The enchanting nature of the Oman sultanate.. Tour of Oman, Middle East

From Dubai to Oman, the flight is short, but it seems to fly through the centuries: from the futuristic science fiction that borders the Emirate, its frantic pace based on the business and entertainment, the rugged mountains of the Sultanate, its streets crossing wild and surreal landscapes, from the blazing desert interspersed by beautiful oasis crossed by wadis, beaches lapped by turquoise sea, where turtles come every night to lay their eggs.
Two worlds close geographically, but so far in mind, yet both very charming, joined by a unique feature: the practice of Islam in its most intriguing and genuine respect and tolerance towards all other peoples.
Dubai and Oman, a trip in the scents and colors of Arabia, moving up to the most extreme of futurism and radical deep respect for ancient traditions.
And that feeling of true that perhaps in other places has been inexorably lost.

Some insights sull'Oman:

Oman is opening up to tourism strongly in the last two years: a world that was closed for thousands of years begins to see its territory of the first groups of tourists, cruise passengers who stop in Muscat, tourists and of course the classic do- -you who have never missed. The impression is that Oman should be visited as soon as possible, before I lose (something has already been lost), his deep authentic soul.
Many say to me, yes, but what there is to see in Oman? Briefly: the fortified town of Nizwa, perhaps the most tied to ancient traditions, with the typical souk and the sale of livestock, near Fort of Bahla, Jabrin, Nakhal and Rustaq, appear like mirages in the desert sand with their smooth surfaces and polished and elaborate towers, surrounded by dense palm groves. The wild mountains of the interior, with dirt roads that climb breathtaking canyons and slopes. The beautiful wadis, deep canyons and lush, rich in water and palm trees, where you can go trekking combined with wonderful swim in the crystal clear waters. Endless deserted beaches, from white lapped by turquoise water, to those of yellow sand and emerald green waters, endless stretches from south of Sur inhabited by giant turtles, up to the unknown and unspoiled islands Daymanyat, similar to Maldivian atolls, rich coral reefs, but no vegetation. Finally, the characteristic capital Muscat, divided into several neighborhoods, some of which seem to villages, with strong contradiction with the typical fish market and the souq, the extravagant palace of the Sultan to end the stunning Grand Mosque. All this topped by the smile and the kindness of a people curious, but that does not wait for your greeting to give you a warm welcome.

Except Muscat, tourist services are not well developed: there are few hotels, concentrated in larger towns such as Nizwa and Sur, are not international restaurants and some places in the hotel restaurant is the only one available. The service in hotels is polite but spartan, except for the large hotel chains.
The main roads are beautiful and well maintained, but to reach some of the most fascinating places you need an SUV, like the Jebel Shams (the Grand Canyon of Oman), crossing the Hajar Mountains, to cover the tracks of the binding Wahiba Sands and to reach some beaches between Sur and Oman, as the White Beach.
The dirt roads are fun and in good condition, attention, the mountains are often exposed and unprotected, while crossing the Wadi Bani Awf and downs sometimes wading small streams, which can be turned into something dangerous if it rained recently . Things to avoid in this case.
The signs are scarce, even for tourist sites: we had the notebook with gps antenna to get the real-time location on google earth, very comfortable, but not essential. A good map is sufficient. Be careful, many speak only Arabic.
Attire: respectful but definitely not required. Women can also run quietly in his undershirt and shorts, and wear a bikini at any beach. Of course this applies to tourists, the local women wear only traditional black dress with their faces covered, even on the beach.
Gasoline costs very little (about € 0.24 a liter) and the price is fixed across the country. The cars are usually large displacement.
The exchange is legalized robbery (the difference between buying and selling rate of 30%). Just arrived at the airport, you must pass before the exchange rate for the purchase of the visa, the advice is to change what is necessary: the most convenient solution in Oman is to use a credit card and withdraw cash from ATM in advance (of the Committee 4%, nothing compared to the rates applied in situ).
To book in advance the trip to see the turtles in Ras al Jinzo, unique experience not to be missed. (Check the email on the official website). Same thing if you want to go diving or snorkeling Daymanyat.

