SteveSo where the heck is Khasab?
This is our story of the smugglers of Khasab. Khasab is not the sort of place you are likely to find yourself in. We came across Khasab as a port of call on a Middle Eastern cruise that we took a few years back. Khasab is a small Omani enclave that is on the tip of the United Arab Emirates. If you remember the Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf War, then Khasab sits right there.
What is there to see in Khasab?
There’s not a lot to Khasab. It was one of those ‘might as well stop here for a few hours’ ports of call by our cruise line. Khasab has some Dolphin tours, an old castle, a market square and a military airport. So not a lot else to see really, except for the astonishing site of Iranian smugglers plying their trade.
The Smugglers of Khasab
Now I’ve seen some things on my travels, but this is certainly up there! The smugglers use simple boats fitted with an outboard motor to travel from Iran to Khasab and back again. Iran to Khasab is only about 100 miles or so by boat across the Strait of Hormuz, and much shorter if travelling from the Iranian island of Queshm.
Myself and Amy had a bit of a wander about Khasab and found it to be almost completely devoid of tourists. Funny that, given its remoteness. Anyhow, as there was not too much to see, and we didn’t fancy tangling with any smugglers, we headed back to the safety of our ship.
Watching the Smugglers
From here I watched the smugglers come and go throughout the day. They seemed to be coming over from Iran with goats and sheep, and trading them for cigarettes, white goods and some unidentified large bundles. It must be such a precarious trip, as the Straits of Hormuz have some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
The locals who were armed with Toyota Hilux’s were on hand to transport the goods back and forth. Given how little industry I saw there, I expect that this is a strong source of income for the locals.
Now I’m not sure how legal this practice is myself. There seemed to be no border controls whatsoever in Khasab, and the boats the smugglers use seem plenty fast enough if they had a need to outrun any authorities! I do know that this smuggling has been going on for a very long time, so I presume the smugglers are well versed in dealing with any authorities. I dare say a bribe or two may take place . . .
After seeing the likes of Dubai, Muscat and Abu Dhabi – it was kind of nice to see something a bit out of the ordinary. This is what travel is all about!
You might like to read what it’s like to cruise around the Middle East?
