Ras al Hadd to Wahiba Sands

The next morning our group of 10, plus our leader Said Al Salti, and two other drivers, loaded into three matching Toyota Land Cruisers and headed for Hawiyat Najim Park to check out the Bimmah Sinkhole…

A “wadi” is where there is water – certainly a kind of oasis, and we next went to Wadi Tiwi. There, we drove to a vista point, took a short hike, and had a demonstration from a 74 year old man about how to climb a palm tree to gather dates. We also met some charming children and insects…

Here are a few more pix of the verdant part of this valley, including a donkey in a truck, banana trees, etc…

We drove out to Ras al Hadd, on the corner of the Arabian Peninsula, and stayed at the Turtle Beach Resort featuring its own archaeological site, great views, tide pools, an attractive pool, and an even better ocean to swim in!

The next morning, we drove back to the town of Sur and visited a traditional boat manufacturing operation specializing in the Dhow, and featuring a related museum…

Next, we went to the souq at Sur which seemed to specialize in women’s fashions, which fall into very narrow categories (like the men’s). Colorful even sparkly, when not black, but conservative and conventional…

Next, we went to another oasis, Wadi Bani Khalid, which must have been an absolute paradise once upon a time. It is still lovely, but now a rather unregulated tourist spot. There’s a cave to explore which was somewhat challenging, and beautiful water to swim in…

Next, we went to an auto shop and had our tires deflated so that we could drive in the sand dunes of the vast desert known as a the Empty Quarter. We first visited a bedouin house for some Omani coffee, then drove on into the sands…

We were the only guests at a nice, very spread out, hotel, the Desert Rose. After checking in, we drove to a nice spot to watch the sunset from some high dunes. The powdery sand where wonderful to walk in!

Afterwards, we watched the moon rise at our lodgings, had another great dinner, and some of us danced to some Omani music around a campfire…