 

Nizwa - Oman, Tuesday, 1/04/2010

We leave at dawn Dubai and the Emirates in the direction of Sharjah, which takes about 40 minutes by taxi (20 euro), while the opposite lane is completely paralyzed, a warning: do not walk the streets from north to south morning, and from south to north in the evening, due to commuter traffic. The flight with Air Arabia Sharjah, Muscat (€ 60) is timely but the practices of immigration are quite long: you have to change the currency for the purchase of the visa, then go to passport control. The advice is to change the minimum required at the airport since the changes are real lenders (even 20% unfavorable), better withdraw from ATMs with the commission of 4%. We go to the bench where we collect the off-road car that will accompany us on the roads of Oman (9GG 4x4 € 385, with upgrate locally). We deliver a huge Land Cruiser, exceptional, nicely battered and dirty, so we will have no problems in delivery. I write all the damaged parts on the sheet of hire, basically a single X on the drawing ....
Connect GPS to a laptop, the signal takes 5 minutes to appear on google earth and here we are: the future begins. We reach the ancient capital of Nizwa, leave your luggage at the hotel Al-Diyar (€ 88 Triple room with breakfast with the hotel) and go to visit the center in the early afternoon. There is a crazy hot, 38 degrees above average for the period: Nizwa looks like a ghost town and given the heat, we understand why, but unfortunately the strong closes at 16 and we must hurry to visit. Entrance costs 1 euro: the strong Omani, we will visit different, they appear as mirages of sand from the desert oasis. Perfectly restored, perhaps too much, as it seems fairly recent despite the centuries that have behind them. The visit is a series of rooms, simply furnished some other guise, stairs, towers and terraces with stunning views: the top of the fort of Nizwa we can admire a splendid view of the city, surrounded by walls and feature a mosque, as well as palm trees that close on the horizon with the impressive Hajar Mountains. The souq is closed, we will say in the evening. We return in the evening but it is still closed, we are told that open the following morning, with lots of livestock souq, since it's Friday and party.

Jabrin, Bahla, Jebel Shams, Friday, 2/04/2010

Today, intensive program: the first stage of the strong Jabrin that since Friday, will close at 11. The fort is one of the best preserved of Oman dates back to the 17th century and was built by Imam Sultan bin Bil'arub. Inside you can visit the kitchens with utensils of the time, the Imam of the rooms, with richly decorated ceilings and walls with inscriptions in Arabic, the channels for transporting water and date juice, in addition to the Koranic school el ' inevitable terrace overlooking the palm trees and mountains. We continue in the direction of Bahla, with one of the most impressive of the country strong, unfortunately closed for restoration for years (UNESCO) and the ceramic workshops of which there were traces. Around 11 we climb to the road leading up to Jebel Shams, through the imposing Hajar mountains and wild, up to 2000 meters in what is called, appropriately, the Grand Canyon of Oman. Along the way we make a detour to the mountain village of Al crimi Abrein, perched on the mountainside and surrounded by a lush oasis. The photos were worth having more than we really admired, however, we can see a glimpse of life in this population is still strongly linked to the ancient traditions and where the everyday spending in a slow and easy. The first stretch of road to the Canyon is paved but rather steep, and then turn into a stony track that cuts through the mountain literally, with some steep and exposed passage. With a little 'attention, and a jeep with absolutely no problem to cross the road, although in some places is to be done first. At the top the view is extraordinary and the similarities with the Grand Canyon America's most famous are evident, albeit on a smaller scale: one can walk along the rim of the canyon without protection, with dizzying cliffs over 1,000 meters. The temperature at the top declined sharply: from 38 to 23 degrees, very windy.

