Off-Road in the Sultanate of Oman

Published with the support and encouragement of

Jenny Walker and Sam Owen

in the Sultanate of Oman

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� OFF-ROAD IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

IntroductionPublished by Motivate Publishing

Dubai: PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAETel: (+971 4) 282 4060, fax: (+971 4) 282 0428e-mail: [email protected] www.booksarabia.com

Office 508, Building No 8, Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAETel: (+971 4) 390 3550, fax: (+971 4) 390 4845

Abu Dhabi: PO Box 43072, Abu Dhabi, UAETel: (+971 2) 677 2005, fax: (+971 2) 677 0124

London: Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ERe-mail: [email protected]

Directors: Obaid Humaid Al Tayer and Ian Fairservice

Consultant Editor: David SteeleDeputy Editor: Moushumi NandyAssistant Editor: Zelda PintoArt Director: Andrea WillmoreDesigner: Cithadel Francisco

General Manager Books: Jonathan GriffithsPublishing Coordinator: Jenny Bateman

First published 2007

Front cover: Typical Omani off-road scenery between Wadi Bani Awf and Wadi as Sahtan.

Back cover: A new road on the steep ascent into Al Bir.Title page: An unexpected rainfall – and rainbow – in Wadi al Hijayr.

© Motivate Publishing and Jenny Walker and Sam Owen, 2007© Photographs Jenny Walker and Sam Owen

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. Applications 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 Copyright Law No 40 of 1992, any person acting in contravention of this copyright will be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

ISBN: 978 1 86063 164 1

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Printed and bound by Rashid Printers, UAE

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�OFF-ROAD IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

ContentsUsing this Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Key to Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Off-road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Routes: Northern Oman 1 Five-Forts Drive . . . . . . Muscat to As Sawadi via Ar Rustaq . . . . . . 14 2 One Day Honey . . . . . . Muscat to Ar Rustaq . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 3 Rock and Awe . . . . . . . Muscat Round Trip via Nizwa . . . . . . . . 36 4 Top of the Beanstalk . . . . Nizwa to Al Jabal al Akhdar . . . . . . . . . 50 5 Get Knotted . . . . . . . . Nizwa Round Trip via Jabal Shams . . . . . . 58 6 Raining Bones . . . . . . . Muscat Round Trip via Sohar and Ibri . . . . . 66 7 Going Round the Bend . . . . Sohar Round Trip via Musandam . . . . . . . 78

The Routes: Eastern Oman 8 The Khawr Tour . . . . . . Muscat Round Trip via Yiti . . . . . . . . . . 90 9 Wet and Wild . . . . . . . . Muscat Round Trip via Qurayyat and Sur . . . . 96 10 Bucket-and-Spade Tour . . . . Rimal ash Sharqiyah (Ash Sharqiyah Sands) . . 116

The Routes: Central and Southern Oman 11 Journey of a Thousand Miles . . Muscat to Salalah via Coastal Road . . . . . . 126 12 Searching for Unicorns . . . . Hayma Round Trip via Jaaluni . . . . . . . . 142 13 East of Eden . . . . . . . . Salalah Round Trip (East) . . . . . . . . . . 152 14 Barking Mad . . . . . . . . Salalah Round Trip (West) . . . . . . . . . . 160 15 In Thesiger’s Footsteps . . . . Salalah to Muscat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Special-interest BoxesRoute 1 Forts of Oman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Route 2 Dates and Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Route 3 Oman Exotics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Route 4 Rose Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Route 5 Carpet Weaving on Jabal Shams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Route 6 Sinbad’s Eighth Voyage? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Route 7 Going Round the Bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Route 8 Bird Migration in Oman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Route 9 The Falaj System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Route 9 Turning Turtle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Route 10 Off-road in the Sands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Route 11 Shell Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Route 12 The Oryx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Route 13 Bugs of Oman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154Route 14 Frankincense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163Route 15 Wubar – Atlantis of the Sands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

About the Authors and Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

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Times and distances quoted for each leg are approximate and allow for a little time of your own.

A word of caution: off-roading can be dangerous and heavy rain, roadworks and other factors can quickly change the landscape of a route. While the authors and publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of in-formation, they cannot be held responsible for any claim arising from its use.


