Out and abOut in Oman

RUSS DARLINGTON

Published with the support of

Published by Motivate Publishing Dubai: PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE Tel: (+971 4) 282 4060, fax: (+971 4) 282 7898 e-mail: books@motivate.ae www.booksarabia.com Office 508, Building No 8, Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE Tel: (+971 4) 390 3550, fax: (+971 4) 390 4845 Abu Dhabi: PO Box 43072, Abu Dhabi, UAE Tel: (+971 2) 677 2005, fax: (+971 2) 677 0124 London: Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER e-mail: motivateuk@motivate.ae Directors: General Manager Books: Series Editor: Editor: Senior Designer: Designer: Publishing Coordinator: Obaid Humaid Al Tayer Ian Fairservice Jonathan Griffiths Moushumi Nandy Simona Cassano Cithadel Francisco Charlie Banalo Zelda Pinto

Front cover: Jaap Croese Back cover: Moushumi Nandy First published 2009
Motivate Publishing 2009 Photographs Steve Maison and Russ Darlington, except those listed on page 124
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means) without the written permission of the copyright holders. Application for the copyright holders written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publishers. In accordance with the International Copyright Act 1956 and the UAE Federal Law No. (7) of 2002, Concerning Copyrights and Neighboring Rights, any person acting in contravention of this will be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

ISBN: 978 1 86063 274 7 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Printed and bound by Rashid Printers & Stationers LLC, Ajman, UAE.

CONTeNTS
Key to Maps Full Map Foreword Introduction THe ROUTeS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Wadi Shab Jabal Akhdhar Tiwi Snake Gorge Mutrah Souk Grand Mosque Ras al Hadd Al Hoota Cave Nizwa Sur Jabal Shams Wadi Bani Khalid Out at Sea Hotels & Shopping Rustaq Fort Museums Nakhal Fort Masirah Island Wahiba Sands Al Alam Palace Swimming and Wadi walks Trekking and Short walks Camping and Trekking Trekking and Swimming Shopping Heritage Turtle watching Natural history Heritage and Shopping Heritage Trekking and Camping Rock climbing and Swimming Fishing and Water sports Shopping and Dining Heritage and Fort Heritage and History Heritage and Fort Camping and Turtle watching Camping and Desert driving Heritage 8 12 16 20 24 28 30 36 40 44 46 50 54 62 70 74 80 84 88 92 4 5 6 7

THe ANNeXeS A B C D E F Global Positioning System (GPS) Camping Off-Road Driving Weather Customs and Language Useful Websites 96 98 104 115 116 118 123 124 125

About the Author Acknowledgements Index

KeY TO MAPS
Parking Houses Hotel Tented Camp Rock Pools Plantation Built-up Area Beaches Viewpoint Path Aiport Graded Road or Track Mosque Single track road Hospital
2 km
W6

Petrol Station

Tourist Trekking Car Access Snorkelling Dolphins

Two way road with distance markers Highway Coastal Road

Terrain height High Terrain height Low

Sinkhole Distance Marker

Fort

2321 m

Shopping Centre

* The maps in this book are intended only as a guide to the routes described and do not purport to show international boundaries.

FULL MAP

Sohar

5 6 14 16 20

United Arab Emirates

Barka Seeb 15 4 11 17 8 2 9 Nizwa

Muscat
1

Qurayyat 3 Tiwi

13

12 19 Wahiba Sands

Sur 10 7 Ras al Hadd

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

18 Masirah Island Hayma Ad Duqm

Shalim

Republic of Yemen

Thumrayt Habrut Salalah 0 km 150 km 300 km

1 Wadi Shab 2 Jabal Akhdar 3 Tiwi 4 Snake George 5 Mutrah Souk

6 Grand Mosque 7 Ras al Hadd 8 Al Hoota Cave 9 Nizwa 10 Sur

11 Jabal Shams 12 Wadi Bani Khalid 13 Out at Sea 14 Hotels & Shopping 15 Rustaq Fort

16 Museums 17 Nakhal Fort 18 Masirah Island 19 Wahiba Sands 20 Al Alam Palace

FORewORD
The Sultanate of Oman is situated on the east of the Arabian Peninsula. Its coastline extends from the Gulf of Oman in the north to Yemen in the south. To the west of the Sultanate is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to the north, the United Arab Emirates. Musandam Peninsula is annexed in the far north of the country. It is just 50 km from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Oman boasts a rich diverse topography ranging from the spectacular rugged mountains to the deserts of Wahiba Sands and the lush green hills of Dhofar region in the south. Oman's coastline is peppered with thousands of white sandy beaches. Since Sultan Qaboos bin Said took over the throne from his father on 23 July 1970, the country has prospered exponentially. Not only embarking in the international production of oil but in many other aspects including tourism.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Sultan of Oman.

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Out and About guide for Oman. My family and I spent three years in Oman and we have put together the best 20 trips and activities we enjoyed in this fantastic country. They have been assembled with the help and knowledge of many of our expatriate friends. Thank you all, especially Steve Maison for his support, comments and pictures. Each trip is laid out with general information, kit list, detailed routes and GPS coordinates with reference information. There are also special interest boxes and tips in each route. At the back of the guide, there are sections specifically on off-road driving, weather, customs, camping and essential information, mostly obtained from the experience of the expatriate community during our time here. Detailed mapping in Oman is limited to the Muscat Municipality. Out of built-up areas, outdated main road maps, normally scaled to the whole country is the norm. To ensure you reach your destination, each section has odometer zero points and km distances for critical turns and junctions. Roads change at a surprisingly rapid rate in Oman, so a little judgment is required here. Also in the reference table of each section are Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates. If you have never used a GPS before, the chances are you are somewhat hesitant at the confusing technology. Fear not, buy the cheapest hand held GPS, with its simple screen, you will find it easy to use and it will soon become your new best friend. See the GPS Section in Annex A to see how simple it really is. You should also be aware of varying town names; though the National Survey Authority (NSA) is standardizing names across Oman, some might appear with slightly different spellings to those mentioned in this book, which comply to NSA naming convention. A good example of this is Azaiba or Athaiba Roundabout, actually approved by NSA as Udhaybah. Whether you are in Oman on holiday or an expat resident, you will enjoy these trips across the Sultanate.

