Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
1 Five-Forts Drive Muscat to As Sawadi via Ar Rustaq 14 8 The Khawr Tour Muscat Round Trip via Yiti 90
Leg 1 Muscat to Barka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 50 km 4x4 14 Leg 1 Airport to Bawshar. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 20 km Saloon 90
Leg 2 Barka to Nakhal . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 40 km Saloon 17 Leg 2 Bawshar to Al Qurm. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 20 km Saloon 93
Birds
Forts
Leg 3 Nakhal to Ar Rustaq. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 55 km Saloon 18 Leg 3 Al Qurm to Yiti. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 45 km 4x4/Saloon 93
Leg 4 Ar Rustaq to Al Hazm via Wadi al Hawqayn. . 2 Hours 70 km 4x4 19 Leg 4 Yiti to As Sifah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 80 km 4x4/Saloon 94
Leg 5 Al Hazm to As Sawadi . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 55 km Saloon 21 Leg 5 Yiti to Muscat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 75 km 4x4 95
2 One Day Honey Muscat To Ar Rustaq 22 9 Wet and Wild Muscat Round Trip via Qurayyat and Sur 96
Leg 1 Muscat to Nakhal. . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 85 km Saloon 22 Leg 1 Muscat to Qurayyat via Wadi Mijlas. . . . . . 2 Hours 120 km 4x4/Saloon 98
Plants
Leg 2 Nakhal to Wadi Mistall. . . . . . . . . . 3 Hours 120 km 4x4 25 Leg 2 Qurayyat to Al Mazari via Wadi Dayqah. . . . 2 Hours 40 km 4x4/Saloon 98
Leg 3 Wadi Mistall to Wadi Bani Awf. . . . . . . 1 Hour 40 km 4x4 28 Leg 3 Al Mazari to Dibab via Wadi al Arbiyyin . . . 3 Hours 35 km 4x4 101
Water
Leg 4 Wadi Bani Awf to Ar Rustaq via Wadi as Sahtan 4 Hours 95 km 4x4 32 Leg 4 Dibab to Sur via Wadi Shab and Wadi Tiwi. . 4 Hours 110 km 4x4 104
3 Rock and Awe Muscat Round Trip via Nizwa 36 Leg 5 Sur to Al Kamil via Ras al Hadd. . . . . . . 6 Hours 250 km 4x4 106
Leg 1 Muscat to Nizwa via Wadi Fanja. . . . . . . 3 Hours 160 km 4x4 36 Leg 6 Al Kamil to Ibra via Wadi al Khabbah . . . . 6 Hours 310 km 4x4 110
Rocks
Leg 2 Nizwa to Al Bir via Hat . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hours 95 km 4x4 40 Bonus Ash Shariq to Tiwi via Al Jaylah . . . . . . 4 Hours 75 km 4x4 112
Leg 3 Al Bir to Al Awabi via Wadi Bani Kharus. . . 4 Hours 110 km 4x4 45 10 Bucket-and-Spade Tour Rimal ash Sharqiyah (Ash Sharqiyah Sands) 116
Leg 4 Al Awabi to Muscat via Wadi al Abyad . . . . 2 Hours 130 km 4x4 48 Leg 1 Ibra to Al Raha Camp. . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 55 km 4x4 116
4 Top Of The Beanstalk Nizwa to Al Jabal al Akhdar 50 Leg 2 Al Raha Camp to Ash Shiraykhah. . . . . . 5 Hours 220 km 4x4 119
Sand
Leg 1 Nizwa to Sayq Plateau. . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 70 km 4x4 52 Leg 3 Ash Shiraykhah to Khuwaymah . . . . . . . 8 Hours 210 km 4x4 120
Fru it
Leg 2 Lower Sayq Plateau . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Hours 60 km 4x4 53 Leg 4 Khuwaymah to Ibra . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hours 240 km 4x4/Saloon 124
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 The Routes: Central And Southern Oman
Leg 2 Tanuf to Al Hamra . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 55 km 4x4 60
Crafts
Leg 3 Al Hamra to Jabal Shams. . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 50 km 4x4 62 11 Journey of a Thousand Miles Muscat to Salalah via Coastal Road 126
Leg 4 Jabal Shams to Jabrin . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 35 km Saloon 63 Leg 1 Al Bustan Palace Hotel to Hijj. . . . . . . . 4 Hours 380 km Saloon 126
Leg 5 Jabrin to Nizwa via Manah . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 60 km 4x4/Saloon 64 Leg 2 Side Trip to Masirah Island . . . . . . . . 12 Hours 260 km 4x4/Saloon 128
Shells
6 Raining Bones Muscat Round Trip via Sohar and Ibri 66 Leg 3 Hijj to Ad Duqm . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Hours 290 km 4x4/Saloon 130
