All About Wahiba Sands in Oman | ExpatWoman.com
 

All About Wahiba Sands in Oman

The great Wahiba sands are longitudinal dunes 200 kms long and 100 kms wide running south from the Eastern Hajars to Arabian Sea.

Posted on

18 July 2013

Last updated on 10 September 2017
All About Wahiba Sands in Oman

On the drive towards Wahiba Sands, be sure to enjoy the enchanting sights. Just as you leave Muscat, look out for the white beaches and cave overhangs. Try and spot the collapsed cave that has made a sinkhole. On the coast, Ras Al Junayz is a bay where tourists can stop and watch the turtles nesting. The nesting season is around Autumn time, however at this particular bay one can see turtles year round. Wahiba Sands is 190 kilometres from Muscta and takes around 2 hours to get there. It can be accessed by saloon cars and 4-wheel drives which can be hired from Car rental agencies. You can reach the Wahiba Sands by saloon car but to drive into the sands requires a 4-wheel drive.

SEE ALSO: Guide to scuba diving in Oman

The great Wahiba sands are longitudinal dunes 200 kilometers long and 100 kilometers wide running south from the Eastern Hajars to the Arabian Sea. The dunes are 100-150 meters high in shades of colour from orange to hues of amber. In the south is a vast expanse of flat sand dotted with treacherous salt flats, it is also home to a populous of migrating birds. There is also quite a considerable variation of animal and plant life despite the arid desert’s harsh climate.


Bedouin Camp
Photo: holidaysbox.com

The desert is also home to some 3,000 Bedouins, some of whom you may meet if you travel through the sands. Bedouin camps can be found along the tracks and trails in this isolated desert. Travellers can spend the night in one of these camps, they can experience an unpolluted sunset and watch the stars in the night sky.

In sporadic areas, one can find stands of single-species woodlands. Where the sands meet the ocean, outcrops of aolianite (sand compressed into rock) can be found displaying unusual and attractive abstract shapes. Here the beaches mellow into soft shades of yellows and whites.

SEE ALSO: Guide to turtle watching in Oman

To the west of the Wahiba are the small towns of Rawdah, Samad Ash Shan, Al Akdar and Lizq. Rawdah and Samad Ash Shan contain ruins and reconstructions of old forts while Al Akdar is the home of Omani pit weavers who design elegant textiles from their looms dug into the ground.

At Lizq can be found remains of structures that date back to Bronze Age. South of Lizq are the prosperous towns of Al Mudaybi and Sinaw where you can find almost every day the bustling Bedouin souq at the centre of town.