9/12/2014 

 

The Unexplored Beauty of Oman.

 

Departed Dubai at around 3:00pm, drove to the Wahiba sands. It was a very long drive, we arrived at 10:30 N22• 23'32.0 E058•47'01.3

Camping here for the night. We set up camp and gathered around the fire to cook, relax, chat after a very long drive, it was freezing cold from the night till the morning that I had to leave the tent and sleep in the car with the heater on.

 

Walk up in the morning, saw out side the window and a strange guy is in our camp site chatting to a friend, he was Salim al wehaibi a Bedouin from the wahibi sands, very nice and polite man. 

Departed wahiba sands in the morning and headed to wadi bani khalid which is around 3 hours drive N22•37'19.6 E059•06'11.3 nice beautiful scenery with a bit of a nice simple hike through the water and wadi, then a nice swim on the way back, the wadi fish keep on tickling your feet, eating the dead skin.

 

After that we headed to the cost to get a ferry which is around 3 hour drive as well to N20•44'54.3 E058•44'14.4 Which is located in Shannah. Upon arival at the port we then loaded the cars and headed to Masira Island which is around Bahrain's size and 8,000 people living there. It took us 2 hours to get there. Camped here at N20•12'26.1 E058•38'02.9.

 

Second day we explored around the Island, there is one road that takes you around the cost and its all remote except for the beginning part where we arrived, there are few shops and restaurants. Really nice how the landscape changed.

We drove around the full island on the road I just mentioned then stopped for lunch at a Terkish Restaurant. After lunch we headed to a nice camp sight N20•09'59.3 E058•38'23.3 On the beach.

While sitting by the fire you can see the Phosphorus glowing in the waves which looks like blue light from the Avatar movie, when we went close, as we step on the beach and splash the water it glows all around us, the beauty of it cant be described.

As we woke up in the morning in front of that beach between the two hills could not resist a swim, had to jump in. After a nice swim and coffee we sorted our selfs and headed to the port to go back to main land, got the ferry and headed to port then a long drive to Ras Jniz N 22 25’31.5    E 059 49’33.3 to the turtle sanctuary, we had to register our names for the evening and morning sighting of the turtles. We left and cruised around the village Stopped for tea till the time came when we met a local that asked us if we wanted to go with him to look for the turtles, so we did and missed our time in the sanctuary but it was worth it, we followed him to the beach till one point then tolled us to stop and get in the back of his pick up which felt that we are doing something not legal but fun of course, as soon as we got there we spotted one that was already half way digging so we waited for her to finish as if she sees us while she is digging she will turn around and go but once she starts she wont stop.

 

While waiting we saw another one finding her way to shore and started digging then few minutes later another one found her way to shore but a car flew past which made her turn around and go.

After the eggs hatch not all make is to the sea, they get eaten by seagulls then have many predators in ocean, the ones who make it come back after 25 years to lay there eggs on the same shore they have been born on which they do 3 times a year but every four years.

After laying their eggs which takes hours then they migrate.

 

Before I end this, we have seen a dead dolphin, dead whale and couple of other marine life washed up on to the beach of Masira island while we where exploring around day and night, which means the sea is rich. It was full off crabs at night, saw 3 different types but bet there are more and was full with hermit crabs.

 

We drove around 2,200 Km in 4 days, crossed the sea with our cars, camped in the desert, in the wadies and on the beach. Went with amazing friends and met new people.