The Routes: Northern Oman

1 Five-Forts Drive Muscat to as sawaDi via ar rustaq 14 Leg 1 Muscat to Barka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 50 km 4x4 14 Leg 2 Barka to Nakhal . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 40 km Saloon 17 Leg 3 Nakhal to Ar Rustaq . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 55 km Saloon 18 Leg 4 Ar Rustaq to Al Hazm via Wadi al Hawqayn . . 2 Hours 70 km 4x4 19 Leg 5 Al Hazm to As Sawadi . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 55 km Saloon 21 2 one Day Honey Muscat to ar rustaq 22 Leg 1 Muscat to Nakhal . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 85 km Saloon 22 Leg 2 Nakhal to Wadi Mistall . . . . . . . . . . 3 Hours 120 km 4x4 25 Leg 3 Wadi Mistall to Wadi Bani Awf . . . . . . . 1 Hour 40 km 4x4 28 Leg 4 Wadi Bani Awf to Ar Rustaq via Wadi as Sahtan 4 Hours 95 km 4x4 32 3 rock anD awe Muscat rounD trip via nizwa 36 Leg 1 Muscat to Nizwa via Wadi Fanja. . . . . . . 3 Hours 160 km 4x4 36 Leg 2 Nizwa to Al Bir via Hat . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hours 95 km 4x4 40 Leg 3 Al Bir to Al Awabi via Wadi Bani Kharus . . . 4 Hours 110 km 4x4 45 Leg 4 Al Awabi to Muscat via Wadi al Abyad . . . . 2 Hours 130 km 4x4 48 4 top oF tHe Beanstalk nizwa to al JaBal al akHDar 50 Leg 1 Nizwa to Sayq Plateau. . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 70 km 4x4 52 Leg 2 Lower Sayq Plateau . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Hours 60 km 4x4 53 Leg 3 Upper Sayq Plateau . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hours 75 km 4x4 56 5 Get knotteD nizwa rounD trip via JaBal sHaMs 58 Leg 1 Nizwa to Tanuf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 35 km 4x4/Saloon 58 Leg 2 Tanuf to Al Hamra . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 55 km 4x4 60 Leg 3 Al Hamra to Jabal Shams . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 50 km 4x4 62 Leg 4 Jabal Shams to Jabrin . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 35 km Saloon 63 Leg 5 Jabrin to Nizwa via Manah . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 60 km 4x4/Saloon 64 6 raininG Bones Muscat rounD trip via soHar anD iBri 66 Leg 1 Myths of Muscat . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 10 km Saloon 66 Leg 2 Muscat to Sohar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Hours 230 km Saloon 69 Leg 3 Sohar to Yanqul via Wadi Hibi . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 140 km 4x4/Saloon 71 Leg 4 Yanqul to Ibri via Wadi Dank . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 110 km 4x4 72 Leg 5 Ibri to Wadi al Ayn via Bat . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 70 km 4x4 73 Leg 6 Bat (Wadi al Ayn) to Muscat via Sint and Bahla 6 Hours 400 km 4x4 75 7 GoinG rounD tHe BenD soHar rounD trip via MusanDaM 78 Leg 1 Sohar to Khasab . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Hours 400 km Saloon 80 Leg 2 Khasab to Khawr Najd . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 30 km 4x4 82 Leg 3 Khawr Najd to Jabal Harim. . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 50 km 4x4 85 Leg 4 Jabal Harim to Ar Rawdah Bowl . . . . . . 3 Hours 30 km 4x4 87 Leg 5 Ar Rawdah Bowl to Sohar . . . . . . . . . 4 Hours 230 km 4x4 88

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Details of Routes

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The Routes: Eastern Oman

8 tHe Khawr tour Muscat rounD trip via yiti 90 Leg 1 Airport to Bawshar . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 20 km Saloon 90 Leg 2 Bawshar to Al Qurm . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 20 km Saloon 93 Leg 3 Al Qurm to Yiti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 45 km 4x4/Saloon 93 Leg 4 Yiti to As Sifah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 80 km 4x4/Saloon 94 Leg 5 Yiti to Muscat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 75 km 4x4 95 9 wet anD wilD Muscat rounD trip via qurayyat anD sur 96 Leg 1 Muscat to Qurayyat via Wadi Mijlas. . . . . . 2 Hours 120 km 4x4/Saloon 98 Leg 2 Qurayyat to Al Mazari via Wadi Dayqah . . . . 2 Hours 40 km 4x4/Saloon 98 Leg 3 Al Mazari to Dibab via Wadi al Arbiyyin . . . 3 Hours 35 km 4x4 101 Leg 4 Dibab to Sur via Wadi Shab and Wadi Tiwi . . 4 Hours 110 km 4x4 104 Leg 5 Sur to Al Kamil via Ras al Hadd. . . . . . . 6 Hours 250 km 4x4 106 Leg 6 Al Kamil to Ibra via Wadi al Khabbah . . . . 6 Hours 310 km 4x4 110 Bonus Ash Shariq to Tiwi via Al Jaylah . . . . . . 4 Hours 75 km 4x4 112 10 Bucket-anD-spaDe tour riMal asH sHarqiyaH (asH sHarqiyaH sanDs) 116 Leg 1 Ibra to Al Raha Camp. . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 55 km 4x4 116 Leg 2 Al Raha Camp to Ash Shiraykhah . . . . . . 5 Hours 220 km 4x4 119 Leg 3 Ash Shiraykhah to Khuwaymah . . . . . . . 8 Hours 210 km 4x4 120 Leg 4 Khuwaymah to Ibra . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hours 240 km 4x4/Saloon 124

