Oman Roadtrip July 2023

[Varun Mehndiratta]

On 7/23/2023 at 11:47 PM, Frederic said:

Some Photos Continued:

Wadi Darbat Bottom: Becoming more challenging here:

 

Wadi Darbat Hike and Wadi Trail: https://goo.gl/maps/MnAjvjHvznTCvrM79

Thumrait to Rakhyut Canyon Road: Unforgettable....

 

Fazayah Beach: https://goo.gl/maps/8EkfwGxVaM4XxAQm6

Ain Khor Waterfalls: 

Hi @Frederic finally after two weeks of scheduling/rescheduling/almost cancellation of this trip, planning to go for it next week. However have some time constraint and don’t want to fly to Salalah. Seek your advice on what to/can be covered in Salalah in 3 days based on below parameters. 

1. Not planning to be hiking much - with a 2YO, don’t think would be able to do much of hiking. Surely if something really nice within couple of Km of stretch would give it a go though. 

2. Planning to have our first stop at Duqm and then through coastal road to Salalah. As of now wasn’t thinking to stop over much on the way - mainly as believe will be hot. Anything you advice. Believe there are some areas with nice lagoons but not sure if doable in present weather. 
 

3. Planning to have more of 3 days of picnic at diff spots. Based on things you have shared in your post, it all looks fantastic and each place feel like something where one can just chill for whole day. Still if you have to pick 3 - what all would it be?

4. Any specific advice on what to must carry kind of things, other than ofcourse the usual stuff. Something (other than usual things) you felt would have been great if you had it or was great that you go it. 😀

Thanks again for sharing your experience. Despite some work engagements, your post is surely a big motivator for us to go ahead with the plan. 

Cheers 
 

 

[Frederic]

5 minutes ago, Varun Mehndiratta said:

Hi @Frederic finally after two weeks of scheduling/rescheduling/almost cancellation of this trip, planning to go for it next week. However have some time constraint and don’t want to fly to Salalah. Seek your advice on what to/can be covered in Salalah in 3 days based on below parameters. 

1. Not planning to be hiking much - with a 2YO, don’t think would be able to do much of hiking. Surely if something really nice within couple of Km of stretch would give it a go though. 

2. Planning to have our first stop at Duqm and then through coastal road to Salalah. As of now wasn’t thinking to stop over much on the way - mainly as believe will be hot. Anything you advice. Believe there are some areas with nice lagoons but not sure if doable in present weather. 
 

3. Planning to have more of 3 days of picnic at diff spots. Based on things you have shared in your post, it all looks fantastic and each place feel like something where one can just chill for whole day. Still if you have to pick 3 - what all would it be?

4. Any specific advice on what to must carry kind of things, other than ofcourse the usual stuff. Something (other than usual things) you felt would have been great if you had it or was great that you go it. 😀

Thanks again for sharing your experience. Despite some work engagements, your post is surely a big motivator for us to go ahead with the plan. 

Cheers 
 

 

Hey @Varun Mehndiratta

Dubai to Duqm in one go is doable but quite long (about 9hrs drive - 870km). In Duqm itself there is not much to see or do, only recently some hotels are starting to emerge. We stayed in the Season Inn hotel which was a small apartment which was decent for one night (30 OMR for two bedroom + kitchen is cheap).

You will be surprised with the rather pleasant weather on the coastal road. Due to the Khareef there are strong winds so it never really felt hot and the temperatures were around 32C which is not that bad.

If you take the coastal road from Duqm to Salalah you will come across the following:

Lakbi Beach: https://goo.gl/maps/XCN8Fnj4GC2mX1Fr6

Wadi Sinaq/Nakheel: https://goo.gl/maps/1rxpXQPGr4y3vgfV9

Hasik Beach: 

https://goo.gl/maps/tvWzoL9u9gdjcDQeA

https://goo.gl/maps/sJ4qdGjcDkGp5A438

https://goo.gl/maps/6UbxftJGQ5tchg45A

Sadah Beach:

https://goo.gl/maps/TAgVBaLW4fgmajY47

and a few more others along the way. This road is very calm and scenic. 

 

Once you reach Salalah, i could recommend the following:

-Taqah Beach, next to Souly Lodge: https://goo.gl/maps/a4ommwZNPu4shW1J8

( Souly lodge looks amazing to stay for a night). We were staying just a bit further at the new Rotana resort area where we rented a small villa.

-Small water park in Taqah: https://goo.gl/maps/Rj2cXr6BBiseuSbA9

-Once you head into the mountains, for example the road where you find Gravity hill, there might be lots of fog. When we were there, picnicking was not really an option as you could hardly drive around and see 10m in front of you. It might be better now...

Ain Athum and Ain Khor waterfalls are easy to visit, as a result i might be quite busy. 

Wadi Darbat easy 4x4 trail:

start here: https://goo.gl/maps/KeEJDYrvWNXXVKx28

park here: https://goo.gl/maps/MnAjvjHvznTCvrM79

This is a very nice place to picnic. 

 

Some things to take along:

* Mosquito repellent.... definitely needed as this is the season with all the stagnant water... guys are selling it at the waterfalls or just hop into the nearest pharmacy.

* keeway jackets, towels, whatever you can use to stay dry. The fog and regular rain make it a challenge sometimes to keep dry.

* Data roaming package or Oman Sim or E-Sim. I took an Etisalat roaming package so throughout the day and while driving i had data available which was very useful for Google Maps (looking for landmarks) and my Gaiagps. You can buy prepaid sim cards at the border (border officer asked me if i needed one), or in Odeloo/Omantel shops along the way in mid-sized cities.

 

Have fun and keep us posted !

