Salalah in winter - The master plan
There is nothing there, it is dry..
This is what we often hear when we say we are heading to Salalah. Salalah, the capital of the Dhofar governorate, is over 1000km to the south from Muscat. Its special summer climate , the monsoon or khareef season what makes it famous, when together with the rain the cooler temperatures arrive. The season lasts from June - September usually. So it is true - we will most likely not see the famous waterfalls and greenery. But one thing what this year taught us: do not wait! Who knows if we will be here next summer, who knows if travel will be allowed, who knows... It is winter break, we have the time and there is so much to see there ! We will camp, we will hike, we will snorkel (secretly wishing for swimming with wild dolphins ) and we will visit UNESCO World Heritage sites. We will also pamper ourselves in beach resorts - Salalah has beautiful tropical-like beaches . And if we are here next summer - we will go and chase the waterfalls!
UPDATE: it is absolutely worth to visit Dhofar during the winter, we had an amazing staycation! The beaches are stunning, we hiked inn Jabal Samhan and camped all over the place. Our daughter wants to come back in May as her birthday present and if all works out we will be back in September to experience khareef. The master plan below is updated with what actually happened and with links to the relevant posts.
Here is our high level program - we will drive over 3500km in the next 2 weeks!
Day 1: Salam View Villas - Al Khaluf/Sugar Dunes
Travel details: 436km / 4.5h
Accommodation: Camping
We will take the inland road which is super boring, but much fast - we have done the coastal road here a few times already. Al Khlauf is famous of the its beach and the stunning Sugar Dunes are next door!
Day 2: Arabian Oryx Sanctuary
The Arabian Oryx is a medium sized antelope with long straight horns. It went extinct in the wild by the 70's - it was however reintroduced to the wilderness by the 80's. The sanctuary was a UNESCO World Heritage site but was delisted in 2007 when Oman reduced the size of the sanctuary by 90% and only 4 breeding pairs left at the time they delisted. I did not find much info of the current status, we do have a reservation and we will stay overnight.
Day 3: Hasik / 580km / 6.5h
This will be a long drive to Dhofar governorate. The coastal road supposed to be stunning, cannot wait to see! Around Hasik during khareef season there is a big waterfall and the beach is very unique and there are ruins of an old village.
Day 4: Jabal Samhan
Jabal Samhan is a mountain range with the highest peak at 2100m and it is also a nature reserve - it is one of the last refuges for wild Arabian leopards. From the view point there are amazing vistas of the Arabian Sea. On the way to the peak we will see baobab trees (the kind hated by the Little Prince) and visit the zero gravity site and we hope to get some snorkeling done as well.
Day 5: Anantara Beach Resort, Xmas Celebration
Travel details: 80km / 1h
Accommodation: hotel
Merry Christmas everyone! We are checking in Anantara beach resort and will be doing absolutely nothing, relaxing, enjoying the beach, eat good food. Maybe little shopping and sightseeing in Salalah, popping over to see Taqah and the castle there. On the way to the hotel we plan to visit the Tawi Atayr sinkhole, which is over 200m deep.
Day 8: Wadi Darbat
Travel details: 40km / 1h
Accommodation: Camping
Wadi Darbat is the main attraction during khareef season with it stunning waterfalls and abundant greenery - probably none of it left by the time we will be there. It does have a lake which is actually Oman's largest natural lake although it is not allowed to swim in it as Schistosomiasis, a snail-borne parasitic disease, is endemic in the mountain water around Salalah. Although we do not expect to see the waterfalls, we will see the travertine curtain - as water finds it way through the limestone rocks, it leaves its mark behind creating this natural phenomenon.
Day 9: Tayq sinkhole and cave
One of the deepest sinkholes in the world and famously filled up with water in 2018 during the cyclone - it took 5 days for the water to drain! There is an unmarked path to the bottom what we plan to take.
Day 10: Coastal road drive towards Yemen
Travel details: 180km / 3h
Accommodation: Camping
This drive supposed to be epic, littered with the most beautful beaches on the way. We plan to snorkel and we will camp on the beach, most likely at Rakhyut - nothing is set in stone though!
Day 11-12: Souly Ecolodge, Salalah
Travel details: 180km / 3h
Accommodation: Hotel
Travel details for Ubar: 185km, 2.5h
After 3 nights wild camping it is time to check into a hotel - we are heading to the ecolodge with its cute little beach huts. From here we plan to visit UNESCO World Heritage sites: the lost city of Ubar and the Frankincense trees. If time allows, maybe we will check out Wadi Ayuoon.
There are 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Oman: falaj irrigation system, ancient city of Qalhat, the beehive tombs, Bahla Fort and the Land of Frankincense. This last one consists of 4 sites:
1. the frankincense trees of Wadi Dawkah
2. the remains of the caravan oasis of Shisr/Wubar (commonly referred to as lost city of Ubar)
3. the port of Khor Rori
4. the port of Al-Baleed - these ports were important for the frankincense trade back in the day.
Day 13-14: Crown Plaza, New Years Celebration
We are checking into Crown Plaza, our choice for New Years Eve celebration.
Day 15: Driving Home
Travel details: 1032km / 10h
This will be probably painful.. 10 hours driving through the desert. To break up the monotony we plan to stop around the middle to see Jabal Kobra, site with white limestone formations.
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