The Routes: Central And Southern Oman

11 Journey oF a tHousanD Miles Muscat to salalaH via coastal roaD 126 Leg 1 Al Bustan Palace Hotel to Hijj . . . . . . . . 4 Hours 380 km Saloon 126 Leg 2 Side Trip to Masirah Island . . . . . . . . 12 Hours 260 km 4x4/Saloon 128 Leg 3 Hijj to Ad Duqm . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Hours 290 km 4x4/Saloon 130 Leg 4 Ad Duqm to Thumrayt via Ash Shuwaymiyah 12 Hours 820 km 4x4/Saloon 134 Leg 5 Thumrayt to Salalah via Wadi Dhahbun . . . . 8 Hours 450 km 4x4 139 12 searcHinG For unicorns HayMa rounD trip via Jaaluni 142 Leg 1 Hayma to Jaaluni . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 120 km 4x4 142 Leg 2 Jaaluni to Ad Duqm . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 170 km Saloon 146 Leg 3 Ad Duqm to Hayma via Wadi Sharm. . . . . 6 Hours 290 km 4x4 146 13 east oF eDen salalaH rounD trip (east) 152 Leg 1 Salalah to Jabal Samhan . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 85 km 4x4 152 Leg 2 Jabal Samhan to Wadi Darbat . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 45 km Saloon 156 Leg 3 Wadi Darbat to Salalah via Ayn Razat . . . . 2 Hours 120 km 4x4 158 14 BarkinG MaD salalaH rounD trip (west) 160 Leg 1 Salalah to Job’s Tomb . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Hours 90 km 4x4 160 Leg 2 Job’s Tomb to Salalah . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 60 km 4x4 162 15 in tHesiGer’s Footsteps salalaH to Muscat 164 Leg 1 Salalah to Rakhyut via Al Mughsayl . . . . . 3 Hours 120 km 4x4 164 Leg 2 Rakhyut to Mudayy . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Hours 115 km 4x4 168 Leg 3 Mudayy to Shisr via the Empty Quarter . . . . 6 Hours 170 km 4x4 169 Leg 4 Shisr to Muscat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Hours 1,040 km 4x4 171

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This book has been designed to offer a variety of routes that will suit all types of travel lers. Some routes are intended as a pleasant half or whole day’s outing. Others involve more challen ging driving and naviga tional skills, with full camping and survival equipment.

The 15 routes cover almost every corner of Oman. While they all have spectacular scenery, each route focuses on some specific area of interest – geology, entomology, and so forth. If the theme doesn’t interest you, it can be ignored without detracting from the route itself. Further reading is provided for each theme in the relevant route.

Each route is split into a number of legs, each of which has its own points of interest. If you don’t wish or haven’t time to com-plete a whole route, any of these legs will provide a satisfying short excursion. You can use the leg chart in the details of routes on the two previous pages to gauge approxi-

mately how long each leg will take (including time for brief stops), the distance involved and whether 4x4 is needed.

The beginning and end point of each leg has been carefully planned around major junctions. This should allow you to mix and match legs to fit your own itinerary. The maps indicate where one route can be integrated with another.

It’s possible to drive all the routes just by following the text. To make navigation easier, however, GPS coordinates are given and corresponding waypoints indicated on the map. A working odometer, a full-length map of Oman and an in-car compass are useful for all routes and essential for some.

To avoid getting into trouble, it is advis-able to read the whole of a route before attempting it. For the preservation of the wilderness, all routes stick resolutely to previously-made tracks. May we respectfully ask you to do the same.

Key to Maps

Using this Book

Final copy etc to be done.

Dual carriageway

Tarred road

Good quality dirt road

Track

Poor quality track

Walking trail

Plantation

Village

Roundabout

Khawr or pool

Point of interest

Airport

Campsite

Aqueduct

Fort

Petrol station

Mosque

Viewpoint

Settlement

Power station

The maps in this guide book are not an authority on international boundaries.

Please note the English spelling of all place names in this book conforms to the standards of the National Survey Authority of Oman. The English spelling of place names on signposts often varies from one signpost to the next.

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Map of Oman

0KILOMETRES

50 100 km

This map is not an authority on international boundaries.

The number on the corner of each positioning grid indicates the route illustrated.

