The most beautiful coast the world is about to discover
More than 1,000km south of Muscat and several hours away from Salalah lies what could easily qualify as one of the most beautiful and intriguing coastlines in the world. So forget Goa, Club Med
and Palau. This July, head deep south to Dhofar, where a
combination of north African influences, south Asian monsoon winds and isolated Arabian fishing settlements offers a destination like no other.
Far away from the khareef, which will draw tourists from Saudi Arabia to Sweden and in-between, far away from Salalah, with its raw inner-city streets and splash of outer highways, lies the most gigantic desert beach you have seen in your life. Kilometres of
uninhabited coast give way to acres of desert sand dunes, which in turn are held together in a massive arc of rock that builds itself into a lone mountain overlooking beach and sea.
You’ve got to come here to believe it. We aren’t getting carried away. Just look at our photographs, and see for yourself. Dhofar is one of those places that manages to take your breath away even after all the over-hype and clichés of tourism marketing. You just have to go beyond the monsoon and discover the rest of the south.
Hadbin might be an unmemorable little fishing village, but the beach that lies a few kilometres of mountain west of it is a revelation. It also marks the beginning of the best part of the coast road that heads east from Salalah. Immediately out of the city, the tarmac keeps inland for some time, although the sea is never very far away. You’ll be kept busy looking at greenery, camels and cows crossing the road, and the protected inlet of Khor Rouri on your right. You will hit the coast at Taqah, with its sweeping, deserted corniche, a bit of old fortification and, best of all, cliffs that rise up where the beach ends. Drive along the ruts till you get to the plateau and you will be hit in the face by a warm sea wind and, occasionally, fog that rolls in from the ocean crashing on rocks beneath you.
If you’re in luck, you might share the muggy tableland with a group of Ukrainians, camping out of shipping containers and garden furniture, sweating under a giant receiver aimed at the grey, hazy sky. When we got there they were killing time around a plastic table weighed down with two-litre cola bottles and disposable glasses, with their receiver sharing space with passing camels, pointing towards the German TerraSAR-X satellite it was tracking. “The most interesting part of this,” said one, translating between us and the rest who only spoke Ukrainian, “is when the satellite detaches from the launch vehicle.” That rocket would launch successfully on June 15 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. And for some reason, the cliffs above Taqah remain the best place to keep an eye on the satellite; the Russian launch provider ISC Kosmotras has sent its receivers there on and off since 2001.
Further on, past the cliffs and satellite signal receivers, lies Mirbat, which you must drive through. Admire its architecture – especially that of the old tomb of Bin Ali, who is known by various names – and its waterfront of sand, tangle of weeds and old
buildings crumbling down into the water. You will leave it and head through low-lying hills that will let up much later when you hit
the jackpot west of Hadbin. You’ll now have a series of huge, uninhabited beaches of clean sand and achingly blue water to stop
at: just take your pick and choose one that doesn’t have too many camels on it.
Ours, just before Hadbin, stretched as far as the eye could see, starting at the curve of the road and disappearing across kilometres of sand, seemingly ending at a little mountain at the end. We had planned to walk the entire stretch, but now, with the afternoon sun beating down on us under a sky still clear before the khareef, it
didn’t seem such a good idea, especially since we could see till the horizon. All we had for company were crabs scuttling under the sun over deserted shores, waves crashing on rock and the bleached skeleton of a fish on a boulder.
If you like shells, this beach is a bonanza – virgin territory where you can take your pick. Among the most iridescent are the abalone shells, brilliant nacre on the insides, picked from the bottom of these seas in the winter. There are unconfirmed reports of local women abalone divers in the area, especially around Hadbin, and we will follow this up when the season starts as it begins to get cooler. Dhofar’s extensive coastline is expected to churn out more than 40 tonnes of abalone, and at an expected RO75 per kilo, it is enough to keep a lot of divers happy till the next season, generally around November and December.
Further west, as you near the end of the southern-facing coast, the rock rises up closer to the sea, arcing repeatedly around little bays, some of which hold miniature beaches. For most of the way beyond, though, you’re treated to strong winds and a devastatingly rough sea that crashes against rocky outcrops. It might not be
the best place to be in the water, but you’ve certainly got the
best views.
At the end of that roller-coaster ride is Hasik, a little fishing
village that is now being developed for future prospects, with an entire new district of unfinished houses completely out of place in an otherwise unspoilt landscape. Things will change here very fast, but for now you can still potter down its dirt track of a main street to the square. It is here that you can sit down at the restaurant-cum-café, sip tea, wait for your rice (cooked with chopped vegetables in ghee) and choice of chicken and mutton curries, and follow a game of football played 20 feet from your table.
The land opens up around Hasik, and even the rock of the mountains has changed. It is still wild, just softer, with a texture as if it had been created after years of sandpapering. The road continues on a few kilometres, ending where the mountains open up to the sea, where you can stare into the gaping mouth of the wadi entrance to the Jebel Samhan nature reserve.
Getting to the desert beach
Accommodation
For furnished flats and rooms to rent in Hadbin, call 99331381
Kilometre reading
Zero your odometer at the Salalah airport roundabout, and head west towards Taqah, Mirbat and, eventually, Hasik
3.5km Turn right to Taqah, Mirbat 4.2km Turn left at A’Robat roundabout 13km Turn right to Taqah 30.5km Taqah. Continue straight to Mirbat 38km Khor Rouri on your right. Continue straight 69km Shell petrol station at Mirbat. The turn-off towards Hasik from here can be confusing. Ask for directions, or just head along the coast to your left 133km Sadh T-junction. Turn left towards Hadbin 145km Desert beach before Hadbin – your destination 159km Hadbin, on your left 164km The most photographed rock outcrop in Dhofar, sticking below you on the sea 199km Hasik, to your right 206km End of road, at Jebel Samhan nature reserve
GPS, UTM
Desert beach
before Hadbin
40 Q 0303088, 1895374
Hadbin
40 Q 0310471, 1902314
Most photogenic rock
after Hadbin
40 Q 0313071, 1904309
Hasik
40 Q 0315363, 1913813
End of road, at Jebel Samhan nature reserve
40 Q 0311950, 1934275
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