Leg 1 Myths of Muscat. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 10 km Saloon 66 Leg 4 Ad Duqm to Thumrayt via Ash Shuwaymiyah. 12 Hours 820 km 4x4/Saloon 134
Leg 2 Muscat to Sohar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Hours 230 km Saloon 69 Leg 5 Thumrayt to Salalah via Wadi Dhahbun. . . . 8 Hours 450 km 4x4 139
Legends
Leg 3 Sohar to Yanqul via Wadi Hibi. . . . . . . . 2 Hours 140 km 4x4/Saloon 71 12 Searching for Unicorns Hayma Round Trip via Jaaluni 142
Leg 4 Yanqul to Ibri via Wadi Dank . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 110 km 4x4 72 Leg 1 Hayma to Jaaluni . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 120 km 4x4 142
Oryx
Leg 5 Ibri to Wadi al Ayn via Bat . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 70 km 4x4 73 Leg 2 Jaaluni to Ad Duqm . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hour 170 km Saloon 146
Leg 6 Bat (Wadi al Ayn) to Muscat via Sint and Bahla 6 Hours 400 km 4x4 75 Leg 3 Ad Duqm to Hayma via Wadi Sharm. . . . . 6 Hours 290 km 4x4 146
7 Going Round the Bend Sohar Round Trip via Musandam 78 13 East of Eden Salalah Round Trip (East) 152
Leg 1 Sohar to Khasab . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Hours 400 km Saloon 80 Leg 1 Salalah to Jabal Samhan . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 85 km 4x4 152
Bugs
Leg 2 Khasab to Khawr Najd . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 30 km 4x4 82 Leg 2 Jabal Samhan to Wadi Darbat. . . . . . . . 1 Hour 45 km Saloon 156
People
Leg 3 Khawr Najd to Jabal Harim. . . . . . . . . 2 Hours 50 km 4x4 85 Leg 3 Wadi Darbat to Salalah via Ayn Razat . . . . 2 Hours 120 km 4x4 158
Leg 4 Jabal Harim to Ar Rawdah Bowl . . . . . . 3 Hours 30 km 4x4 87 14 Barking Mad Salalah Round Trip (West) 160
Leg 5 Ar Rawdah Bowl to Sohar . . . . . . . . . 4 Hours 230 km 4x4 88 Leg 1 Salalah to Job’s Tomb . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Hours 90 km 4x4 160
Job
authors and publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of in Leg 2 Rakhyut to Mudayy . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Hours 115 km 4x4 168
allow for a little time
formation, they cannot be held responsible for any claim arising from its use. Leg 3 Mudayy to Shisr via the Empty Quarter . . . . 6 Hours 170 km 4x4 169
of your own.
Leg 4 Shisr to Muscat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Hours 1,040 km 4x4 171
Key to Maps
T D
he pace of change in Oman since Eurocopter helicopters are operated in riving to work recently, a familiar new tarmac roads. They may not look quite
1970 when His Majesty, Sultan many countries worldwide and are preferred scene unfolded from the window. so quaint but they help protect the environ
Qaboos bin Said, came to power has for exploring the natural and cultural The traffic, along the beautifully ment from ever-widening tracks, they save
been prodigious. Within the living memory heritage of a country quickly and efficiently. landscaped piece of road in the interior, the local flora and fauna from regular dust-
of many Omani elders, the most common Their low-noise and high safety design make slowed down to let a man on a donkey cross baths and they help preserve the sanity of
means of transport was donkey or camel, them an environmentally friendly comple the modern carriageway. Meanwhile, in the those who live in out-of-the-way places. For
there were only a few kilometres of tarmac ment to road travel. capital a troop of liveried camels walked the visitor, new roads have opened up areas
road, education comprised of reciting the The Sultanate of Oman is revealed in the good-naturedly along the white lines to a of Oman previously only accessible on foot
Qur’an under a tree and healthcare was 15 exciting and insightful off-road routes in lush area of grazing. There was no horn- or by many days of travel.