1

6

7

8

10

15

11A12

13

1411B

2

53

4

9

GULF OF OMAN

ARABIAN SEA

KINGDOM OF SAUDIARABIA

REPUBLIC OF

YEMEN

THE EMPTY QUARTER(AR RUB AL KHALI)

ARABIAN GULF

Khasab

Ash Sharjah

Abu Dhabi

UNITED ARAB EMIRATESMuscat

Ibri

Ar RustaqNakhal

IzkiNizwaBahla

Al Ghabah

Sarab

HijjMasirah Island

Ad Duqm

Hayma

Dawkah

Marmul

Thumrayt

Salalah

SadahMirbat

Adam

Yanqul

Al Buraymi

Al Ain

Umm al QiwaynRas al Khaymah

Al Mudaybi

Ibra

Al Kamil

Sur

As SeebBarka

Qurayyat

Dubai

Daba

Al Fujayrah

Madha

Juzor ad Daymaniyat

Juzor al Hallaniyat

Sohar

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The pace of change in Oman since 1970 when His Majesty, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, came to power has

been prodigious. Within the living memory of many Omani elders, the most common means of transport was donkey or camel, there were only a few kilometres of tarmac road, education comprised of reciting the Qur’an under a tree and healthcare was limited to home and herbal remedies.

Change has brought new infrastructure with roads and electricity, fresh water and drainage systems servicing even the most outlying villages of the mountains and desert.

Education and healthcare have been given priority with the result that literacy and longevity have increased to internationally comparable standards.

With these new facilities, new opportunities have been provided for the Omani people with the result that a skilled workforce is beginning to enjoy all the benefits of the modern world and indeed, contribute in a very real way to the international forum.

It may be wondered whether such a rapid pace of change has led to a dilution of cultural identity or a change in fundamental values. It does not take very long in the country to recognize that this has not been the case. One of the great successes of Oman’s transition into a sophisticated country of the 21st century has been the preservation of the elements that make Oman distinct from any other country in the region.

This can be seen in the on-going concern for preserving historic monuments, such as Oman’s many forts and castles. It is also evidenced in the internationally renowned conservation efforts, inspired by His Majesty’s personal concern for the environment. Mostly, however, Oman’s identity is being preserved through the customs and traditions of its people who offer a hand of friendship and commercial partner-ship to visitors from overseas.

Eurocopter helicopters are operated in many countries worldwide and are preferred for exploring the natural and cultural heritage of a country quickly and efficiently. Their low-noise and high safety design make them an environmentally friendly comple-ment to road travel.

The Sultanate of Oman is revealed in the 15 exciting and insightful off-road routes in this book. The authors, Jenny Walker and Sam Owen, veteran explorers of Oman, have researched in depth to bring the character of the country’s history and landscape closer to the reader in a way that will both fascinate and delight.

As such, it is our pleasure to support this valuable endeavour.

Xavier Hay, Vice President

Middle East and Africa Eurocopter

Foreword

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Introduction

Driving to work recently, a familiar scene unfolded from the window. The traffic, along the beautifully

landscaped piece of road in the interior, slowed down to let a man on a donkey cross the modern carriageway. Meanwhile, in the capital a troop of liveried camels walked good-naturedly along the white lines to a lush area of grazing. There was no horn-blowing and only mild surprise.

The incident serves to show the extent to which driving in Oman is an inclusive rather than an exclusive exercise. The new road systems have been put in place because the Omani people like to travel. You only have to visit a mountain village or a settle-ment on the plains to see how, road or no road, vehicles are taken to places most people wouldn’t drag a pair of boots.

It seems churlish to lament the coming of

new tarmac roads. They may not look quite so quaint but they help protect the environ-ment from ever-widening tracks, they save the local flora and fauna from regular dust-baths and they help preserve the sanity of those who live in out-of-the-way places. For the visitor, new roads have opened up areas of Oman previously only accessible on foot or by many days of travel.

In researching and writing this book, then, we decided to celebrate the on-road as well as the off-road experience. The 15 routes use a combination of both to climb mountains and dunes, ford wadis and khors, and cross the plains of this magnificent country. In so doing we hope we’ve been able to reveal some of the uniqueness of this country’s heritage and the great wealth and beauty of its natural resources.

Jenny Walker and Sam Owen

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10 OFF-ROAD IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

Off-road driving is enormous fun but it does take a certain amount of skill. Most of that skill is easily

picked up through practice. Listed on the following pages, however, are a few tips that may help shortcut the learning process for newcomers and act as a bit of revision for veteran off-roaders.

Oman, for much of its great and glorious length, is a wild country with an extreme desert and mountain environment that doesn’t take prisoners. It may only take a second puncture or a flat battery to turn a pleasant afternoon excursion into an epic. The emergency services are well-trained and remarkably efficient but, if you’re marooned in a wadi, without GSM coverage, without proper shoes to go for help, without a map or a compass, and with only enough water to cover a picnic (it happens!), you could be only metres away from help and not be found.

But enough of the dire warnings. With an ounce of common sense, and a few

preliminary precautions, an off-road drive in Oman is generally the highlight of someone’s experience of the country.

Although parts of the 15 routes in this book can be managed in a car, you’ll need a 4x4 vehicle for the off-road portions.