From Nizwa to Sur, Saturday, 3/04/2010

What lies ahead will be a really memorable day, through breathtaking landscapes are completely different from each other, from burning deserts of the Wahiba Sands, the lush oasis of Wadi Bani Khalid, to the amazing turtles at Ras Jinzo.
Proceeding in order: a brief stop at the village of Birkat al-Mauz, where behind the modern town are the ruins of a village of mud houses, in a spectacular location. Proceed until you see in the distance the first dunes of the desert, around the state: on the one side are lost in the golden dunes, the mountains seem to lick the other while vast sandy valleys. We leave the main road and continue along a sandy track in the desert, the dunes become higher and higher and reddish: this is an extraordinary place, desolate but fascinating, our car looks like a dot in the universe.
Around noon we take the detour to the Wadi Bani Khalid, one of the most beautiful wadis in the country: the last stretch of road is being paved and proceed safely to the parking lot. The wadi is very simple: leave your car in 5 minutes you reach the first big pool of water, transparent and surrounded by palm trees. This is the starting of the bridges that cross the river: on the one hand there is a snack bar, while across the path continues along the wadi, achieving fantastic natural swimming pools among the rocks, with emerald green water where you can go for a swim and diving.
Drive to Sur and Ras Al Hadd reach the hotel (€ 88 Triple room directly with the hotel), not far from Turtle Beach. After an excellent dinner in the hotel restaurant, we reach the Visitor Center in Ras al Jinzo, a nature reserve in which they come about
35 000 turtles a year to lay their eggs. We booked one month in advance directly from Italy, a guided tour of 21 hours, since access is limited to 100-120 people divided into small groups (I met some people who, not having booked in advance, were able to visit the beach). We live this unique experience, enjoying huge sea turtles that come out, lay their eggs, dig huge holes before returning to the sea. We can also see the tiny newborn turtles, with considerable effort that can reach the sea. Tonight we are lucky, although not the ideal time, we can see in about an hour all these phases. The only drawback, you can not just take pictures, obviously many tourists have exaggerated with the flash is strictly prohibited.
We thought of losing half the night, but at 23.30 we are already back at the hotel. Extraordinary surprise at the reception we are told that a group of newly hatched turtles have broadcaster direction, and instead of following the road to the sea have pointed straight to the hotel: there are now, in front of us, in a bucket waiting to be flow into the sea in the aftermath: the we can take in hand, admire and cuddle!

From Sur to Muscat, Sunday, 4/04/2010

What lies ahead will be a really memorable day, through breathtaking landscapes are completely different from each other, from burning deserts of the Wahiba Sands, the lush oasis of Wadi Bani Khalid, to the amazing turtles at Ras Jinzo.
Proceeding in order: a brief stop at the village of Birkat al-Mauz, where behind the modern town are the ruins of a village of mud houses, in a spectacular location. Proceed until you see in the distance the first dunes of the desert, around the state: on the one side are lost in the golden dunes, the mountains seem to lick the other while vast sandy valleys. We leave the main road and continue along a sandy track in the desert, the dunes become higher and higher and reddish: this is an extraordinary place, desolate but fascinating, our car looks like a dot in the universe.
Around noon we take the detour to the Wadi Bani Khalid, one of the most beautiful wadis in the country: the last stretch of road is being paved and proceed safely to the parking lot. The wadi is very simple: leave your car in 5 minutes you reach the first big pool of water, transparent and surrounded by palm trees. This is the starting of the bridges that cross the river: on the one hand there is a snack bar, while across the path continues along the wadi, achieving fantastic natural swimming pools among the rocks, with emerald green water where you can go for a swim and diving.
Drive to Sur and Ras Al Hadd reach the hotel (€ 88 Triple room directly with the hotel), not far from Turtle Beach. After an excellent dinner in the hotel restaurant, we reach the Visitor Center in Ras al Jinzo, a nature reserve in which they come about
35 000 turtles a year to lay their eggs. We booked one month in advance directly from Italy, a guided tour of 21 hours, since access is limited to 100-120 people divided into small groups (I met some people who, not having booked in advance, were able to visit the beach). We live this unique experience, enjoying huge sea turtles that come out, lay their eggs, dig huge holes before returning to the sea. We can also see the tiny newborn turtles, with considerable effort that can reach the sea. Tonight we are lucky, although not the ideal time, we can see in about an hour all these phases. The only drawback, you can not just take pictures, obviously many tourists have exaggerated with the flash is strictly prohibited.
We thought of losing half the night, but at 23.30 we are already back at the hotel. Extraordinary surprise at the reception we are told that a group of newly hatched turtles have broadcaster direction, and instead of following the road to the sea have pointed straight to the hotel: there are now, in front of us, in a bucket waiting to be flow into the sea in the aftermath: the we can take in hand, admire and cuddle!

