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TO AND AROUND DHOFAR
ROADMAP for AUGUST
“Even the names of the settlements seem strange,
like words out of some fantastic tale"
More than 1,000km separate Muscat from Salalah. If you choose to drive instead of fly, you will have to keep awake for what would perhaps take you 12 hours. Some have done it in less but be prepared for a long haul, and take frequent breaks.
Remember that you have a massive stretch of desert to cross, 723km between Adam and Thumrayt. Don’t ever miss a fuel stop, and pay attention to the signs that will tell you how far away the next one is. Remember to carry enough water to survive a flat tyre or breakdown. Most of the road is single carriageway, which means you only have a painted line between you and oncoming traffic. Parts of the highway southward are cracked and in need of repair, so slow down when you see the dark patches where the tarmac has broken off.
WESTERN COAST
Once you head west out of Salalah and past Mughsayl, everything changes. Right on top of the mountain you could be in another country, and this feeling is heightened by the couple of military checkpoints that you must pass through on top. Even the names of the settlements seem strange, like words out of some fantastic tale: Argutt Ashkarate, Mazahoob, Jeddert, Airdit, Shahab Asaib, Arift and, strangest but true, Furious. At the end of that road, about three hour’s drive out of Salalah, is Sarfayt, right on Oman’s border with Yemen. While this route offers you fantastic scenery, it can also get almost impassable during the khareef, with thick fog reducing visibility to a few feet. And it is so good looking – in clear weather – that every adventurous tourist heads down this road.
There are two other alternatives if you want to keep off the beaten track in Dhofar this monsoon: the eastern coast and the northern Dhofari desert. Look up our directions over the following pages. And if you aren’t feeling that adventurous, there’s always tried and tested Salalah and its backyard, green and wet.
EASTERN COAST
Accommodation
For furnished flats and rooms to rent in Hadbin, call 99331381
Kilometre readings
Zero your odometer at the Salalah airport roundabout, and head west towards Taqah, Mirbat and, eventually, Hasik
3.5km Turn right to Taqah and 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. You will need a pass to head into the sanctuary
NORTHERN DESERT
Kilometre readings
Zero your odometer at the Salalah airport roundabout, and head towards Thumrayt and Muscat
77.6km Thumrayt. Proceed straight through, towards Muscat
113km A’Saffa chicken plant turnoff. Proceed straight down the highway
118km Turn left, towards Shisr
160km Turn right for a diversion to the farms. You can have a look at the livestock here, or get help in an emergency
171.6km Rejoin road, turn right
181km Shisr/Ubar. Stop here to look at the archaeological dig and the museum shack. Proceed further on towards the wadi with our GPS readings
188km Turn right to al Khda (the road sign indicates it is 23km away)
189km Sand dunes on your right, peppered with many interest- ing stones
211.6km Mosque at al Khda. Abandoned buildings, tourist camp.
End of the road. Retrace your way back from where you came, towards Shisr
240.6 A lone petrol pump, with a workshop and a restaurant. Somewhere beyond the horizon is the Empty Quarter, stretching across countries
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