We’re frequently asked: “Can I go there in my car – I’ve seen taxis drive that way?” The answer is that anything is possible – but that doesn’t make it a good idea.

The suspension of saloon cars is not designed for uneven surfaces and they don’t have the safety features you may need if you run into a problem. Flash floods occur without warning; an unexpected rock fall or a landslide may mean you have to turn back – these are the kind of problems a 4x4 can help you negotiate or avoid.

Essential Equipment: It’s tempting to think ‘have book, will travel’ but at the price of half a day’s preparation, the following pieces of equipment could literally be a lifeline:

Filling up with petrol in parts of Oman can be a challenge: the best advice is to top up at each petrol station in case there’s no petrol at the next garage.

Off-road driving

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11OFF-ROAD IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

• Map, compass and preferably GPS.• Warm clothing and stout footwear.• At least 10 litres of water. • Dry dates: these are very nutritious if you

get stuck for a few days.• A jerrycan, especially if your vehicle has

a small tank, and a funnel.• At least one, preferably two spare tyres

and a jack.• Sand ladders (2 pairs of light-weight

aluminium step-ladders will do). • A spade and planks of wood for

prolonged sand or sabkha driving.• Compressor to reinflate tyres for

prolonged trips in sand. • Two tow ropes. If you get stuck, a rescue

vehicle may not be able to get close enough with just one tow rope.

• A watch: keep an eye on the time. Driving off-road in the dark is not everyone’s cup of tea.

• Mosquito net and repellent, especially for the coast and Dhofar during the khareef.

Navigation: The first rule of navigation is always to tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back, even if you’re only popping out for the afternoon. Chances are you won’t bother – but, believe us, if you get stuck or lost, you will really wish you had. Here are some other tips:

• If you’re unsure of your direction, keep looking for landmarks behind you, in case you need to retrace your steps. Land marks can often be unrecognizable in reverse.

• The Bedouin navigate by the sun and the stars. It works. If nothing else, remember that the sun rises in the east and sinks in the west.

• Most road signs (with the exception of the Empty Quarter) are written in English as well as Arabic. Don’t be confused, however, by several different spellings of the same place name.

• Programme in the coordinates given on the route map before you leave.

• Please stay on established tracks at all times: the desert may look dead hard, but it supports a surprisingly fragile eco-system. In parts, the plains (Route 12) are becoming criss-crossed with car tracks to the detriment of the flora and fauna.

Mountain Driving: The key to safety in the mountains is being prepared. The weather can change very quickly in the mountains and it can get surprisingly cold at 3,000 m. In addition, remember to:

• Engage low gear on prolonged descents. Even in a new vehicle, brakes can wear out very quickly with over-use. This is why police insist on 4x4 on the tarmac ascent to Al Jabal al Akhdar (Route 4).

• Don’t park or camp in a wadi. It may look appealing and as dry as a bone, but flash floods often occur without warning and you can judge the outcome by the uprooted palm trees.

• As a mark of respect, explore mountain villages on foot.

Sand Driving: This takes some practice! Here are a few ‘do’s’:

• Pack sand ladders and a spade.• Go with another vehicle.• Consider hiring a guide in the Rimal ash

Sharqiyah (Ash Sharqiyah Sands) (Route 10) or in the Empty Quarter (Route 15) if you’re unfamiliar with the area.

• Plan on getting stuck: however experienced you are, it happens.

• Deflate the tyres slightly before entering the dunes.

• Remember to reinflate your tyres when you reach the tarmac.

• Keep up speed when climbing a dune. • Stop on a slope, if you have to stop. You

may be able to drive out of a problem with gravity on your side.

• Have a trial run before planning a long trip in the sands (Route 10).

Off-road driving

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1� OFF-ROAD IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

And a few ‘don’ts’:

• Don’t go alone.• Don’t stop on soft sand. When you start

again, the wheels will spin.• Don’t try to dig out if your wheels are

firmly entrenched – the car will just sink further. Let more air out, wedge the ladders under the back wheels and engage low ratio.

• Don’t stray away from the car if you’re seriously lost and/or stuck. Wait with it.

Sabkha Driving: It’s simple, don’t do it! Sabkha is wet sand with a hard crust. It can usually be detected as a flat plain with a salty, whitish sheen. It may feel firm to walk on but can give way without warning and is then very difficult to get out of. If you have to cross an area of sabkha, however, bear the following in mind:

• Stick only to prior tracks.• If there’s water on the tracks, steer

through the water, not round it. Water only rests on a hard surface.

One man’s camping equipment is another man’s road hazard.

Glorious mud! Nothing quite like it for cooling the engine.

Off-road driving

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1�OFF-ROAD IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

• Check the map for areas of sabkha. If you have to cross sabkha on one of the routes in this book, careful directions are given.

• If you plan on driving on sabkha for a prolonged distance (as at Barr al Hikman, Route 10), take boards.

