Adventurous Oman – The Middle East Fairy

The mesmerizing Sultanate of Oman won my heart to be my favorite travel destination of the Middle East. It has everything to satisfy even a most demanding and well-traveled world wanderer. If you are tired of the beaten tourist routes – try Oman! The dramatic vast landscapes of Oman offer magnificent views and appear different in the local winter and summer periods – that makes it attractive to travel two times to the same area and not running bored. There are a lot of small villages and towns across the country, protected by ancient forts, full of history and mystery to explore. The feeling of the “101 Nights” tale will definitely follow you all the way around.
If you are a looking for the best hiking routes, you may want to hike to the top of the highest mountain in Oman – Jabel Shams or trek the mountains of Salalah and enjoy the breathtaking views from the edges of its sinkholes.
If you love the sea – Oman owns endless coastlines on the Persian Gulf with the protected Nature Reserve Archipelagos with unique underwater world, which you can explore while snorkeling, scuba diving or freediving. You may even stay on a boat or a kayak and still see a lot of sea creatures and enjoy the welcoming wind and waves of the ocean. There are a few turtle nature reserves, where you can observe the huge sea turtle nesting and the miracle of baby turtles hatch from their eggs and rush to embrace a new life in the ocean.

Attractions of Oman:
Muscat
Wilayat Al Seeb Nature Reserve and The Dimaniyat Archipelago and water sports
Jebel Shams
Grand Canyon of Arabia – Wadi Ghul – The Balcony Walk
Salalah
The Cliffs of Mughsayl – Marneef Cave
Taiq Sinkhole & Cave, Tawi Atayr Sinkhole and Jabal Samhan View Point
Wadi Darbat
Mirbat
Camels
Hotels

The country is safe for traveling, even if you are a solo female traveler. Of course, you should keep the general safety rules and respect the local set of mind and traditions. The people of Oman are very friendly, but they will leave you alone and won’t molest with too curious staring or trying to sell you something unlike many touristy destinations. Here you will have a vast country to explore for yourself! There are not a lot of people outside – especially during the day. The locals are busy with their daily chores and pay little attention to the seldom foreign travelers.

The first time I set my foot on Omani ground was just for 30 minutes of a visa run to change my tourist visa to the employment visa for Dubai. Weird laws that require you to exit and re-enter the UAE in order to get a new visa title. So, I bought my air tickets to Oman with only 30 minutes’ stay in the country to have enough time to run through the pass control, get exit and entry stamps and board the very same plane. The funny thing was that most of the passengers were doing the same thing and we met each other on our way back to Dubai.
Anyway, at that point in time my knowledge of Oman was very limited to the information one gets in the Geography classes at school and, as many westerns are, I was full of prejudices that it would be dangerous for a woman to get out of the airport alone and explore the city of Muscat, and almost unthinkable to go further into the country.

Muscat

Fragrant ancient souks, busy fish markets and a majestic port with authentic traditional dhow boats – all comes together with a slow-paced Arabian lifestyle in the vibrant capital of Sultanate Oman – Muscat.

Water and underwater activities in Oman

My first real meeting with the beautiful Sultanate of Oman happened few months later, when a group of friends proposed to drive to the Wilayat Al Seeb Nature Reserve not far from Muscat for a snorkeling, kayaking and beach resort weekend. The Dimaniyat Archipelago 18km offshore Oman. The reefs of the islands are in good shape covered by beautiful coral gardens and inhabited by various numerous colorful species. It is often called “the aquarium” – it’s easy to spot turtles, dolphins and eels and, if you are very lucky, even whale sharks. The visibility varies depending on the season between 10-20 meters. You may choose snorkeling, scuba diving or freediving boat tours according to your preferences. There are a few good diving centers around. The average recreational diving spots depth is around 25-30 meters, the maximum Depth of the Persian Gulf is only 90 meters.
On a lazy weekend, you may also just stay in a beach resort and enjoy kayaking and exploring the small coastal islands. Some resorts offer horse riding and kite surfing activities.