[Looper]

A colleague in our office must do an Oman Run, so I convinced him to do an Oman Marathon instead. We will start this Sunday and just drive and be back in a couple of days. Much of it is going to be just driving. 

[Frederic]

42 minutes ago, Looper said:

A colleague in our office must do an Oman Run, so I convinced him to do an Oman Marathon instead. We will start this Sunday and just drive and be back in a couple of days. Much of it is going to be just driving. 

Coastal road will give you the most pleasure 

[Varun Mehndiratta]

On 8/4/2023 at 9:59 AM, Frederic said:

Hey @Varun Mehndiratta

Dubai to Duqm in one go is doable but quite long (about 9hrs drive - 870km). In Duqm itself there is not much to see or do, only recently some hotels are starting to emerge. We stayed in the Season Inn hotel which was a small apartment which was decent for one night (30 OMR for two bedroom + kitchen is cheap).

You will be surprised with the rather pleasant weather on the coastal road. Due to the Khareef there are strong winds so it never really felt hot and the temperatures were around 32C which is not that bad.

If you take the coastal road from Duqm to Salalah you will come across the following:

Lakbi Beach: https://goo.gl/maps/XCN8Fnj4GC2mX1Fr6

Wadi Sinaq/Nakheel: https://goo.gl/maps/1rxpXQPGr4y3vgfV9

Hasik Beach: 

https://goo.gl/maps/tvWzoL9u9gdjcDQeA

https://goo.gl/maps/sJ4qdGjcDkGp5A438

https://goo.gl/maps/6UbxftJGQ5tchg45A

Sadah Beach:

https://goo.gl/maps/TAgVBaLW4fgmajY47

and a few more others along the way. This road is very calm and scenic. 

 

Once you reach Salalah, i could recommend the following:

-Taqah Beach, next to Souly Lodge: https://goo.gl/maps/a4ommwZNPu4shW1J8

( Souly lodge looks amazing to stay for a night). We were staying just a bit further at the new Rotana resort area where we rented a small villa.

-Small water park in Taqah: https://goo.gl/maps/Rj2cXr6BBiseuSbA9

-Once you head into the mountains, for example the road where you find Gravity hill, there might be lots of fog. When we were there, picnicking was not really an option as you could hardly drive around and see 10m in front of you. It might be better now...

Ain Athum and Ain Khor waterfalls are easy to visit, as a result i might be quite busy. 

Wadi Darbat easy 4x4 trail:

start here: https://goo.gl/maps/KeEJDYrvWNXXVKx28

park here: https://goo.gl/maps/MnAjvjHvznTCvrM79

This is a very nice place to picnic. 

 

Some things to take along:

* Mosquito repellent.... definitely needed as this is the season with all the stagnant water... guys are selling it at the waterfalls or just hop into the nearest pharmacy.

* keeway jackets, towels, whatever you can use to stay dry. The fog and regular rain make it a challenge sometimes to keep dry.

* Data roaming package or Oman Sim or E-Sim. I took an Etisalat roaming package so throughout the day and while driving i had data available which was very useful for Google Maps (looking for landmarks) and my Gaiagps. You can buy prepaid sim cards at the border (border officer asked me if i needed one), or in Odeloo/Omantel shops along the way in mid-sized cities.

 

Have fun and keep us posted !

Thanks @Frederic this is really cool. 
 

Souly lodge does look smoking awesome - no availability through next week though. Will try if can get even one night, looks really nice.
This is very interesting element you have added - we were generally planning to stay in a Hotel not a resort - mainly for reason that with 3 days in Salalah, most of the time we will be out. Appreciate your thoughts on that. Am I overestimating the time we can spend at let’s say Ain Khor waterfalls and around. And around Wadi Darbat. Or is it more like a drive to the spot, a bit of hike and be back in couple of hours. 
 

I am planning to have roaming data on my UAE number. However read some reviews that through coastal road network isn’t the best - so better to have offline map? 
 

Thanks Freddie 👍👍👍

[Frederic]

3 hours ago, Varun Mehndiratta said:

Thanks @Frederic this is really cool. 
 

Souly lodge does look smoking awesome - no availability through next week though. Will try if can get even one night, looks really nice.
This is very interesting element you have added - we were generally planning to stay in a Hotel not a resort - mainly for reason that with 3 days in Salalah, most of the time we will be out. Appreciate your thoughts on that. Am I overestimating the time we can spend at let’s say Ain Khor waterfalls and around. And around Wadi Darbat. Or is it more like a drive to the spot, a bit of hike and be back in couple of hours. 
 

I am planning to have roaming data on my UAE number. However read some reviews that through coastal road network isn’t the best - so better to have offline map? 
 

Thanks Freddie 👍👍👍

I’ve had superb reception everywhere with Etisalat. 
 

Correct about the waterfalls. All are in short driving distance around Salalah, we visited several places in one day. Most places are around 20-40 mins from the city, you can spend 1-2 hrs at the waterfalls, explore a bit, and then head out to the next destination. Only at the main entrance of Wadi Darbat it was very busy with long queues hence we decided to find another route (the one I posted) which was a nice gentle 4x4 trail. 

[Varun Mehndiratta]

1 hour ago, Frederic said:

I’ve had superb reception everywhere with Etisalat. 
 

Correct about the waterfalls. All are in short driving distance around Salalah, we visited several places in one day. Most places are around 20-40 mins from the city, you can spend 1-2 hrs at the waterfalls, explore a bit, and then head out to the next destination. Only at the main entrance of Wadi Darbat it was very busy with long queues hence we decided to find another route (the one I posted) which was a nice gentle 4x4 trail. 

Thanks Fred 🙏🙏🙏

[Zubail]

Amazing!!!
Is anyone planning this year?))