• If you get stuck in sabkha, jack each tyre up and wedge them with boards. This will give some purchase for towing.

Coastal Driving: On the whole, driving on the beach isn’t to be recommended. In towns, it’s discouraged for the sake of those using the beach for recreation; in conser-vation areas, it’s forbidden, particularly at turtle-nesting sites (Route 9).

There are routes, however, where fisher-men use the beach to get from one village to another village and you may do the same (Routes 10 and 11), providing you heed the following advice:

• Only attempt the drive if you’ve seen fishermen crossing.

• Follow in their tracks.• Don’t attempt to drive at high tide.• Check the solidity of the surface by

walking on it first.• It is a gut-wrenching feeling when your

vehicle grinds to a halt on the beach with the tide turning. If in doubt, don’t go.

Fording Water: Many of the wadis in Oman flow either permanently or occasion-ally with water. This means that you will more than likely need to ford water at some point, especially if you’re driving in the Al Hajar Mountains (Routes 1–9). The following tips may be helpful:

• Always wade first through deep water to gauge its depth.

• Remember that wet brakes may not work efficiently: give them time to dry out before a steep descent.

• Mud and algae on wadi pebbles can make for an especially slippery surface under

water. Be careful not to over-correct the steering.

• Avoid driving through saltwater; if you can’t, make sure you give the underside of the car a good wash after wards.

• Obey the red road markers: it may seem unlikely on a cloudless day in mid-sum-mer, but flash floods can race across the desert at great speed. If you try to cross these floods, even if they don’t seem very deep, the current can whisk the wheels from under you.

Hazards: You can be fined for having a dirty car. You are obliged to use dipped lights in dust-storms. Beware of camels, especially in Dhofar in the khareef.

Refuelling: Petrol stations are indicated on most tourist maps of Oman. If there are few or none during the longer legs of the drives in this book, we’ve suggested where you should fill up before leaving the tarmac. Here are some tips:

• Don’t forget that using low gear consumes more petrol.

• You can’t rely on every petrol station having petrol – particularly on the coastal road to Salalah (see Route 11): keep topping up the tank each time you see a garage.

• Be aware of your petrol consumption: if you get lost, keep estimating the amount of petrol you need to retrace your steps.

• You can often buy petrol from villagers or the Bedouin: make sure you have a funnel (the top of a water bottle will do).

Lastly, if you haven’t had much experience driving off-road, don’t let the list of ‘shoulds’ put you off. Most of them are common sense, and a few hard-won through experience.

Try an easy trip first, such as Route 1 or Route 8, and build up some confidence. Most of all, enjoy it.

Off-road driving

Prelims.indd 13 6/10/07 10:16:08 AM


Route 1 Five-Forts Drive

Even the casual visitor to Oman cannot fail to notice that there is barely a hill or a promontory without one: indeed,

including watchtowers and stray, rambling fortifications, there are more than 1,000 forts and castles in Oman in various states of repair.

This drive, which links five of Oman’s most memorable forts, and throws in a few bonus ones for fun, takes you into the heart of the flat Al Batinah Plain, up to the legs of the mountains and back again through one of the most accessible, fertile wadis in Oman.

How to get thereLeg 1 Muscat to Barka: Driving up Highway 1 from Muscat to Barka is a joy in its own right: flanked by lime-green neem trees, orange-flowering cordias and hedges of privet and bougainvillea for much of the way, the road is more like a lineal garden than Oman’s busiest highway.

To catch some of the highlights of the drive to Barka, zero your odometer at the Airport Roundabout, and look out for the palaces of modern Oman’s founding fathers

on the left at 7.8 km, the beautiful domed mosque of the Royal Guard at 16.3 km, the Sultan’s country seat along a private road at 26 km, and two giant coffee pots outside a private residence on the right at 27.8 km. On the right at 29.3 km is the popular An Nasim Garden. Don’t be tempted to stop for a picnic or you will never make it round the rest of the route. If you don’t fancy going off-road this early in the trip, you can drive on up to the Barka Round about

STARTING POINT: MuscatFINISHING POINT: As SawadiDISTANCE: Approximately 270 kmTIME REQUIRED: Full dayCATEGORY: Partly tarmac and partly easy, off-road, wadi driving.HIGHLIGHTS: Five spectacular forts, sandy beaches, the coastal plain contrasted with dramatic mountain cliffs, hot springs, planta-tions, a fertile wadi with all-year-round water, active falaj . . . and a spot of fort counting.

IN BRIEF

Unkempt and unvisited, Sur ar Rumays is one of a legion of forts to discover off-road in Oman.