Hiking Destinations in Oman

Jebel Shams 3009m (Mountain of the Sun) is the highest mountain in Oman. It is better to stay overnight in a resort close to the mountain or in the Al Hamra town as the trek to the top will take a day if you want to take it easy and enjoy the tremendous views.

The Grand Canyon of Arabia – Wadi Ghul

We opted for a half day hike of 4-5 hours in the Grand Canyon of Arabia – Wadi Ghul. after the Al hamra the root changes to off-road and will be a bit bumpy, so make sure you attempt it on a 4×4 vehicle. Soon the road will end in a little village of few houses, where you can park your car and start your hike. Don’t forget water and power snakes for the road – there are no facilities or shops on the trek.
The Balcony Walk (An Nakhr Balcony) is a trek on the inside edge of the Grand Canyon with the most stunning views hundreds of meters down the rocky abyss. The trail is marked with paint marks, so it’s easy to find your way around and come to the abandoned ancient village Sap Bani Khamis. The settlement of a dozen stone houses with a one-room mosque, plantation terraces and a waterfall with a lake further the track were well hidden and protected from the outside world for hundreds of years. To find the waterfall and the lake was a little challenging and the trail markers stop at the village. The trek gets steeper and a bit more complicated and I regretted not wearing my proper trekking shoes as I stepped on a 5cm thorn, which went through my running shoe soft sole and was pinching for a while till I managed to pull it out. The track to the village and to the view point will take you around one or two hours, depending on how fast you will move forward. There are almost no tourists and most of the time it will be only you and the magnificent mountains and the daredevil mountain goats climbing the cliffs and curiously starring at you from the high rocks, hoping for a snake.

Salalah

Salalah is famous for it’s Khareef mosoon season (Arabic “autumn”) from mid-June till mid-September. The annual Khareef festival in Salalah attracts thousands of tourists every year. The rains are more of a drizzle and the coastal line and mountains are covered with fog that reduces the visibility to 10 and sometimes only one meter. The temperatures are around 25 degrees and the air is crispy fresh (especially if you are coming from one of the Middle Eastern countries like Dubai). The rains bring the landscape to life and the stony coastal line turns into the greenery covered paradise with the views similar to those of Ireland.
I did the hiking around Salalah twice – once during the Khareef and another time in January, when the region was dry. It is amazing to experience the vivid green and freshness of the Khareef season with the amazing views from the cliffs on the coastal line, but it was a bit too slippery to hike in the mountains and in the Sinkholes as it was too slippery and often the views were covered in fog.
My January hike resulted very spontaneous and not planned at all. Salalah was supposed to be only a stop over on our way to another country, but due to some circumstances we were stuck there for four days and needed to quickly organize some activities. We were two ladies but that was not a problem at all! We easily rented a car at the airport, downloaded the MapsMe Oman map and kicked off our adventure. The car rent was relative cheap with around USD120

The Cliffs of Mughsayl – Marneef Cave

The Cliffs of Mughsayl are a famous tourist attraction with it’s famous Marneef Cave and natural fountains – impressive blowholes erecting water with each stormy wave aggressively breaking into the shore, through the rocks wich are just above the sea. The views of this spectacle are dramatic and mesmerizing. The Mughsayl Beach is also a preferred picnic spot by the locals.

In January it was almost empty, apart from the few locals. In June the view point was crowded with tourists and locals. But if you go off the track and hike further the cliffs you will be on your own and enjoy the breathtaking views of the storming sea from the height of the cliffs.

After the hike in the mountains you may want to sit in an authentic local cafe and sip your well deserved Arabic coffee and enjoy a fresh-pressed fruit juice.
Just 30 minutes drive away in the direction towards the Yemeni border we found another amazing viewpoint overseeing the mountains and the coastal line, where we met the sunset.

