Turtle beach

Turtle beach is a marvelous place located 30 minutes away eastward from Sur. The place is supervised by the authorities, and you can only access after recorded at the point of control.

The turtles come here all year long, to lay during the night and they leave just before the rising of the sun. in early morning you can see baby turtles fighting to reach the sea.

You can sleep at the turtle beach resort that we recommend, or go to the Ras al Hadd resort which is just on the turtle beach itself.

Note : Avoid going there during Eid holidays because there is too many people and the authorities just don't know how to handle the crowd.

Wadi Shab

Wadi Shab is located just next to Wadi Tiwi. You have to park at the entrance of the Wadi and continue by foot. The path and goes inside the gorge and is very lovely, even if Gonu has destroyed a lot of palm trees...

on the path you will find several small natural pools where you can swim. But the big fun is at the end of the wadi (after 1hour walking) : you can access a little cave by swimming, and then you can climb the rocks and make enormous jumps in the water !

NOTE : Too many people are going to Wadi shab and wadi Tiwi during Eid Mubarak holidays. You should definitely avoid this period to visit these places.

Dubai

As Dubai is only few hours away from Muscat, it's not hard to go there for a long week-end if you get bored with Oman. You will need between 4 and 6 hours to reach Dubai from Muscat by car : it depends on how fast you're driving, the traffic jams and the time you'll spent at the border post (If you have a Omani hire car, you will need also to get a 12 OMR insurance policy extension at your rental agency).

Dubai is so different from Oman : you have a lot of towers, it is a crowded city with traffic jams and you have a lot of activities to do in the city ! You can check the Sheikh Zayed road with its hundred of towers (including the Burj Dubai, the tallest tower in the world), you can go to the Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah beaches, you can also visit some old typical houses in Bur Dubai (even if they look as new as the towers because of their recent renovation)...

There a lot of Souqs as well, and a interesting Dubai museum. Also you can make some skiing in the Mall of Emirates (which is a change from the heat of the city !) or spend the day in the water amusement park "wild wadi".

In brief, I've spent 3 days in Dubai during the Eid holidays and it has been a real enjoyment and a big change from Muscat. However, more than 3 days I don't know what I could have done more (maybe more shopping ?).

Mutrah Fish Market

Every morning, until 1pm, stands the fish market in Mutrah. To find it, just follow the big smell which spreads around the place. The fishermen are grouped together in a big building and sell their freshly fished items directly on the ground. You can find a lot of kinds of fishes : tuna, shrimps, octopus and even shark sometimes !

Besides the fish market stands a big vegetable markets and some butcher's shops.
If you haven't been to this place yet, you should definitely go for a walk there because it is typical, and you can buy some fresh food at the same time :)

Wadi Bani Awf

Bani Awf (or Bani Auf) is a wadi that links Rustaq to Nizwa. The road in this wadi is really made for 4WD cars : some part of the tracks are flooded and you need an elevated car to go on. also at the end of the track it goes very (very) steep.

The main point of interest of this track will be the "Snake canyon", which is 300 meters deep, where you can go canyoning or via ferrata but better to have a guide to do these dangerous activities, moreover you need a specific equipment.

There is also the "little" Snake Canyon which is more accessible where you can walk and swim in
You will cross 3 or 4 small villages. The Palm trees of these villages will make a good spot for picnic or camping.

Note : you can do this wadi yourself referring to wadi bani awf in the Oman off-road explorer guide

Salalah - part3

To finish, some unusual facts about Salalah :

yes there are cows in Oman ! In fact you can only found them in Salalah region, and most of the milk produced in Oman is coming from here.


On This picture you can see a grouping of blue tents : These kind of camp are actually "camel drivers" who live in the valley during the monsoon. a lot of grilled meat seller s are here also, spreading a sweet fumet around the camps...

Salalah - part2

Driving around Salalah, you wil see a lot of interesting spots :

here on this picture is the lovely water spring of Jarziz, which was unfortunately dry beacuse of the rain shortage of the previous monthes.

