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#TBT [ThrowBackThursday] week 14 of 2015. This week, something I remember from our visit to Oman, 1 of the 52 countries I visited prior to 2015.
The road trip through Oman was a trip with the family over Christmas and New Year in 2013. During the trip I had 4 natural WOW moments during the Oman nature trips we did. Oman nature at its best which I remember still clearly today! If you are in Oman I recommend you to visit these places and I guarantee you will have the best memories of your life. For more photos and what we did more in Oman look the full Oman itinerary post here.
Watching sea turtles lay eggs on the beach and return to the sea
At the eastern tip of Oman you find the Raz Al Jinz turtle reserve which is one of the four Oman nature trips you must do. Take a room, or tent if you prefer, at the reserve which includes dinner and breakfast. To take a room is a must as you have priority seeing the turtles over other people who just visit. In the evening there is a tour at about 9 PM to see the turtles but there will be a lot of people and you cannot take photos. The other tour is at around 4-5AM in the morning and here you are allowed to take (without flash) photos. I did both tours and I do not regret it as in the morning we watched the turtle lay eggs, cover the eggs, and return to the sea when the sun was rising. A total of three hours watching this magnificent animal together with my son, the girls didn’t get out of bed 🙂 A memorable experience I will never forget.
Over 5 kilometers of white unspoiled deserted beach
A stretch of more than 5 kilometers of white beach is another Oman nature trip you must do. To reach it’s not that easy as it’s some 60 KM from Duqum and to get to Duqum it takes you a day alone from Salalah or Muscat. At this point N 19.221277; E 57.630410 it is about 14 KM off-road. If lucky you will not find anybody else there except thousands of small crabs. We had so much fun until my daughter, at least she said, got bitten by a crab in the ocean. Nothing serious of course 🙂 Just watch out for the currents in the ocean as they can get dangerous! Take your lunch there as you won’t be able to buy anything and you can easily spend a day there swimming, playing with crabs and the sand. A top location in Oman and again a day I will never forget!
Oman – Ras Markaz Beach close to Duqm
A 4×4 drive through the Hajar mountains
Driving a 4×4 through the Hajar mountains is another Oman nature trip you have to do. We drove the route ourselves as I had some experience driving a 4×4. If you are scared of heights while driving do not drive yourself but hire a car with driver. All the roads are dirt roads with on one side 800 meters up and the other 800 meters down with no railings along the road what-so-ever. You drive up in low gear not seeing if the road will turn left or right once you are at the top. A flat tire can happen easily so take a spare! The Oman nature is magnificent here in the wadi and in the mountains. If you see dark clouds forming, or it’s rainy weather do NOT make this trip as there can be flooding taking cars and anything in the way. Small villages, ravines, trees, goats and a car here and there make it a great day trip from Muscat.
Driving the endless desert spotting camel skeletons
One more experience in Oman nature is the desert. We drove from Salalah north taking a huge detour through the desert to visit the forgotten city in the desert also called the Atlantis of the desert, close to the start of the Empty Quarter. From where we continued to Duqum taking us totally probably around 12 hours’ drive. One stretch we drove almost two hours without seeing any human being. When you go off track you quickly find some camel skeletons which especially for my son was great to see. A great experience in the Oman nature which I will also never forget!
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Did you visit Oman too or do you have questions? Please leave a comment at the bottom of the page. Love to hear from you!
