Oman Roadtrip July 2023

[Gary F]

Beautiful @Frederic , looks like a an amazing trip. Got me thinking..

[Frederic]

1 hour ago, Bravoecho said:

Looks like a great trip and I’m sure the Patrol did it with ease @Frederic

It is, and the Patrol shines in this kind of trips. 

[M.Seidam]

Dear Frederic @Frederic 

Thank you very much for sharing this detailed long round trip in Oman . The chronological display along with these stunning pictures is just outstanding . 
 

been to Oman 🇴🇲 several times at least once or twice a year but never beyond muscat for family ( bro in law visits ) , but after seeing your post you made me to brain storm a visit longer and further . 
 

regarding the cars on bank loan , I remember our Honda in 2012 trip was still on bank and wasn’t asked at the boarders for bank permission or something related .

This country is definitely huge and full of beautiful areas to explore which is worthy spending the time to plan and execute with family 

cheers and regards 👍🙏

 

[Frederic]

 

Trip Update:

Date: 26 July 2023

Country: Oman

Region: Dhofar - Salalah to Duqm

As we were not keen on taking the same road as to where we came from, we decided to take the coastal route which is longer but far more scenic. 

We left around 11am in Salalah today and arrived around 7pm in Duqm. A coastal city where a lot of economic development is currently ongoing, mostly related to oil and gas. 
 

The road from Salalah to Duqm is absolutely amazing as it alternates between mountains and driving next to the beach itself. There’s so many pristine beaches and hardly any development as of now. Due to the Khareef it was very windy and the weather was extremely pleasant. 
 

Some highlights:

Sadah Beach: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vbH26P7ZNPuwTXWB8?g_st=ic

 

Wadi Al Nakheel: https://maps.app.goo.gl/g5ejCFrPvn2225TR8?g_st=ic

Manji Beach: https://maps.app.goo.gl/31Cush9EynNLJVbf6?g_st=ic

 

Out of the mountains and into the sea: 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/bJBTsViDpbbeuTWG7?g_st=ic

Photo from Google:

 

Along the way: 

 

[Gaurav]

16 hours ago, Frederic said:

As we were not keen on taking the same road as to where we came from, we decided to take the coastal route which is longer but far more scenic. 

This is exactly, what I am going to do (learning from you buddy) to enjoy different scenic landscapes both ways.

[Ale Vallecchi]

Great adventurous trip @Frederic. Well done. Hope to follow in your footstep soon. Waiting for the rain to stop and for the sun not to be too hot 😁

[Frederic]

Trip Update:

Date: 27 July 2023

Country: Oman

Region: Duqm to Sur

On the road to Sur, we had 2 well-known points we wanted to visit:

• Sugar Dunes
• Bar Al Hikmann beach

Sugar Dunes: https://goo.gl/maps/HMHEsg6KQdzoXN6s6

They can be reached by entering from here: https://goo.gl/maps/wLVe8rvExhFAxUr88

It's about 25mins on a regular gatch track, even in 2WD and inflated it was fine to do, as this is the road to the Duqm Salt Factory nearby. The catch track continues to run parallel to the beach at about 20m from the actual shore.

The sugar dunes are called because they are actually white as snow, and the contrast with the blue sky and ocean was stunning !

Nice Google Photos:

We didn't feel like going back on the same track where we came from so we kept following that same track which goes towards Al Khaluf and here it became tricky as at one point we had to deflate to 15psi, engage 4x4, and drive on the beach itself (mostly over litter that washed ashore). It was compact and no issue, but when you are alone it is a bit nerve wrecking and I was glad to be back on the regular gatch track later on. (gpx track attached). 

However beautiful the sugar dunes are, the moment you get closer to Al Khaluf you will see tons of litter / plastic that washed ashore. It's a shocking realization that somehow all of us are partially responsible for this and I hope in the future we can see this reducing by all doing our best. 

Barr Al Hikman: https://goo.gl/maps/q1UdTzMTWEiLSuML7

Entry from here: https://goo.gl/maps/KF2hEPiD4JRReJJYA

In 2021 I read this article: 

https://www.thenationalnews.com/gulf-news/oman/2021/10/29/a-delightful-adventure-why-retired-omanis-are-heading-to-barr-al-hikman-beach/

it immediately made me put Bar Al Hikman on my Oman wishlist, but as soon as I started doing some research I read countless contradicting stories going from "totally fine with any SUV", to "extremely difficult due to salt-flats and sinking risks !! take multiple vehicles !!!"