limited to home and herbal remedies. this book. The authors, Jenny Walker and blowing and only mild surprise. In researching and writing this book,
Change has brought new infrastructure Sam Owen, veteran explorers of Oman, have The incident serves to show the extent to then, we decided to celebrate the on-road as
with roads and electricity, fresh water and researched in depth to bring the character of which driving in Oman is an inclusive well as the off-road experience. The 15
drainage systems servicing even the most the country’s history and landscape closer to rather than an exclusive exercise. The new routes use a combination of both to climb
outlying villages of the mountains and desert. the reader in a way that will both fascinate road systems have been put in place because mountains and dunes, ford wadis and khors,
Education and healthcare have been and delight. the Omani people like to travel. You only and cross the plains of this magnificent
given priority with the result that literacy As such, it is our pleasure to support this have to visit a mountain village or a settle country. In so doing we hope we’ve been
and longevity have increased to valuable endeavour. ment on the plains to see how, road or no able to reveal some of the uniqueness of this
internationally comparable standards. Xavier Hay, road, vehicles are taken to places most country’s heritage and the great wealth and
With these new facilities, new Vice President people wouldn’t drag a pair of boots. beauty of its natural resources.
opportunities have been provided for the Middle East and Africa Eurocopter It seems churlish to lament the coming of Jenny Walker and Sam Owen
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.
O
ff-road driving is enormous fun but preliminary precautions, an off-road drive in • Map, compass and preferably GPS. • Please stay on established tracks at all
it does take a certain amount of Oman is generally the highlight of • Warm clothing and stout footwear. times: the desert may look dead hard, but
skill. Most of that skill is easily someone’s experience of the country. • At least 10 litres of water. it supports a surprisingly fragile eco
picked up through practice. Listed on the Although parts of the 15 routes in this • Dry dates: these are very nutritious if you system. In parts, the plains (Route 12)
following pages, however, are a few tips that book can be managed in a car, you’ll need a get stuck for a few days. are becoming criss-crossed with car tracks
may help shortcut the learning process for 4x4 vehicle for the off-road portions. • A jerrycan, especially if your vehicle has to the detriment of the flora and fauna.
newcomers and act as a bit of revision for We’re frequently asked: “Can I go there a small tank, and a funnel.
veteran off-roaders. in my car – I’ve seen taxis drive that way?” • At least one, preferably two spare tyres Mountain Driving: The key to safety in
Oman, for much of its great and glorious The answer is that anything is possible – but and a jack. the mountains is being prepared. The
length, is a wild country with an extreme that doesn’t make it a good idea. • Sand ladders (2 pairs of light-weight weather can change very quickly in the
desert and mountain environment that The suspension of saloon cars is not aluminium step-ladders will do). mountains and it can get surprisingly cold at
doesn’t take prisoners. It may only take a designed for uneven surfaces and they don’t • A spade and planks of wood for 3,000 m. In addition, remember to:
second puncture or a flat battery to turn a have the safety features you may need if you prolonged sand or sabkha driving.
pleasant afternoon excursion into an epic. run into a problem. Flash floods occur • Compressor to reinflate tyres for • Engage low gear on prolonged descents.