Country Profile Area 309,500 sq km Head of State Sultan Qaboos bin Said Population 3,418,085 Omani nationals 2,840,792 Expatriate residents 577,293 Capital city Muscat Language(s) Arabic (official), English, Farsi, Baluchi and Urdu Currency Omani Rial Government Monarchy, with assistance from Consultative Council (Majlis ash-Shura) International telephone code 00968 www domain .om

Route 1 / WADI SHAB

GENERAL INFORMATION Wadi Shab is approximately 2 hours drive from Muscat, located just south of Fins on the Toll Road, this magnificent area was created by thousands of years of rain, surging from the mountains far from the coast roaring down and eroding unimaginable amounts of earth; changing the landscape forever. The force of the water moved boulders the size of houses, sliced through rock, scooped out potholes and re-deposited minerals buried deep in the ground. The fascinating result is that of Wadi Shab, an oasis among the harsh rocky landscape. Traversing from far in the mountains down to the sea, its course

In BrIef
Starting point: Muscat Distance/time: Approx 2 hours from Muscat. Activities: Wadi walking and swimming Highlights: Key hole cave and Wadi Tiwi. Kit list: Old t-shirts and shorts, water shoes/trainers, drinking water, water-proof camera.
winds around a snaking path, abundant with vegetation and crystal pools in this geological marvel. Walking up the wadi from the car park takes 45 minutes; this is an ideal trek for non-swimmers. Only at the very top is swimming essential. Sea shoes or trainers

out and about in oman

WADI SHAB
1 Wadi Shab 2 new toll Highway 3 bamah n 22 58' 26" E 059 08' 39" 4 Fins n 22 55' 08" E 059 11' 41" 5 as Shab n 22 50' 44" E 059 14' 23" 6 tiwi n 22 48' 59" E 059 15' 47"

Barka Barka Seeb Seeb

Muscat Muscat
As Sifah As Sifah Qurayyat Qurayyat Shab Shab Tiwi Tiwi Sur Sur Wahiba Wahiba Sands Sands

JJaabbaa llAkkh A hdda arr Izki Izki Nizwa Nizwa

Bidbid Bidbid Ibra Ibra

Ras al Hadd Ras al Hadd Ras al Jinz Ras al Jinz

Dibab

Sinkhole

Bamah

3 Fins 2 4

5 1 0 km 2 km 4 km

As Shab

Tiwi
6

ODOmeter ZerO pOInt WADI ADAI r/A n 23 35 28 e 058 31 34

SEction REf 1 2 3 4 5 6 DiStAncE 17 km 83 km 84 km 87.5 km 138 km 139 km DiREction Hajar R/A, turn left Shell Garage R/A Turn right towards Sur R/A Turn right towards Sur Shab Toll Road turn-off Car park GPS PointS N 23 28 03, E 058 29 35 N 23 13 35, E 058 53 39 N 23 14 05, E 058 54 00 N 23 13 06, E 058 55 30 N 22 50 44, E 059 14 23 N 22 50 19, E 059 14 41

*Note: A dual carriageway is under construction which will bypass 2, 3, 4

are needed as you follow the narrow winding path peppered with cool streams. At the top and beyond a sitting/waiting area starts a 25 m swim, before aligning yourself to pass through a narrow headshaped keyhole eroded out of the rock face, revealing after a short distance, a magnificent cave and a magical waterfall. Further on, you can continue up and through the mouth of the waterfall into the bright daylight, where there are more opportunities to negotiate additional pools, challenging boulders and some more stunning waterfalls. HOw TO GET THERE Head towards Ruwi on the highway, then take the Qurayyat/Amaret slip road and the right turning at Wadi Adai R/A (odometer zero point). Stay on this road until you reach the Hajar R/A1; here turn left onto Qurayyat Road. A Shell Garage2 is the half waypoint at about 1 hour. Shortly after this, turn right at the R/A3 towards Sur. A few kilometres after this roundabout, turn right at the next roundabout4 and pick up the new Toll Road highway towards Sur. At approximately 138 km turn off towards Shab5 and once in the village basin turn right to park6 under the bridge. PLACES OF INTEREST WADI TIWI Continue on the Toll Road from the Shab Turn off going over the Wadi Shab bridge and over Tiwi bridge before exiting after 4 km (N 22 48 59 E 059 15 47). Turn off and back on yourself towards Tiwi. Drive under the bridge and up the wadi following the challenging off road route in and out of the valley for 9 km ending in the village of Mibam (N 22 46 15 E 059 12 49). This adventurous route goes through areas of concentrated date palms, fruit trees, groves and fresh water pools with a variety of wildlife including the kingfisher, if you are lucky enough to spot one. The emerald green water running over rugged boulders, make for one of the most beautiful swimming experiences.

tIpS
Take your spare car key, which is not fitted with electronic components, as it will get wet when swimming up Wadi Shab.

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out and about in oman

WADI SHAB

Wild date palms clinging onto the rocks in Wadi Shab.

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