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Hey there, fellow traveler!
We’re reaching the finish line of Desert Horizons. We started in Warsaw, rode through Europe, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia — and set the final stop in Oman. Lots of asphalt, a bit of sand, a few borders, and plenty of logistics along the way.
Interested in previous stories? Check out the links below.
- 👉 Part 1 – From Poland to Turkey (first stage)
- 👉 Part 2 – Turkey: Istanbul, Ankara, Cappadocia, Şanlıurfa
- 👉 Part 3 – Iraq: Erbil and Baghdad (plus entry into Kuwait)
- 👉 Part 4 – The border behind us, Kuwait ahead of us – a new chapter in the expedition
- 👉 Part 5 – Saudi Arabia: the desert stage of the Desert Horizons expedition
Day 30: September 27, 2025, Sunday
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates, Ghiyathi -> 🇴🇲 Oman, Muscat
Our dash toward Oman started late — around 2 p.m. The day before, we’d managed to sweet-talk (well, technically complimentary, our trip’s magic word xD) a late checkout. We were counting on the temperature dropping below 40°C after 5 p.m. Spoiler: it didn’t.
We packed our stuff and rolled out from the hotel. The neighborhood felt like a little “Little India” — lots of curious looks, a few smiles, the usual. As for the route… pure highway autopilot. The upside: we cruised comfortably at around 120–130 km/h (sure, the limit’s 160, but why bother?). The downside: the oven heat was back again.
Midway stop: Shake Shack in Abu Dhabi — brunch-lunch kind of deal. We left the bike in the parking lot, and the staff inside were super hyped — taking photos (mostly them with us, not the other way around xD). Grabbed Starbucks coffee to go and headed back into the oven. It was almost 5 p.m., and the sun still felt like a hairdryer on max.
That day, I kind of hit my limit — the heat got to me, and for a rider, that’s the worst-case scenario. In Al Ain (around 8 p.m.), it was still 40°C even after sunset. What the heck? I took off my jacket because it felt like sitting in a sauna. A few isotonic drinks at a gas station, and we pushed on toward the border.
First, we drove up to the Hili border crossing in Al Ain — and surprise: GCC citizens only. So, U-turn and off to Khatm Al Shikla. That’s where things got tricky. At first, no one seemed to know how to handle the stamps for our customs paperwork. “Go to that building… actually, no, the other one… wait, maybe the third.” In the fourth one (ironically labeled Customs), the guy said, “I’m not from customs”. At that point, we weren’t playing along anymore — either someone competent shows up, or we’re not leaving. A bit of tension, 15 minutes later — stamp secured. (Seriously, let’s not treat people like fools.)
On the Omani side, things were… “fun” too. Insurance — language barrier plus an attempt to charge us a bit extra (no worries, chargeback done for the correct amount). Passport control took forever, and the cherry on top was waiting for someone who knew how to handle the Carnet. It looked like they were seeing the document for the first time, even though the country officially requires it. The final customs officers were super kind, but the system itself — total chaos. All in all, we lost about three hours crossing both borders.
We reached the hotel in Muscat at 2:30 a.m. — the longest stretch of the whole trip, 12 hours straight on the bike. We crashed instantly. The bed was insanely comfy — the kind that makes you not want to get up in the morning. And the bonus feature: humidity. The temperature was technically lower, but the air felt like a wet towel — clothes soaked from sweat and moisture. Good night.
- ⌚️ Travel time: 12 hours;
- 🛣️ Distance: 714 km;
- 🏍️ Average speed: 97 km/h
Day 35: Thursday, October 2, 2025
🇴🇲 Oman, Muscat -> 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates, Dubai
There’ll be a separate post all about Muscat — food, sightseeing, overall impressions — no point copying it here and feeding Google a duplicate. Today, just a short one about the road and the borders, because honestly, that part was more than enough work on its own.
In the morning, I still had a remote work event to run (a stream). Microsoft and I — a toxic love story. Teams kept freezing and dropping frames, and my patience was hanging by a thread. Thankfully, things calmed down around 2 p.m., and we could finally hit the road. Well… almost. Leaving Muscat, we ran into a traffic jam straight out of hell. We took the shoulder — some drivers kindly made space, others, the usual “kings of the road” in their Bavarian toys, not so much.
We chose a different border this time — experience teaches you things. Meanwhile, on Instagram, a customs officer from the previous crossing invited us to his family home(!). Super nice gesture, but not this time — we were on the clock. Along the way, we made two quick stops just to check if the stream running in the background was still alive.
We pulled up to the “customs” building. Empty. Quiet like a museum on a Monday. A short walk through the hallways — no one even noticed us. Okay then, no leaving without that stamp, or we’d be crying at the next border. We waited a bit, and finally, an officer showed up — and led us… to another building. No signs, no logic. Perfectly obvious, right? xD Stamp done, and we were back on the road.
The Emirates. Everything runs like clockwork… until it doesn’t. The officer looked at our registration certificate and said it was “expired.” Of course. A quick explanation of what’s what in the Polish document cleared things up, and we got our stamps and moved on. A quick x-ray scan along the way — just routine — and we were back on the road.
We checked into our hotel in Dubai around 9 p.m. A few people outside were admiring our bike like it was a museum exhibit — a nice way to end the day. We made it. Tomorrow, we’re dropping the motorcycle off at Pangaea Speed Dubai — the team handling our transport and relocation. They even gave us a discount, so big thanks to them!
- ⌚️ Travel time: 6 hours 57 minutes;
- 🛣️ Distance: 445 km;
- 🏍️ Average speed: 90 km/h
And that’s the end of it!
We did it. 10,977 km on the clock — yeah, yeah, we know, just a tiny bit of planning (and stubbornness) short of hitting that 11,000 mark 😂
Thanks for being with us — on Instagram, Facebook, and here, now that we’re back home and finally putting it all into words. Your messages, tips, and kind words kept us going when the sun was melting everything around us.
And one more important thing: our partners. Without you, this would’ve been so much harder. The full list and a few words of thanks are right here: 🏍️ Desert Horizons 2025 project page. Thanks for the trust — and for the real support out there on the road.
That’s it from us for this journey. If you’ve got any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments. And if any of our posts turned out useful — share them forward. See you on the next adventure. 🚀
