Oman – conditions of participation

BaltiCCycle (BC) is not a commercial tour, all organizers are volunteers, and the collected registration fee goes only for covering organizational expenses. Joining BC you become a part of the team, and we expect from you a good will and a right understanding of our principles and rules. Your assistance in organizing the daily program and solving all difficulties is highly appreciated.

Notes. The ride will happen on the conditions we offer below if enough participants – at least 10 covering all parts of the route – register for the tour. We need to know this in advance (for booking campsites, car hire, etc.); therefore, the deadline for registration is set for November 19, 2024, two months before the start date. If we do not gather enough participants, the membership fee will be refunded to you, and you can go on the ride yourself, sharing all expenses with the other participants. After registering you will be regularly informed by email about the registration progress. The ride is open to everybody but before signing you should think about your mental and physical capability to complete it not making problems for yourself and the group.
BC participants gather for the ride from different countries. We recommend bringing on your bike a national flag or another symbol so that local people can see us as an international-friendly cycling community.

Organizational rules. We try to keep our organizational principles similar to the previous BC tours, but each of our routes is different; therefore, it is impossible to work out all the details in advance.

Membership fee. It is fixed at 30 €/day. You have to indicate the number of days you plan to travel in the table of the Registration Form, and your membership fee for the whole tour will be counted automatically. To organize the whole event with fewer troubles we ask everybody who has the intention to take part in the ride to fill out the Registration Form as soon as possible. If the registration and the half of membership fee are not received until November 19, 2024 discounts are cancelled, and the fee increases by 10 %. If the second part of the fee is not received 10 days before your start day, the fee increases by 10 % too.
The membership fee will not be required from those local cyclists who help in organizing the ride and will cycle for less than 3 days. They have to cover only the sleeping costs. The organizers would appreciate it if local participants would purchase a package with ride symbols (T-shirts, flag and sticker).

The membership fee includes:

Discounts. The discounts are applicable only if the Registration Form and half of the membership fee is received no later than November 19, 2024. Discounts don’t accumulate.

Additional paid service (optional):
– booked by registration:
* transportation of additional personal luggage up to 20 kg (2 € per diem);
* T-shirt with the logo of the ride – an additional one or for participants cycling 10 or less days – 20 €;
– booked during the ride:
* possibility to use transport of organizers for arrival/departure to/from the ride for a total distance up to 100 km (5 € per 10 km).

Arrival/Departure. Costs of the arrival/departure are not included in the participation fee. You can join and finish the ride at any point of the route, and you have to plan yourself how to do it. We can pick you up for the additional fee (5 € per 10 km) for the total distance of 100 km. You should contact the ride organizers at least two days before. Leaving from the intermediate points of the route should be not a problem: the public transport connecting towns is available almost everywhere on the route. Click here how to prepare your bicycle for plane transport.
Since we end in Dubai, you can plan to fly in and out of this city and get to the start of the trip by another means of transport. You can also fly directly to Muscat and return from Dubai

Visas. You have to check if you need visas at the Oman consulate in your country. For example citizens of Poland can stay in Oman without tourist visa only 14 days, for longer stay must apply by internet, filling the form or in the Embassy of Oman in Berlin. If you come from the Emirates, you can buy it at the border (20 rials in 2022). Your passport should be valid for at least half of the year ahead from the departure from your country. You can be asked to show your back ticket, booked accommodation, and insurance. 
You will get electronic visa to the Emirates at the border, it is valid 90 days.

Ferry. We will use a ferry for the transfer from Shinas to Khasab. The ticket price is not included in the membership fee, and you will pay for it during the ride. We will try to book tickets for the group in advance. If due to weather conditions the ferry is cancelled we will cycle the alternative route to Sharjah.

Catering. It depends only on you. It is recommended to bring along a gas stove for preparing meals in the campsites. There may be some sections without shops or cafes and participants should carry emergency rations.

Vaccination. No obligatory vaccinations to enter Oman, but there are some recommended: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, typhoid, rabies. If you want to be vaccinated, do it a few weeks before departure and take a yellow booklet with stamps.

Necessary equipment and documents:

Children until 18. Children can take part in the ride only together with parents (one or both) or another adult who is authorized by the notary to take care of and is fully responsible for the juvenile.

Luggage transport. We strongly recommend carrying all necessary personal stuff in the panniers on your bike. The service of luggage transportation by the support car is limited to 20 kg. If you plan to transport more kilograms in the support car you have to indicate when registering and pay in advance (2 € per diem). Neither organizers nor drivers are responsible for the safety of your luggage.

Resignation rules. The date of resignation is fixed up when the resignation letter is received by organizers: before the ride by email sigitas@bicycl.lt or bc2025@bicycle.pl, during the ride, it should be delivered to the leaders of the expedition and confirmed by them. The date is important because it determines the amount of the refund. The membership fee is returned in the following manner:

Organizer. CROTOS – The Travellers’ Association: +48 604 255 722, bc2025@bicycle.pl, Maryla Zielińska; +37068659375, sigitas@bicycle.lt, Sigitas Kučas.