Taiq Sinkhole & Cave, Tawi Atayr Sinkhole and Jabal Samhan View Point

Taiq Sinkhole is one of the most impressive geological formations of Eastern Dhofar formed as the result of collapsing of the underground voids. The giant size of the Taiq sinkhole is really impressive with the width of 1000 m and depth of 250 m and the volume of 90 million m3. The walls of the sinkhole are very steep and have 150 m overhang in the eastern part.
Jabal Samhan is an amazing hike with not a lot (better to say almost no) tourists on the hiking track. The track is steep and needs to be accessed in proper trekking shoes. It is also better to have a local guide walking with you as they would know the easier routes and would lead you to the hidden caves and better views. The trail seems to be with no end and you may spend the whole day hopping on the edges of the mountains. The views from the top are magnificent overseeing the vast valley from the incredible height and a tremendous sea far away.

Tawi Atayr Sinkhole
Tawi Atayr Sinkhole is located not far from the Wadi Darbat and is one of the most famous famous sinkholes of Oman and one of the largest in the world – 211 meters deep and 150 meters in diameter. Descended as far as you can, down the steep edges of the sinkhole, you’ll find yourself in a huge well surrounded by the sounds of numerous nesting birds in a ‘well of birds’ as usually named by the locals. Only accessible during the dry season.

Wadi Darbat

After hiking Jabal Samhan and exploring the Tawi Atayr and Taiq Sinkholes Wadi Darbat would be a nice stop to have your meal and take a rest in the lee of the green park on the river bench. It is very popular with the locals who arrange their picnics underneath the trees. There are a lot of local food stalls and small shops.

Mirbat

Mirbat, 70km East of Salalah on Route 49, was in ancient times the capital of Dhofar prospering from frankincense trade and breeding of the Arabian horses. It is famous for the Battle of Mirbat in 1972 during the Dhofar Rebellion.

The Mirbat Castle is now under restoration but it’s allowed to enter it’s walls and visit the little museum inside it. The old part of the town on the seaside is deserted and most of the old houses, built in traditional Yemeni style mud brick with hand-carved doors and windows, are in ruins. The feeling of war is still present in this area.

Today’s Mirbat is known mostly for fishing – the Harbor near the Castle is the best place to see closely the traditional fishing boats called dhows.

On the outskirt of Mirbat there is a Mausoleum of Bin Ali, who was a local Islamic scholar in the 14th Century. The mosque was built over his tomb and there is a large cemetery around the mosque and the white washed walls of the tomb.

Visitors are asked to remove shoes and cover their head, but everyone is welcome to enter. We, two ladies, were staying outside the tomb taking pictures around while trying to be as respectful as possible to the local traditions. When a few locals came to pay their respects to Bin Ali, they welcomed us to enter and see the inside of the Mausoleum.

Camels

Camels are everywhere! This majestic creatures wander peacefully down the roads paying no attention to the traffic – the cars just stop and wait till the slow pacing animals would get out of the road. On our way to the hotel we randomly stopped on a wild beach along the road. We walked to the sea to take some pictures and met a friendly lonely camel who was very interested in making friends with us. Maybe he was a house camel? Anyway he let us pet himself and posed for amazing numerous pictures and selfies. That was probably the best moments of all – so spontaneous, so pure, so magical!

Hotels

In Salalah we stayed few nights in Hilton hotel which was a very nice retreat after the tiring days of hiking and exploring. Another nice place to stay we discovered on our way was Juweira Boutique Hotel, which is a little village oasis with small shops and restaurants. For a mor budget stay you may try the Samharam Tourist Village – nothing fancy but clean and nice stay in homey villas.

Muscat
Near the diving spots around Oman we tried Remas Hotel Suites – quiet, friendly, neat hotel with friendly personal. If you want to enjoy a luxury stay – choose the 5 star Chedi Hotel in Muscat.