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win, lose

a guide to a coast under construction

exploring YITTI, BANANA BEACH,
KHAYRAN, WADI ZEKT and SIFAH

“It could, if you close your eyes long enough,
almost be like old times�br>
The new road to Yitti, which puts it five minutes away from Bander Jissa, is the beginning of a new age for the coast to the immediate southeast of Muscat. Gone are the days when you need to clamber out of the innards of Hamriya, or walk towards the signature rocks of Yitti at low tide, or discover the secret, unmarked beaches along the road to Sifah.

Millions of rials worth of projects means you have to tread carefully, and follow this guide instead of gallivanting around, hopping from one bay to another. It’s a little more complicated, but there are still possibilities for October.

YITTI

The last drop

The Yitti seafront has been wiped clean of anything you would recognise from previous trips there, and what was once a no-brainer has turned into the toughest bit, practically requiring some insider’s knowledge to make a success out of it.

While the main corniche is a construction zone, you can still salvage some trip out of Yitti. Ignore the pickups and cranes and drive along the seafront, straight into the village, where the concrete peters out almost immediately. Turn left under the trees and follow a sandy track, keeping as close to the mountains on the right as possible, where the road is at its firmest. Don’t bother trying to drive over the soft sand closer to sea, it wouldn’t be worth getting stuck for the minute of driving ahead of you. Right at the end of the firm track, where the mountains reach down to the sea, is where you must stop. Chances are you will be alone, with a couple of kilometres worth of beach stretching between you and the construction. It could, if you close your eyes long enough, almost be like old times.

The village itself is not without charm. Just before the end of the concrete road is a remarkable house, one studded with seashells embedded into its outer walls, with whale vertebrae on the terrace and conches on the corners. Diagonally opposite, on the other side of the road, a pattern of clubs decorates what would have been just another faceless village house. But perhaps the most imposing structure is what was perhaps once a foodstuff shop, in a tiny stand-alone building all for itself, with the grandest arch over its closed shutter.

BANANA BEACH

Or Shatti Masgour

It was February 2005, and the coast seemed full of possibility. We turned off the road to Sifah onto an unmarked dirt track and discovered a beautiful, unspoiled bay of hard sand and turquoise water, ringed by multicoloured rock. It seemed too good to be true.
Banana Beach, as it became known, didn’t last long. Over the next few years, the dirt track became a paved road, and once-untouched waters hosted weekend picnickers. A sign banning dogs came up. But even that seems charming compared to the present situation: the beach, now featuring as Shatti Masgour on the new road sign, is off-limits, a construction site for a future resort.

KHAYRAN

The mountain above

Bander Khayran, with its massive bay and handful of fishing boats, doesn’t look like it will last long either, although as of now there is no sign of coming development. But while the waters have been done to death, a new dirt track up the mountain above it provides a thrilling little ride and the best views you can imagine.

To get there, drive left just after the bay and before the village, on the little road that curves between mangroves and hill. You will pass a massive football field on your left, and then come to a government building up ahead. The road will curve to the left, to another beach, but turn right instead, to the dirt track that makes its way up the hill on the right. It is very steep, and while not absolutely necessary it is best to get into low-range 4WD before starting up �and keeping in this gear mode till you get down. A couple of minutes later you will be at the top under the communication towers, with sea on one side and mountains on the other. You will also spy the deserted beach up ahead, inacessible by road and probably worth a couple of hours�trek. We’ll keep that for when it gets cooler.

WADI ZEKT

Dead end

You will find Wadi Zekt on your right just before the last curve to Sifah, when you descend a steep, curving section of the road. It lasts a little more than eight kilometres, but seems like a lifetime of driving deeper and deeper into the mountains never higher than in second gear. It just keeps going on, and we were convinced it lead somewhere, perhaps even to the sea. But Zekt doesn’t go anywhere, only ends at a plantation deep inside the folds of rock. There was no one there at the dead end, only the irrigated trees, a couple of donkeys and a fence.

SIFAH

Still alive

Although Sifah has been earmarked for a project that will transform this sleepy village and its unending beach that stretches into the horizon, it is, strangely, as untouched as of now as it has ever been. Now barely a half-hour’s drive from Muscat, it still, as always, represents your best bet if you need to get out of the city and enjoy the sea. Kilometres of beach ensure privacy, and mountains frame the picture. Once at Sifah, turn right at the T-junction, keeping on the road as it turns to dust. The left fork will lead to various exits to the beach, while the right will take you further, away from others, and you can always get to the sea further on. Drive till the very end, where a couple of houses mark the end of the track, park your car and walk along the coast and to the right. Beyond, far away from where anyone goes, is a little beach of pebbles.

BEYOND SIFAH

Taking it extreme

If the Yitti–Sifah stretch seems passé, a bit more effort �two day’s worth of it �will give you all the adventure and wilderness you could possibly ask for. Get someone to drop you off where the dirt road ends after Sifah, and start walking along the coast. There is no marked path to follow, although you will chance upon the occasional goat trail. All you have to do is follow the sea and you will eventually reach Quriyat. If you start from Sifah at dawn, walk till the evening, spend the night on a deserted beach and start again in the morning you should reach Quriyat by mid-morning the next day. You won’t come across anyone in between �the entire stretch has no road access �and you won’t have GSM coverage. It’s not a difficult hike at all, just long. Transport back to Muscat isn’t a problem: all you have to do is walk into the main market street of the coastal town, wait for a shared taxi to fill up and shell out a few rials. It’s that easy.