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Route 1.indd 14 6/7/07 4:02:36 PM


Muscat to As Sawadi via Ar Rustaq

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You don’t need the Five-Forts Drive to see one, nor do you need to be a military historian to understand the place of the fort in Omani culture. Take a look at any government building, queue for the public phone or pay with a half-rial note, and you’ll notice they all give homage to the same architectural feature. Forts crop up across the Arab World, from the great crusader castles such as the Crak de Chevalier in Syria, to the mud ruins of Diriyah in Saudi Arabia. But they don’t invade the living consciousness of a country quite as noticeably as in Oman.

Fortifications, be it a sur, or simple walled enclosure such as Sur ar Rumays, or a grand edifice like the fort at Nakhal, have a longer lineage on this soil than the country itself. Some, such as Ar Rustaq Fort, partly predate Islam. Erected by local tribes to protect trade routes from the interior, or, as in the case of the fort at Barka, built to withstand marauding forces from the sea, they have been part and parcel of the birth of a nation. They have also prominently featured in the country’s rebirth: in 1976, at the same time that hospitals, schools and roads were being developed, the ambitious fort-restoration programme undertaken by the Ministry of National Culture and Heritage formed a linchpin of Oman’s Renaissance. Fort restoration may be a dying skill in Oman (many

restorers have to be brought in from abroad), but the need to save these landmarks for posterity is very much alive. Take the on-going Bahla project, a UNESCO World Heritage Site: this is the fort’s fourth makeover, follow ing restoration in the 9th, 17th and 19th centuries.

So what is an Omani fort? It is a military structure designed, like the imposing Al Hazm Fort (illustrated above) to protect a community – unlike a castle (such as Bayt an Naaman (Numan) in Barka) which is primarily a fortified private residence. As such, the fort is a piece of civic pride: a symbol of a community’s indepen-dence and interdependence – something the Portu guese failed to appreciate when they conquered Muscat with Forts Al Mirani, Al Jalali and Mutrah but failed to conquer the people within.

What should you look for in a fort? Think boiling cauldrons of honey, hinged over door-ways; spiked doors to repel battering; round towers to deflect cannon balls, falaj in case of a siege . . . but most of all, enjoy the view from the battlements.

FORTS OF OMAN

For more on forts, see Dinteman, Walter (1993), Forts of Oman (Motivate Publishing, Dubai).

Route 1.indd 16 6/7/07 4:02:41 PM



and take up the route from leg two.If you want to see the first of our five

forts, however, at 30.8 km turn right at the Dates Roundabout WP1: N23 41.352 E58 01.952, signposted An Nasim Garden. Turn immediately left towards Barka and keep parallel to the highway until 34.2 km; turn right after the pylons, just before Modern Oman bakery. Turn right again at 34.8 km, and keep right as you follow the road through the village.

At 35.3 km turn left at the t-junction opposite an archway and at 36.4 km turn right onto some rough tracks: you’ll see Sur ar Rumays Fort WP2: N23 41.368 E57 59.369 in front of you. If you get lost in zigzagging through the village, just look for the fort’s crumbling crenulations over the rooftops.

What makes this a special fort is that it is virtually unvisited, unwritten about, unrestored – pretty much unloved in fact, except by the odd grazing goat. It is perhaps all the more evocative of the rise and fall of past strongholds because of it.

You are now going to drive towards the sea: keep the fort on your right and head north-east, veering to the left of a poultry farm. Fork left at 37.7 km. Many tracks meander through the acacia woodland: you are aiming for the power station to your left and more especially the small tarmac road in front of it. Head west on this tarmac road with the power station on your right and at 41.3 km, turn right at the t-junction WP3: N23 42.116 E57 56.985.

At 42.5 km take a small detour down to the sea. This is a great beach for another kind of fort builder: the ghost crab. Apparently the crab with the biggest wins fair lady – no surprises there. What is surprising, is that it takes the space of only one tide for the crabs to completely recast the shape of the beach.

Back on the road, continue towards Barka for 5 km. You’ll pass through an old date plantation; like many along the Al Batinah Coast it is suffering from salinity of

the soil, because of increased freshwater usage. The next of our forts looms over the town on the right. Unusual for its octagonal tower, Barka Fort marks the end of the Persian presence in Oman: in 1747 Persian guests invited to a banquet got more than they bargained for – including a one-way ticket out to sea. Pass the fort on your right, and take the next left, signposted Muscat and Sohar. Look out for shops selling halwa: Barka is famous for Oman’s national delicacy, made of sugar (or sometimes dates), wheat starch, spices and rose water.

Leg 2 Barka to Nakhal: At the Barka Roundabout, zero your odometer again and take Highway 13 to Nakhal and Ar Rustaq. At 3.5 km on the right, there’s an ostrich farm. If that seems like an odd sight today, it would not have been so unexpected in the days of our fort builders when apparently ostriches used to roam the whole of the Arabian Peninsula. According to one 18th-century traveller in the region, there were regular reports of ostriches using their tails as sunshades and “crocodiles that forbore in the eating of Christians”. If neither story seems very credible, that just shows what dull travellers we’ve become.

