registration form (Port of entry from Saudi Arabia Al Batha is Al Ghuwaifat Port)
- Proof of vaccinations (official certificates with QR code)
- Health insurance
- Car Istimara
- Car insurance (to be purchased at the border)
- An eye scan (we had to have this before obtaining our visa on arrival)
you can register arrivals and arrange visas on the ICA website here:
What else needs to be considered when crossing the border?
We no longer needed a PCR to cross the border, however, if sightseeing in Abu Dhabi then please note that a green Al Hosn App is required for entry to many places for those aged 12 and over and this can be obtained with a PCR on arrival. Alternatively, some places state that they will accept a green Tawakalna with a valid PCR. Up to date covid travel info can be found on the Abu Dhabi website:
There are several stops and at each stop point, you may be given slips of paper: Do not mislay them as they will be needed again during the border crossing. You may need to leave the car for an eye scan, visa on arrival, and to check your luggage so be prepared. The border crossing took us one hour in total going there but coming back into Saudi we just drove straight through without having to leave the car.
If you travel to Dubai by car please check if you need a Salik tag in order to pay tolls. You can get a Salik card at any service station more details are on the website below.
Coming back across to Saudi we needed our visa, passport, iqama, green Tawakalna and we paid a departure tax of 35 AED per person and had to register Muqueem the day before traveling here:
Where did we go?
Abu Dhabi
We stayed at the Sheraton beach resort and hotel Abu Dhabi. Things to do in Abu Dhabi include Shaykh Zayed Grand Mosque, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr al Watan, afternoon tea at the emirates palace, dining at Nusr-Et restaurant (sit outside at sunset for a wonderful view), Theme parks on Yas island such as warner bros or Ferrari world. There are also salt flats and mangroves to be found here if you are more of a nature lover.
Dubai
On this occasion, we went to the Expo since we have visited many places in Dubai on a previous visit. We stayed at the Rove Expo Hotel and would recommend their hotels in Dubai since we have found them to be excellent value for money. There is so much to do in Dubai, depending on your length of stay you can go to many private beaches, waterparks, old town Dubai, Theme parks, Global Village, and if you are brave enough then try skywalk Dubai. The new museum of the future has also recently opened and looks amazing.
Hatta
Hatta was on our itinerary but we had to skip it since we overstayed at the Expo. Still, it is worth a mention as I hope to make it here next time and I think some of you would love to visit too. Hatta is about an hour from Dubai and has stunning mountain scenery towering over a lake where you can rent kayaks and pedal boats. If you are an outdoorsy type or have older children or teens then there are places to stay in Hatta where you can camp and do many outdoor activities.
Fujairah
We stayed at the Miramar al Aqah Resort, Fujairah and it was, without doubt, one of the best hotels I have ever stayed at and offered amazing value for money. It was beautiful, the breakfast was amazing and the staff were wonderful. You have a pool and a beach and several restaurants to choose from. The area itself is stunning and surrounded by mountains overlooking the sea. There is a lovely little heritage village waiting to be explored just around the corner in a town called Khor Fakkan.
Jebel jais, Ras Al Khaimah
The drive up and down Jebel Jais is fun in itself. The views are amazing and spotting random goats keep the kids entertained (and myself!). We went to 1484 by puro for lunch (so-called after the height of the restaurant) It's a fresh and new type of restaurant with a wide menu of mostly fast food and drinks and coffee and cakes. It was a nice place to eat but mostly because of the stunning view. The air is fresh but it gets really cold. There are other coffee places to stop on the climb up and other activities include hiking, zip lines, and a mountain sledder.
Sharjah
After a day of fun, food, and fresh air at Jebel Jais we drove for two hours and stayed in Sharjah at the Act Hotel which has an awesome view of the corniche. The next day we went to The Rain Room, a permanent art installation that allows you to walk through pouring rain without getting wet. It was pretty awesome but move slowly, my kids decided to find out what happened if they ran through it and they were soaked. After leaving the rain room (and changing the kid's clothes in the car!) we went to the Museum of Islamic civilization. It was a beautiful museum and very interesting. The children loved learning about Islamic civilization.
I hope this inspires you to plan and helps you prepare for your UAE road trip. If you have any questions about my experience, the quickest way to get them answered is by asking in the comments of my TikTok videos. Otherwise, get in touch on Instagram. I'm always happy to share what I know to help you have some great adventures.