Muscat, Monday, 5/04/2010

Muscat is a city for a bit 'strange, but has no real center is divided into many neighborhoods, some, like Mutrah, very far from the typical look of a metropolis. A Mutrah visit the fish market, where vendors are practically sitting in the middle of the day's catch: buyers haggle on the price, some loaded directly onto trucks while others go to specialized schools that carry out cleaning the innards. Exiting the market you can walk on the promenade with benches covered with golden domes, which offers a splendid view of the city, with buildings and mosques that stand out over the gulf. Beautiful and engaging Mutrah the souk, one of the most authentic in the world can turn freely without being bothered, but only sometimes asked by vendors, with extreme politeness, to browse through their displays. It goes from sweet-smelling spices to traditional silver daggers, silk and traditional costumes from the Omani souk gold. Tourists are few, most people are men and Arab women, with their traditional clothes. Everyone he meets, men of course, looks at you curiously and at least smile, exchange a friendly greeting or a joke. However it is more than a souk to be admired, since the prices are not very profitable.
We continue the drive to the beaches of the south until you reach the Bay of Oman Dive Center: you pay an entrance (3 euro), the bay is really beautiful but bitter surprise. ... We are a group of Italians, coming from Costa Cruises today just passing through! What bad luck ....
Anyway your apartment in the stretch of beach reserved for the hotel: the water is slightly muddy shore as it is very low, but a long walkway leading to the sea, where the water takes a good transparency, surrounded by beautiful rocky mountains plunge into the sea, forming delightful coves to swim.

Muscat – Al Sawadi, martedì, 6/04/2010

Lasciamo per qualche giorno Muscat, ci torneremo l’ultimo giorno, e proseguiamo verso nord in direzione Al Sawadi, dove abbiamo prenotato un resort per 2 notti, con l’intento di raggiungere le isole Daymanyat. Strada facendo facciamo tappa alla straordinaria Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, una meraviglia del medio oriente e una delle poche visitabili dai turisti. La moschea sembra sospesa sul marmo bianco all'esterno, con i 5 minareti che simboleggiano la preghiera quotidiana. Gli interni lasciano senza fiato, e ospitano tra l'altro il tappeto più grande del mondo, del peso di 21 tonnellate, ed un lampadario in cristallo Swarovski con oltre 1000 lampadine.
Nel pomeriggio raggiungiamo l’Al Sawadi Beach Resort, piuttosto caro (€ 178 la tripla, in mezza pensione), dove trascorriamo un bel pomeriggio di relax tra spiaggia e piscina.

Daymanyat islands, Wednesday, 7/04/2010

And now. The unspoiled paradise, unknown and unexplored are sweaty, not so much physical effort, but rather to find ways to reach them.
The Daymaniats are jewels set in the Arabian Sea, formed by a group of nine islands, turned into a protected marine reserve, to which access is restricted by special permission.
And if the web is not much information can be found on these islands, there must be some reason.
Getting there is not easy, but more importantly, before you get there you do not know what will, since there is no story from someone that there was, if not for diving off the coast.
Even the Lonely Planet guide speaks in Oman ...
In reality, a website dedicated to the islands there, but rather examine the richness of its waters and the best diving points. But the islands offer Daymaniats breathtaking white beaches, lapped by the amazing colors, but unfortunately, or fortunately, the coasts are not exploited for tourism.
Unfortunately, because to get there you must devise some stratagem, fortunately because, once there, you will be the undisputed masters of the island and its beach, which up to share with you some turtle moves (but lasted the day is quite rare) and with the myriad of tropical fish that will accompany you during unforgettable swims.
The only way I found to get there was to contact the dive of Al Sawadi Beach Resort, the only area that is allowed to reach the islands. The diving, the German management, it has two boats departing daily to achieve the best diving points, while also offering the chance to snorkel off. But for you to leave directly on a beach, you should specifically ask for, well in advance, and hope for a positive response. Forget about bargain excursion on the spot for diving has limited seating and is constantly full. From what I understand, in Oman there are only two other diving centers are located in Muscat.
After a series of emails, I managed to wrest a positive consent from the head of a diving program in broad terms that included a stop at an island, and then negotiate, on the morning of the excursion directly with the instructor, a first shallow snorkeling off on the rest of the group was diving, then you can reach one of its beaches and make me come back after a couple of hours (with the only question, they'll remember to go to recover?). Only problem, the boat can not dock on the island, so the sweat and pristine beach is reached by swimming from the boat directly: thus, no backpack, towel and camera, only mask and fins.
The beach is indescribable: the long shoreline is made up of a myriad of tiny white shells and corals, the water seems still and turquoise colors and shows a remarkable clarity, while a few meters from the shore turns into a beautiful aquarium, with live coral and a variety of tropical fish, moray eels, lobsters, angelfish, clown, but also lots of parrot fish swam surgeon at your side. I honestly thought to be able to see some larger species, evidently I was unlucky, because the chances of meeting the huge green turtles are very high and not too hard to even see some reef sharks about 15 feet deep.