There is nothing dull about the way the plain runs into the mountains at Nakhal. Jabal Nakhal (1,588 m) makes a standing

Master castle builders busy on Barka Beach.

Route 1.indd 17 6/7/07 4:02:44 PM



start from the plantation at its base and dwarfs our third, nonetheless mighty, fort: at 25 km it’s just visible, floating between date palm and mountain wall.

At 29.4 km turn left for Nakhal: the fort is unmissable on the right at 30.9 km. If you are going to explore the inside of only one fort, this 17th-century construction is probably the one to choose. The stunning view from the battlements shows just what a prime position this fort commands. Even at the height of summer, a breeze carries across the plain and enters the windows of the majlis at the top of the fort, making it a balmy place to sit for a few minutes before getting lost on the way back down.

Just past the fort, at 31.6 km, there’s a right fork to Ayn ath Thuwarah which is worth a moment’s detour. Indian rollers and iridescent bee-eaters are easy to spot as they

flash through the plantations of banana, papaya, dates and lime. The hot spring at the end of the road (33.6 km) is a popular local picnic spot and there’s generally a collection of boys, goats and Masafi water bottles floating beneath the chutes of water.

If dipping a toe doesn’t appeal, try the egg roll-ups in the cafe instead, before heading back to Highway 13.

Leg 3 Nakhal to Ar Rustaq: At the Nakhal Junction on Highway 13, zero your odometer once more as you turn left towards Ar Rustaq. Three great wadis run into the Al Hajar Mountains on this side of the range, and they can all be accessed from this part of Highway 13. The first two (Wadi Mistall at 15.2 km and Wadi Bani Kharus at 34.1 km) are essentially cul-de-sacs but the third, at 40.5 km, is the important thoroughfare of

The stately Nakhal Fort, with its finely restored interior, lies at the junction of plain and mountain. The view from the ramparts is well worth the climb.

Route 1.indd 18 6/7/07 4:02:51 PM



Wadi Bani Awf. All three wadis make exciting and spectacular half- or full-day off-road excursions (see Routes 2 and 3). Indeed, if you fancy extending the current trip into an overnighter, you could combine it with Route 2 and camp in Wadi as Sahtan.

A watchtower at 47.5 km, guarding a patch of maize and onions, signals the approach to Ar Rustaq. This vibrant town, at the crossroads between mountain and plain betrays something of its noble lineage as Oman’s capital, albeit briefly, in the 17th century.

Turn left at Ar Rustaq Roundabout (51.5 km) for our fourth fort of the trip and follow the road round the town, turning left at the small roundabout at 55.3 km. The great angular pile that rises up on your left dates back to pre-Islamic times; was extended twice in the 17th and 19th cen-turies; saw action in the Jabal War of 1950, and had an administrative role until the 1970s. It too is worth a stroll, if only to admire the massive battlements. There are tombs, hot springs and a busy market in Ar Rustaq if you have time to explore.

Leg 4 Ar Rustaq to Al Hazm via Wadi al Hawqayn: Return to Ar Rustaq Round about and go straight over on Highway 11. If you ‘want out’ of the Five-Forts Drive then this is the time to make a run for it. High way 11 will take you directly back to Highway 1.

If, on the other hand, you’re game for the full set of crenulations, head along Highway 11 for 3.1 km, turn left at Ar Rustaq’s Grand Mosque for Ibri, and fill up at Oman Oil. The track to Wadi as Sahtan (see Route 2) emerges from the left at 8.6 km. After 6 km, turn right for Wadi Bani Hinayy (just before the bridge) WP4: N23 25.293 E57 17.982, zero your odometer and slip down onto the graded wadi bottom. This leads to Wadi al Hawqayn.

After 2 km you’ll have a first glance of two of our bonus forts. Without wishing to be too technical about things, the one on the hill is more properly a watchtower and

the spectacular ruin right in the middle of the wadi WP5: N23 25.978 E57 19.215 is more castle than fort (see box on forts for the difference). Whatever they’re called, in the late afternoon they glow like burnished coffee pots in the wadi and are irresistibly photogenic. Small paths lead into the plan-tations offering glimpses of life under the date palms. In mid-August, when the dates are ready for harvesting, giant bunches of red and yellow fruit hang like purses of coins in this rich little wadi.

The route passes through shallow pools of water and climbs the left bank of the wadi at 8.8 km, past some shops and a ruined tower with a satellite dish at 9 km in the village of Aqd an Nizuh. At 10.7 km, a picturesque watchtower looms over the s-bend in the wadi below and, at 11.5 km, along the right

Ar Rustaq Fort, at a crossroads to the inter ior, guards ancient trade routes and hot springs.

Route 1.indd 19 6/7/07 4:02:56 PM

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Off-Road in the Sultanate of Oman

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