We had intended to do a guided 4-day trip in a 4-wheel drive while in Oman, however it was going to be pretty expensive, and so we ended up taking the 4x4 without the guide, cutting the cost significantly. The tour operators printed off the instructions for us, and with the help of a very good book - Oman Off-Road Explorer, we set off for our first destination, the Ras al Jinz Scientific and Visitors Centre.
Muscat is basically a strip of coastal land sandwiched between the Gulf of Oman and the Al Hagar mountain ranges so our exit from the city took us inland through on some very new roads through the mountains (which provide a rather spectacular backdrop for Muscat, provided it is not too hazy). We eventually descended (rather steeply) down the other side to emerge at the eastern coast, which we followed in our hired Land cruiser until we reached our first proper stop, a saltwater sinkhole located between the coast and the highway (it took a bit of finding), where we parked up and went for a welcome swim. We did a wee bit of offroading after this to find a beach where we took a short walk, and then continued on to Wadi Ash Shab. A wadi is a dried river bed, and they are quite beautiful features of the landscape here. Often they have pools suitable for swimming, and this is their biggest draw card in the Omani heat. We thought that '45-60 minute' walk through Wadi Ash Shab to reach the swimming holes would be well worth it, and figured that 45 minutes would be ample time for us. Of course, walking in the midday heat, with very little shade and not enough water was definitely not the smartest move, and by the time we reached the pools over an hour later we were fairly knackered. The swim helped recover, and there was a cavern accessible only through a thin gap in the rock that we managed to squeeze though to see the waterfall within the cavern, which as a lovely sight. We managed to get back to the car in better time than the previous walk, however it is fair to say that we had all had quite enough of wadis by this stage.
We continued on to our destination via the Tomb of Bibi Mariam (Virgin Mary) located at the ancient town of Qalhat, and a number of wrong turns and thanks in part to my navigation, and in part to the remarkable inconsistency of Oman's street signs. While the Arabic spelling of places does not change, when this is converted into English script, the variety of the translations is highly amusing. Vowels almost all seem interchangeable, as are many consonants, and tourists are basically required to follow the rule of 'if it sounds right, it probably is'. Seriously, some places had at least half a dozen different spellings in various books, maps and on road signs. Anyway, it was dark by the time we arrived at Raps al Jens, and after a quick dinner we joined the group ready to head out to see the Green Turtles On the beach. We were treated with the sight of a mother laying her eggs, and another burying hers in over a metre of sand. We also encountered many hatchlings on the path to the beach, as they had been fooled into thinking that the light from the centre was the moon reflecting off the ocean (being there navigation method to get to the sea). A number of tourists attempted to take some of these baby turtles despite multiple warning not o from the staff. Some people are idiots, and I had no qualms letting the guides know who the offenders were.
That evening the Mullahs sighted the new moon, which heralded the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the month of Eid. The first three days of Eid are the primary celebratory days, and it is very much like Christmas in Western countries. Most things are closed and everyone is extremely happy and friendly. As we drove through the towns and villages the following morning everyone seemed to be out and about in their best dress, and they all waved and smiled as we passed. Our destination was the Wahiba Sands, and we had been instructed to let air out of the tires at one of the garages in Al Mintarib before entering the Sands. Of course, everything was closed as it was Eid, and we ended up following some locals to a garage that eventuated to be closed as well. They then offered to drive us for an exorbitant rate to the resort 20Km into the desert, which we declined, but eventually got a better price out of them so ended up agreeing and getting one of them to drive us in. The Sands were amazing, and looked like a true desert. The 'road' we were on is actually just were everyone drives, so it is somewhat compacted, but it would be inadvisable to stop unless you wanted to bog your ride. We got to the Al Raha resort and parted with our guide (and the extortionate 30 rials), and settled in for a pleasant night in the desert.
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