By Mohammed Rashad Hussain, Managing PartnerPublished 3 min read
Which cruises call at Khor Fakkan?
Khor Fakkan is a Sharjah port on the Gulf of Oman, outside the Strait of Hormuz, which is why some cruise lines add it to UAE itineraries. We could not find an official 2026 to 2027 call list from Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority.
Third-party schedules, such as the Cruise Mapper port page, show scheduled calls and list some as 08:00 to 17:00. They disagree on ship names. Use your cruise line’s itinerary as the source and send us your date, arrival time and all-aboard time.
How do you get from the port to Dubai or DXB?
By road across the Hajar Mountains. OSRM routing from the port area gives these figures without traffic.
| From Khor Fakkan port to | Distance by road | Free-flow drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai International Airport (DXB) | about 124 km | about 1 h 39 |
| Downtown Dubai | about 134 km | about 1 h 46 |
| Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) | about 103 km | about 1 h 22 |
| Fujairah International Airport (FJR) | about 33 km | about 37 min |
Allow up to 2 hours to Dubai at busy times. A private car beats a bus or a street taxi on a cruise day, because your driver is booked before you dock and tracks your time ashore. Our Dubai to Khor Fakkan guide covers the road and the options in detail.
We have not confirmed how vehicles reach the pier, so we agree the pickup point with you before the call. Booking details are on our cruise terminal transfers page. The same stretch is covered under intercity transfers.
What can you do on a shore day on the east coast?
Khor Fakkan has a bay and corniche with mountains behind it. Many guests treat it as a base and drive on.
- Fujairah: about 31 km south by road, 36 minutes without traffic, and the city. See places to visit in Fujairah.
- Fujairah International Airport: about 33 km away. Our Fujairah airport guide explains arrivals there.
- Dibba: about 42 km north, 50 minutes without traffic, on the Oman border side of the coast.
- Full-day tour: the Fujairah east coast tour strings the coast together with a private driver.
Bring your passport if you go towards Dibba, because the Oman border area is close. Check the rules on our UAE and Oman border crossings guide before you plan a crossing.
How do you time your return to the ship?
Work back from the all-aboard time in your cruise documents. The cruise line sets it, and a ship does not wait for a late tour.
- Note the all-aboard time. Add a 45 to 60 minute margin for the mountain road.
- Subtract the drive time from your last stop to the pier.
- Tell your driver the final deadline when you book, not on the day.
For a Dubai return, a 17:00 departure means leaving Dubai no later than late morning if you want to reach the pier early. Ask us for a plan on WhatsApp for your route. Roads from Dubai and Sharjah toward the east coast are covered in our guide to driving from DXB to the northern emirates.
What about flights from Sharjah or Dubai?
Some guests combine a cruise with a flight. Sharjah International is about 103 km away, and DXB about 124 km. Our Sharjah Airport to Dubai guide covers the other end of that trip. For all seven airports, read the UAE airports guide. Dubai’s own cruise port is covered in the Mina Rashid cruise terminal guide.
Photos in this guide
Quayside container cranes at Khor Fakkan port on the Gulf of Oman, with the Hajar Mountains behindKpokeJlJla / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A container ship alongside the gantry cranes at Khor Fakkan portRizwan Ullah Wazir / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
The Khor Fakkan Monument on a hilltop, with the Hajar Mountains behindEarthlingtwo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Date palms and a coastal road at Khor Fakkan, with mountains and the Gulf of Oman behindStzeman / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