The emergency services are well-trained without warning; an unexpected rock fall or prolonged trips in sand. Even in a new vehicle, brakes can wear
and remarkably efficient but, if you’re a landslide may mean you have to turn back • Two tow ropes. If you get stuck, a rescue out very quickly with over-use. This is
marooned in a wadi, without GSM – these are the kind of problems a 4x4 can vehicle may not be able to get close why police insist on 4x4 on the tarmac
coverage, without proper shoes to go for help you negotiate or avoid. enough with just one tow rope. ascent to Al Jabal al Akhdar (Route 4).
help, without a map or a compass, and with • A watch: keep an eye on the time. • Don’t park or camp in a wadi. It may look
only enough water to cover a picnic (it Essential Equipment: It’s tempting to Driving off-road in the dark is not appealing and as dry as a bone, but flash
happens!), you could be only metres away think ‘have book, will travel’ but at the everyone’s cup of tea. floods often occur without warning and
from help and not be found. price of half a day’s preparation, the • Mosquito net and repellent, especially for you can judge the outcome by the
But enough of the dire warnings. With an following pieces of equipment could literally the coast and Dhofar during the khareef. uprooted palm trees.
ounce of common sense, and a few be a lifeline: • As a mark of respect, explore mountain
Navigation: The first rule of navigation is villages on foot.
always to tell someone where you’re going
and when you expect to be back, even if Sand Driving: This takes some practice!
you’re only popping out for the afternoon. Here are a few ‘do’s’:
Chances are you won’t bother – but, believe
us, if you get stuck or lost, you will really • Pack sand ladders and a spade.
wish you had. Here are some other tips: • Go with another vehicle.
• Consider hiring a guide in the Rimal ash
• If you’re unsure of your direction, keep Sharqiyah (Ash Sharqiyah Sands) (Route
looking for landmarks behind you, in case 10) or in the Empty Quarter (Route 15) if
you need to retrace your steps. Landmarks you’re unfamiliar with the area.
can often be unrecognizable in reverse. • Plan on getting stuck: however
• The Bedouin navigate by the sun and the experienced you are, it happens.
stars. It works. If nothing else, remember • Deflate the tyres slightly before entering
that the sun rises in the east and sinks in the dunes.
the west. • Remember to reinflate your tyres when
• Most road signs (with the exception of you reach the tarmac.
the Empty Quarter) are written in • Keep up speed when climbing a dune.
English as well as Arabic. Don’t be • Stop on a slope, if you have to stop. You
confused, however, by several different may be able to drive out of a problem
spellings of the same place name. with gravity on your side.
Filling up with petrol in parts of Oman can be a challenge: the best advice is to top up at each • Programme in the coordinates given on • Have a trial run before planning a long
petrol station in case there’s no petrol at the next garage. the route map before you leave. trip in the sands (Route 10).
• Check the map for areas of sabkha. If you water. Be careful not to over-correct
have to cross sabkha on one of the routes the steering.
in this book, careful directions are given. • Avoid driving through saltwater; if you
• If you plan on driving on sabkha for a can’t, make sure you give the underside
prolonged distance (as at Barr al Hikman, of the car a good wash afterwards.
Route 10), take boards. • Obey the red road markers: it may seem
• If you get stuck in sabkha, jack each tyre unlikely on a cloudless day in mid-sum
up and wedge them with boards. This mer, but flash floods can race across the
will give some purchase for towing. desert at great speed. If you try to cross
these floods, even if they don’t seem very
Coastal Driving: On the whole, driving deep, the current can whisk the wheels
on the beach isn’t to be recommended. In from under you.
towns, it’s discouraged for the sake of those
using the beach for recreation; in conser Hazards: You can be fined for having a
vation areas, it’s forbidden, particularly at dirty car. You are obliged to use dipped lights
turtle-nesting sites (Route 9). in dust-storms. Beware of camels, especially
There are routes, however, where fisher in Dhofar in the khareef.
men use the beach to get from one village to
another village and you may do the same Refuelling: Petrol stations are indicated on
One man’s camping equipment is another man’s road hazard. (Routes 10 and 11), providing you heed the most tourist maps of Oman. If there are few
following advice: or none during the longer legs of the drives
And a few ‘don’ts’: in this book, we’ve suggested where you
• Only attempt the drive if you’ve seen should fill up before leaving the tarmac.
