My “Oman to Saudi via the Rub Al Khali Road ” blog was originally written in November 2022 and appeared on the site of our old company, Xpedition Arabia.  We’ve dusted it off and updated it with info gleaned on our last trip there (April 2024).

Rub al Khali Road – A Long Awaited Journey

The new road between Saudi and Oman has been many years in the making, in fact I first spotted the border/customs buildings being constructed back in 2017! I’ve been longing for the road to open so I can drive through the RAK, alone, safely, and so was beside myself with joy when it opened early 2022.

I travelled from Oman to Saudi, although if you are going just for the road and views alone, I’d recommend reversing the route. 300kms+ of the 550kms route take you through truely awesome scenery, but the 200km section from the south west corner of the UAE up to Batha is unbelievely desolate and the surrounding desert there is mostly flat, so it would be better to get that over with first!

Every Journey Starts with the First Step

There are many signs along the road, including 10km reminders of how far you are from Madinah (my final destination) and Makkah (important if you are travelling to perform Umrah or Haj)

The border crossing at the Rub Al Khali port was extremely quiet, and I sailed through in less than 30 minutes. They didn’t check my car thoroughly, though they did ask if I was carrying any alcohol, which I wasn’t, as I have no desire to see the inside of a Saudi jail! The guards on both sides were exceptionally friendly and spoke English; I suspect I may have been the first European woman, on her own, to go this way!

Note: subsequent visits have seen customs check our cars deeply, including removing items, then sending you for an X-ray.  We recommend you do not carry anything you shouldn’t be carrying!

There are streetlights for the first few kilometres, as well as a fence to stop you leaving the road and bypassing the border post!

Keep on Truckin’

Once you are past the fence, there are now (2024) crash barriers alongside much of the road, thus preventing you pulling over and sleeping for the night.  There are some  sabkhas by the side of the road but they usually look wet, and your car may sink into them. Never cross a sabkah unless you have the knowledge, experience and equipment to extract yourself if you become stuck.

There are some official “rest areas” with parking for cars and trucks, however unfortunately these are strewn with litter and are unpleasant places to stay.

Rub Al Khali – Not Just Sand!

The water table in the Rub Al Khali is surprisingly close to the surface and I saw many pools of water where the road constructors had dug down as little as 1 metre!

The Rub Al Khali is a rich source of oil and gas to the UAE, Oman and Saudi, and you must not take photos when passing by oil installations. There is one area on the road where there are fences on each side to stop you from straying into one and you should definitely put down your camera when passing through here.

An Angel Watching Over Me?

There are many monitoring cameras along the route, and I became aware of a drone high above me when I camped for the night. I’d like to think they were ensuring my welfare as they would have known I was on my own, and also that I must be off-road somewhere after the last camera, which photographed my number plate! Perhaps they were perplexed by the sight of a Western woman camping alone.

(On that note, I have never experienced any fear of travelling alone in the Middle East. There are times when I’ve been in the desert and had my bonnet up on the side of the road to connect the tyre compressor and had offers of assistance from male drivers who have stooped to check I was OK.)

The scenery along the east-west section of the road is magnificent, and you will find yourself stopping every few kms to take a photo, so please park safely, and also ensure that you factor in the extra time to complete your journey.

Fuelling up me and my Car

There’s a petrol station at 22.68363 53.34539, also a grocery and a coffee shop.  You can buy an STC simcard/plan from the grocery, as well as many unexpected things!

I didn’t need petrol but since it was there, AND it sold 95 octane, I thought it would be rude not to use it! Other petrol stations are on the Saudi side of the border post, also at Batha, plus one about 100kms on the Omani side of the border.

After the petrol station, I noticed a berm (a raised area of earth, covering possibly a pipeline or communication cables, or both) to the south of the road and this follows the road pretty much all of the way towards Batha. If you decide to go off-road to camp, only cross these at proper crossing points, of which there are scarcely any. At the southwest of the route, there are many spots, accessible over easy dunes, not sabkhas, which you could take if you wanted to stay for the night, and you could go quite a few kms into the desert for an undisturbed rest. I do suggest keeping a minimum of 5kms from the UAE border though.

The Lonely Rub al Khali Road

The speed limit for the whole road is 90kph, however I seemed to be the only person strictly adhering to this. At every rise over the dunes there is a crawler lane on the ascent, meaning you shouldn’t be faced with overtaking vehicles on the wrong side of the road! I saw less than 20 cars on the whole drive, 1 bus, and quite a few trucks, mainly Omani registered in the East, and Saudi in the west.

If this blog has inspired you to head to Saudi Arabia on your own, then please check out our e-book series, covering driving, travelling to Saudi from the UAE  and Oman, and also camping in Saudi Arabia.  Payment by paypal.

Arabian Cities and Sands

As you’ll no doubt be aware, Saudi Arabia is opening up to the world by heavily investing in tourism. With easy access to visas for most travelers, it’s now possible to visit some of the hidden gems that remained inaccessible for so long. If you’re interested in discovering more about this vast country try visiting the links below for a selection of the Desert Diva’s top destinations.

Jeddah and Muscat – 2 Centre City Break