Evidently I wasn't planning on taking risks being one car only so it was on my mind for the last couple of days and after doing a lot zoom-zoom on Gaia to try to find existing tracks, I noticed a few tracks running parallel to each other, and ending up at the beach. The distance is about 40km but a big chunk of it is on salt flats which can be extremely deceiving to navigate. I drafted one track in Gaia and wanted to decide once we reached the entry point that day.

The moment we reached the entry point next to the road, I was like "this looks totally fine, as it contained lots of gravel and bushes, and felt very hard. We discussed amongst ourselves and agreed to go in on moderate speed with 4x4 engaged and to keep an eye in the rear-view mirror to see if the car actually sinks in. If it did we would immediately retreat without second try. 

We started heading in cautiously and the first 10-15 mins were extremely easy. I followed my planned route religiously and there was indeed a nice hard gatch track on that salt flat, which looked like this was the regular route for the ones who come here often. 

After about 20 km, the terrain opened up and all around us we could see only endless sabkha, and to our biggest shock we track we drove on remained perfectly compact, but just on the left or right of the track you could see tracks of cars that immediately sunk in and retreated back to the compact part. This meant we had no other option than to continue on that compacted sand and not stray away from it at whatever cost. It became drop-dead silent in the car and kept going at 50-60 km/h and Alhamdullilah that track was a blessed one as it took us straight to the beach where we only saw one other visitor. 

 

I have attached the GPX file here but take note of the following:

- I would NOT recommend doing this alone. I was experienced but all this means nothing if you sink into sabkha mud. It would have been a serious stuck and only on our way back 1,5hrs later we noticed some cars entering that could have potentially offered us help. 

- Even if you enter with a couple of 4x4s, following the track STRICTLY and do not deviate from it. If you see someone else stuck who has deviated from the track, the only option would be to join several ropes together and give a pull from the hard track, as you really do not want to venture into the mud yourselves. 

Luckily the end destination was worth it: a beautiful beach but unfortunately again a lot of litter and plastic that washed ashore. My son took a quick dip and soon we made our way back on the same track, this time we sped up to 80-90kmh without issue as we knew the track was fine.

I now understood the big contrast in comments about driving to Barr Al Hikman. If you are not comfortable and experienced to follow your GPS compass heading exactly, you are in big trouble as sometimes that hard patch became difficult to see and we had to rely on the gps solely. Secondly even experienced off-roaders have been caught off guard as the salt flats shift and move as per the season, tide, and overall temperatures, so what was fine and compact today could be slushy mud the next day. We walked out of there unscathed but with sweaty palms and the acknowledgement we should always respect nature and abide by its rules.

We booked a small cosy bungalow in the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve area (SAMA Ras Al Jinz) which was extremely quiet, dark, and they offered delicious dinner and breakfast. Would be a great spot for stargazing !

We drove back to Dubai today, and this closes our trip.

I am honestly already planning so many things for the next time we head to Oman. We have completely fallen in love with this gem of a country, its people, and the adventures it has to offer. For anyone who likes a road trip, sunny desolate pristine beaches, majestic and sometimes lush green mountains, super nice hiking/swimming in wadis, fantastic scenic dunes, and so much more, I would say GO NOW before this country becomes too well known. 

bar-al-hikman-track.gpx sugar-dunes.gpx

[Gaurav]

Many thanks @Frederic and @Vanessa8580 to put all this detailed trip report of your amazingly planned holiday to the last minute with tracks, coordinates and pictures. Real treasure buddy.

This will def help and inspire many others for repeating this in your footstep. I hope I will be among one of them as soon as possible.

[Nathan]

Thanks @Frederic for your kind support on some of the drives here…indeed I can verify it is a beautiful area in Salalah. Your write up has come in very useful, thank you for sharing! 

[Nathan]

Fred, as you know I just followed your journey this weekend and I can’t thank you enough for your support in directions! Just in case anyone doesn’t want to drive from Oman, a rental Suzuki Vitara is very capable of most of these trails! Thanks again @Frederic, this was a hugely inspiring post. For anyone else following Fred’s journey in future, I highly recommend reading this thread in detail…the level of planning contained is incredibly useful. 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Nathan