• Don’t go alone. fishermen crossing. Here are some tips:
• Don’t stop on soft sand. When you start • Follow in their tracks.
again, the wheels will spin. • Don’t attempt to drive at high tide. • Don’t forget that using low gear consumes
• Don’t try to dig out if your wheels are • Check the solidity of the surface by more petrol.
firmly entrenched – the car will just sink walking on it first. • You can’t rely on every petrol station
further. Let more air out, wedge the • It is a gut-wrenching feeling when your having petrol – particularly on the
ladders under the back wheels and vehicle grinds to a halt on the beach with coastal road to Salalah (see Route 11):
engage low ratio. the tide turning. If in doubt, don’t go. keep topping up the tank each time you
• Don’t stray away from the car if you’re see a garage.
seriously lost and/or stuck. Wait with it. Fording Water: Many of the wadis in • Be aware of your petrol consumption: if
Oman flow either permanently or occasion you get lost, keep estimating the amount
Sabkha Driving: It’s simple, don’t do it! ally with water. This means that you will of petrol you need to retrace your steps.
Sabkha is wet sand with a hard crust. It can more than likely need to ford water at some • You can often buy petrol from villagers or
usually be detected as a flat plain with a salty, point, especially if you’re driving in the the Bedouin: make sure you have a
whitish sheen. It may feel firm to walk on but Al Hajar Mountains (Routes 1–9). The funnel (the top of a water bottle will do).
can give way without warning and is then following tips may be helpful:
very difficult to get out of. If you have to Lastly, if you haven’t had much experience
cross an area of sabkha, however, bear the • Always wade first through deep water to driving off-road, don’t let the list of
following in mind: gauge its depth. ‘shoulds’ put you off. Most of them are
• Remember that wet brakes may not work common sense, and a few hard-won
• Stick only to prior tracks. efficiently: give them time to dry out through experience.
• If there’s water on the tracks, steer before a steep descent. Try an easy trip first, such as Route 1 or
Glorious mud! Nothing quite like it for through the water, not round it. Water • Mud and algae on wadi pebbles can make Route 8, and build up some confidence.
cooling the engine. only rests on a hard surface. for an especially slippery surface under Most of all, enjoy it.
E In Brief
ven the casual visitor to Oman cannot
fail to notice that there is barely a hill
or a promontory without one: indeed, Starting point: Muscat
including watchtowers and stray, rambling Finishing point: As Sawadi
fortifications, there are more than 1,000 Distance: Approximately 270 km
forts and castles in Oman in various states Time required: Full day
of repair. Category: Partly tarmac and partly easy,
This drive, which links five of Oman’s off-road, wadi driving.
most memorable forts, and throws in a few Highlights: Five spectacular forts, sandy
bonus ones for fun, takes you into the heart beaches, the coastal plain contrasted with
of the flat Al Batinah Plain, up to the legs of dramatic mountain cliffs, hot springs, planta
the mountains and back again through one tions, a fertile wadi with all-year-round water,
of the most accessible, fertile wadis in Oman. active falaj . . . and a spot of fort counting.
Unkempt and unvisited, Sur ar Rumays is one of a legion of forts to discover off-road in Oman.
Just before the descent into Sayq, you’ll al Akhdar, return to the hotel and turn left
notice a graded track on the left WP6: N23 again out of the gate. Turn right after 1 km
04.068 E57 38.622. If you take this track, WP7: N23 05.398 E57 40.993, following the
follow it round to the left and you’ll find it sign for Hayl Misibt. Zero your odometer at
zigzags down the mountain for about 6 km. this point and head up the hill and into
This road gives you a view of the crescent wilder country. This is the land of the
from the west and is a good place for a juniper, the gnarled and knotted barks of
picnic. If you park at the top of the track, which speak of harsh winters and
just before the first hairpin bend, and walk bedevilling winds.
over to the wadi on your right, you’ll find the The blue-grey berries appear to be har
rock pavement is jewelled with fossils. vested locally, perhaps as flavouring. From
the village of Shanut(Sahnawt) onwards,
Leg 3 Upper Sayq Plateau: For a you will see fine examples of this hardy ever
completely different experience of Al Jabal green tree. You will also see plenty of wild A mount of wild olives is an inspiring sight on a stormy winter’s day.