On the way to the beach, you can see this impressive canyon


The splendid beach was a little bit ruined by the weather (too much fog !) but it was still nice to swim in this deserted sea :)

Salalah - part1

Salalah is a famous city at the extreme south of Oman, in the Dhofar region. it is well-known for its suprising low temperature and its green luxuriant nature.


That's why this region is very appreciated by Omani and other people from the gulf during the Summer, who like to spend a week-end having picnics in these unusuall green mountains.


Moreover, it is not expensive to go to Salalah from Muscat. The round trip by plane is 65 OMR (check "air borne" agency for best prices), and it lasts 1,5 hour...

Muttrah shiite mosque

Behind the Muttrah souk, if you walk like 5 min, you could find this original shiite mosque :


This amazing wooded minaret is full of colour, and friends told me that at night lovely little lights create an even more nice aspect.

Muttrah souk

I'm realising that I didn't post yet about the most famous souk of Oman : Muttrah souk. Muttrah is a popular district of Muscat, generally crowded, and near the sea.


The souk is composed of various littles shops, which sell mainly : spices, fabric and clothes, Omani traditional items (like silver coffee pots, Omani knifes called Khanjers), Shishas, incense ...


The souk in itself is very lovely with all its littles passageways and its wooded roof. The sellers are really not agressive compared to other souks I've experienced (in Tunisia for example).


In conclusion I would say that the souk is a nice place for a walk, and you will enjoy visiting it even if you don't buy anything

Manal

Manal is an old deserted village between Muscat and Nizwa. the houses are made in earth, and you can recognise fortifications ruins in the mountain.


I don't think this spot should justify a dedicated trip, but if you're in the area you should make the detour to see this village, recognized as unesco heritage.

Wadi Nakhr

small video presenting a panoramic view over Wadi Nakhr.

Al ghub

Al ghub is a deserted village near Nizwa, 2,5 hours away from Muscat.


It is a very nice place to visit, and you can see how Omani people were living in this king of moutains some time ago.


But Al Ghub is above all the starting point of a very nice trek, that I will describe in next posts.

Camel ride

Have you ever ride a camel ? going to the desert is the opportunity to try it. Camels are "cool" animals, and I think people in the desert are considering camels as we are consideriong dogs in France.


Moreover, the camels are definitely stylish animals...

Wadi Tiwi

Wadi tiwi is a city lost under the palms. It looks like a bit Nakhal but it is smaller : there is only one road very narrow climbing up the mountain.


This place is very beautifull and relaxing. You may enjoy having your picnic somewhere in the city with the young female goats.

Adventure trips in Oman

I was speaking in my previous posts of Dune bashing, Bedouine camp, wadi Bani Khalid, the white beach...
All these activities and trips are available in the Muscat tourist agencies, such as the Muscat Diving & Adventure Center. The benefit of this last agency is that part of the team speaks french (which is a benefit only if you speak french of course). The prices are a bit expensive (up to 140 Ryals - 300 € - a day for 4 person) but justified by the necessary of renting 4x4 for making the trips.

Wadi Bani Khalid

Wadi Bani Whalid (2hours from Muscat) is the best wadi I've been so far.


From your car, you have to walk 10 minutes in the mountain to access small waterfalls and basins of pure water where you can swim.

Bedouine camp

You can mount your tent in the desert near a bedouine camp. These people speak english a little bit and you can have dinner with them.


Also they can propose you to ride their camel for a small trip in the desert.

Dune bashing

Dune bashing refers to an activity you can practice only in the desert, with a big 4x4. It is simple, ride the dune as you were riding a wave for a surfer.


It is very difficult, this is why most of the time the guide or a bedouine are driving the car, but it is really fun : you feel like you are going to crash every minute, or you think that the car will turn over. But the major risk remains to get stuck in the sand.

Mutrah

Mutrah is a district of Muscat. It is located near the port. Its point of interest are the souk and the park. In the park is a very big incense pot


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