Land-based travel in the Middle East

I'm half juggling the thought of a few weeks in the Middle East (I need to collect a 'Y' and an 'O' for my country alphabet). I've looked at flights that may go into Dubai or Qatar from NZ, and then in theory I'd travel around by land.

However, I know almost nothing about land-based travel there (which hasn't stopped me in the past). Are there trains? Buses? Is it reasonable to travel like that there as a solo backpacker? And what's the safety aspect like on the ground in countries like UAE, Qatar, Oman and Yemen?

Best Answer

Just came across this question. If you fly into Qatar, it is land locked with Saudi Arabia. The only way to get into Saudi Arabia is with a transit visa. I lived in Qatar so I had a residents permit which made the transit visa easier to obtain. You do this through local agencies, I got my first one at the Saudi Arabian embassy after 7 trips but now they've farmed out that work. A friend of mine was able to get his father a transit visa but his father had to be in Qatar for about a week before it was processed and it may have made a difference that he was traveling with somebody with an RP.

There is not much of public transportation that I came across. However taxi's are relatively cheap compared to western countries. Air Arabia is a local airline based out of Sharjah (North of Dubai) this will help you move around a little more. Your big obstacle is Saudi Arabia, it's not an easy place / next to impossible to enter.