Issue26-Feb'13 - Copy

THE FIRST OUTDOOR MAGAZINE FOR THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
February 2013 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
LOCATIONS
Oman
escapes
Words + Photos: Darryl MacDonald
Since arriving in Oman, one
thing that has continually astonished
and surprised me is the sheer
number of easily accessible, quality
places available to explore. I’m
talking about truly amazing, beautiful
and seemingly remote locations.
I come from one of the largest
countries in the world. We have
some truly amazing places there
as well, but what’s the difference?
If it’s amazing and accessible, it’s
also teeming with people. If you
want beauty and remoteness in
Canada, you have to work for it. You
have to hike, climb, kayak or 4x4
for hours to escape the crowds.
Here in Oman, it’s a different story.
Within an hour of leaving my house
in Muscat I could: be hiking past
an ancient abandoned village in
the mountains with absolutely no
indications that you are near the
city; find a desert island and have it
completely to myself; or be sitting
on a mountain top with a view of
the coastline completely free from
towns, villages or any other signs of
human intervention.
Those are just a few examples of things in
close proximity to Muscat, so you can imagine
the potential if you’re willing to drive or
4x4 a short distance.
A few weeks ago, my wife and I were sitting
around on a Wednesday night (Thursday
and Friday is our weekend) wondering what
to do for the weekend after our previous
plans fell through. We thought, “Hey, let’s
go camping on a desert island!” The following
morning we enjoyed a little lie in before
packing up the camping gear and food. We
stopped for a leisurely lunch at the marina,
where we met up with our camping friends
before hopping in our boat and heading out
to sea.
First, we headed straight out from Marina
Bandar Al Rowdha about 10km off-shore
where the ocean floor plummets well beyond
1,000m deep. During the winter, this
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is a great place to see pods of female
sperm whales cruising along the surface
or, if you’re really lucky, you can spot
a lone male sperm whale, which is a
spectacularly mammoth creature and
a much rarer sight. Unfortunately, as it
turned out, luck wasn’t with us that day,
so no whales. But as we headed towards
our destination, a pod of bottlenose dolphins
appeared! Slowly cruising alongside
the dolphins, we were fortunate
to have a few of the more playful ones
launching in and out of the wake and
bow riding close enough touch. Then
after about 45 minutes, the dolphins
became bored with us and continued on
their way, so we did the same.
After arriving at our destination in
Bandar Khayran, we took our friends to
one of my favourite snorkelling spots for
a quick dip before setting up camp for
the night. This particular snorkelling site,
as it happens, is a shark nursery where it’s
possible to see baby black tip reef sharks
most of the year. Luckily, it was breeding
time. So as we hovered motionless in
the water, we saw up to 10 sharks, some
of which were nearly three metres long.
It was incredible to see these beautiful
creatures in such close proximity. They
were certainly aware of our presence,
but didn’t seem to mind as long as we
stayed where we were. Sadly, these types
of encounters have become shockingly
less frequent in recent years as Oman is
one of the major exporters of shark in
the Middle East.
As the sun dipped on the horizon, we
decided to head off to find our home for
the evening. Bandar Khayran is a series
of small islands and shallow inlets with
a number of coves and sandy beaches
fringed by mangrove forests. The mangroves
provide a nursery for many fish
and bird species throughout the year,
and the beaches are important nesting
grounds for hawksbill turtles during the
winter months. Most of the area is very
well protected from the rough seas, thus
providing smooth water all year round, making
it a popular place for camping and water sports.
But even on a weekend, we had no problem
finding an empty beach on our own little island
to set up camp. We watched the sunset, ate
supper and chatted the night away in front of
the fire. My wife insisted that we not bring the
tent and camp out on the deck of the boat
under the stars instead. This seemed like a great
idea, and it was, but I do admit to a little griping
and moaning on my part about leaving the
warm fire to put my cold, wet bathing suit back
on before completing the lengthy swim back
out to the boat for bed. However, the evening
stars as we drifted to sleep were the pay off and
worth the chilly swim. The following morning,
we had a leisurely breakfast and finished our trip
with a few hours of wakeboarding before heading
home. Not bad for a last minute trip.
Bandar Khayran can be accessed by both
road and water. There are several companies
who offer a variety of trips from evening
dinners on the beach to snorkelling, diving,
camping combinations. This area has been
designated as an environmental tourist
location. As with all the places we love to
use as our playground, leave it as you found
it for future visitors to enjoy. This means the
“leave no trace” policy, ensuring that you
pack away any garbage and don’t take any
souvenirs from Mother Nature. As we like to
say in Canada, get out there, have fun and
“keep your stick on the ice.”
Darryl MacDonald
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