The few hours to spend between swims memorable and relaxing on the beach, beyond the water's edge turns into white sand. No plant shade and no points on the beach is only a sign indicating that we are in a protected national park, not to leave anything on the island, that our site is strictly prohibited and not to disturb the green turtles. In fact, walking on the island, I came across some mounds of sand, apparently placed by the Coast Guard to highlight the points where the turtles have laid eggs.
I thought that an alternative to the islands was to negotiate with some fisherman who is on the beach of the resort, but speaking with one of them told me that do not have permission to stop at the islands Daymaniats, but the only service that can do is Sawadi transportation to the islands in front of the resort, nothing special. Do not rule out that this thing will change in the near future or you can find someone to take you anyway.

To organize the trip, contact diving center: alsawadi (et) extradivers.info
and explained in detail what you want to do, as the program (if there is room) where only two points in the dive snorkeling off the coast of some island.
To reach the first island it takes around 45 minutes, the cost is 18 RO (about 35 euro), we start around 9 o'clock and then back to 14.30. You can rent equipment directly to the diving.
From what I understand, not even the diving has the opportunity to land on the main island.

Nakhal, Wani Bani AWF, Thursday, 8/04/2010

Let Al Sawadi Nakhal direction where we visit the Fort, located in the most spectacular in the country: s went up on the terrace can admire a breathtaking landscape: the palm trees seem to never end and come close to the majestic Hajar mountains, just fabulous. Go ahead and take the detour to the Wadi Bani Awf, a stretch of dirt road impassable, with slopes from chills, that winds up in one of the wildest areas of Oman, including small fords, breathtaking canyons, terraced villages that have defied nature, landscapes and spectacular views. Proceed with care, but the path is extremely funny, but with the constant concern not to drill and pay attention to the lines very exposed.
We return to Muscat where we remodeled the Beach Hotel, where he contracted a late check-out night for the next day, we saw that the overnight flight.

Muscat, Friday, 9/04/2010

Last day in Oman but we want to fully exploit: Mutrah back to where we make a new trip to the souk, but since Friday, most shops are closed. We walk along the coastline that connects with Mutrah Muscat, with the strong and the huge incense on top of a hill. Muscat is literally surrounded by rugged mountains curatiissimo admire the outside of the Sultan's Palace, whose facade is reminiscent of a mushroom color, but also castles and palaces surrounded by beautiful flower beds. The guard on duty greets us amicably, oddly enough. We continue along the coast until you arrive at Al Bustan Palace, one of the most luxurious hotels in the Middle East. You can have free access to the impressive lobby, looks like a cross between a palace and a mosque, amazing.
Finally we reach the Bay Qantab, a beautiful crescent shaped beach nestled between the mountains. Since Friday, at the beach there are some families and kids who enjoy the holidays and once again we have the testimony of people dell'amichevolezza Oman: a ball in the water was enough to draw every person passing on our side goes here , go there, soon we found ourselves surrounded by about twenty people who wanted to play with us, intrigued and amused. Back at the hotel and after dinner we reach the airport, where we expect the overnight flight home.
That concludes our exciting and successful experience in this fascinating country that is slowly discovering its huge tourism potential, and that maybe we had the good fortune to meet before they can finally open up to mass tourism.