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Hi there we are a young British couple who have cycled all the way from the UK to UAE (cycling and camping via France/ Germany/ Austria/ Hungary/ Romania/ Bulgaria/ Turkey/ Iran-ferry to UAE) and are now staying in Sharjah/ Dubai and planning the next part of our trip to India. We'd like to continue our journey by sea if we can (rather than fly) as we have got this far by bicycle. Does anyone know if it is possible to get a boat from Dubai to India or any opportunities for this (eg crewing on yachts etc...)? It would be great to hear from you.

Jet

WOW , maybe you guyz should put the vids and pics for everybody to see , or maybe right a book , This the second time i have heard of something like this being done (the first time I read about was in your first thread), Somebody said that many people do this, But I am still fascinated no doubt

There is a member here named Herve who is well-versed in taking boats to India. Just do a search here and follow his lead!

A little extreme DD, however there is a way!

Firstly, a quick trip to the Central Post Office in Bur Dubai and apply for an Indian visit visa (295 Dhs.)
Then a quick cycle down to Deira and cruise along the dhow wharfage. Talk to the dhow owners and see who is going to where and then negotiate passage including your bikes.

You may find that as little as 200Dhs will get you a long way!

The only thing you have to do is make sure you get a Dubai Immigration exit stamp before you go...a quick trip to the Dubai Department of Immigration & Naturalisation at Trade Centre and they will tell you what the procedure is or check with the captain of the boat as they all have to get stamps somewhere.

Mind you, DNID will very likely screw it up!



Knight

dubaidog wrote:There is a member here named Herve who is well-versed in taking boats to India. Just do a search here and follow his lead!

good one DD

Dubai Knight is about right, that s one way to go, but don't expect room service though, and there is no bathroom either. A little rustic for ladies...
Right also about UAE immigration, expect having a lenghty process, but don't you skip the passport exit check, the captain of the boat can help you with that. There is a police coast guards office right at the creek entrance where crews get their passport stamped.
Arrival in India is not an issue at all, given you have a visa.

Brilliant. Thanks DubaiKnight and Herve. It sounds like an exciting way to travel if a little rough around the edges! But that's part of the adventure. Do some of the Dhows go all the way to India? Any idea how long it takes...

Jet

Well you’re a braver man than me Britcycle!! Chancing your arm on a Dhow for six days in open water, choose your ship wisely, as they have already managed to capsize two so far this Year and that was while manoeuvring into position at the customs post in the mouth of the creek on calm waters! LOL

Michael Palin, of Monty Python fame, travelled ‘Around the world in 80 Days’, and wrote a book about it, you can read it online here http://palinstravels.co.uk/static-7 page 15 covers his arrival into Dubai and subsequent experiences during his 6 Day onward journey to India on a Dhow. He revisited the Journey 20 Years later and documented this trip in another book ’80 Days revisited’ also on the website.

Good luck!

Dillon wrote:Well you’re a braver man than me Britcycle!! Chancing your arm on a Dhow for six days in open water, choose your ship wisely, as they have already managed to capsize two so far this Year and that was while manoeuvring into position at the customs post in the mouth of the creek on calm waters! LOL

Michael Palin, of Monty Python fame, travelled ‘Around the world in 80 Days’, and wrote a book about it, you can read it online here http://palinstravels.co.uk/static-7 page 15 covers his arrival into Dubai and subsequent experiences during his 6 Day onward journey to India on a Dhow. He revisited the Journey 20 Years later and documented this trip in another book ’80 Days revisited’ also on the website.

Good luck!

When you see how overloaded they are, its hardly surprising! Try and get on one that is transporting something that floats?

Yes they go all the way to India, Mumbai normally.

Oh yes, and the toilet is literally a ring on the side of the boat. Mind you, the views are more interesting. No need to take a newspaper or a book!



Knight

Hi all,

Just the thing i was looking for! My Girlfriend and i are doing the same trip (minus the bikes..hehe, so not quite the same..but are sticking to land and sea via the same route none the less) and I have been trying to find some information on this dhow ride as pakistani visas are proving difficult for various reasons.

Well most of the information i was looking for is available on the previous posts of this discussion so thanks to all for that! However, i am very interested to know whether you were succesful Jet/britcycle or if anyone knows of this being completed recently? Essentially im interested in how likely it is to do this...how easy it is. Have people done it many times before? Dubai knight or herve, have you guys done this trip many times before and recently?

Thanks alot for any help to come and that which you've given me already!

cheers
Louis

louislamprell wrote:Hi all,

Dubai knight or herve, have you guys done this trip many times before and recently?

Oh lord. I think Herve had a smashing success, although (I think) has only done it once. He did it in a different way, though.

The way I did it was extreme, because it was a life threatening situation , I did only once the "trip" Dubai-Mumbai. but a dozen similar operations during my service.
So ...I would not recommend this way of doing, unless you find yourself in the same situation.

Hey guys. thanks for the prompt reply!

So herve, you wouldnt really reccomend it by the sounds of it. Do you mind if I ask why exactly? We're very keen to do this leg of the trip and so im keen to find out whatever information possible. We appreciate that conditions on board, no toilet or room etc, will be pretty rough to say the least but whilst we're not too put off by these sorts of discomforts, we dont particularaly want to throw ourselves in harms way. Are there dangers involved we should be aware of?
Is it very easy to find a boat or could it possibly take a long time to find someone to take us?

Thanks so much for the help guys and sorry for the hassle. really is very appreciated though.

cheers,
Louis

No this is not high risk, the risk is mild, meaning you can always get mugged, kidnapped or sink, but those dowes take a route north of the pirates area. Just leave your itinerary to someone you trust, with the details of the boat, name, registration, captain and make sure you dont go 100 miles south of a line Fujairah Mumbai (pirates)
It is easy to find a boat, go to the creek and ask around.
I guarantee you It will be an interesting trip, one that you will never forget. not like a trip on a cruise ship which , personally , I find utterly boring.
This is assuming you are doing this trip as a tourist. If you are wanted in the UAE, that is NOT the way to go.

Hi everyone!
Does anybody know if this is still possible? I see that this thread is a few years old now.
Any info would be appreciated!
Thanks!

Hi all, I would also be interested to know if this is all still possible. Thanks

herve , is this possible in August during monsoon season? I hope it is, just more 'bumpy' towards India. I'm cycling from London to New Delhi and would like to avoid Pakistan this way. Dhow ride from Dubai to Bombay seems like an amazing experience. Hope you're still on this forum or maybe someone else knows. Please drop a line here. Will be much appreciates. Thanks
http://lauzis-ontheroad.tumblr.com

Hi everyone, my brother and I are in Dubai now trying to find a ship to India. Like many others here, we are travelling around the world without aeroplanes.
The problem is that nobody in Dubai seems to actually know what is going on with the ports. We have been to five different ports and wharfages in Dubai, not including the ones we visited in Sharjah and Ajman, and nobody can tell us categorically whether there are ships/dhows/launches to India, and where they would be anchored.
Does anyone know? These days all the launches in the Creek are going to Iran or Somalia. There is a new wharfage down by the Hyatt, but we can't get in there without going through a long security process, and nobody can give us a straight answer on whether there are actually any vessels in there headed for India (some useless bureaucrat offhandedly told us February is the wrong season for boats to India).
We know there are big cargo liners headed India way from Jebel Ali port, but the big companies aren't usually willing to take on passengers.
Anyone with genuine knowledge? We've already done a lot of footwork based on people's speculation.
Thanks,
Jamie