From Sawqirah to Al Kabbah, our route mostly follows the Indian Ocean. Again and again beautiful and quiet beaches tempt us to stay and enjoy. The route is almost 700 km long and we drive it in small stages. As a rule, we only drive in the morning and from lunch we stay on one of the beaches until the next morning.
“Beach promenade”
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Lakbi Harbour
The many fishing harbors, such as Lakbi Harbour, just north of Sawqirah, are noticeable along the entire coastline. At night, we see the many lights of the fishermen on the sea. Fishing is also an important source of income and export for Oman.
Kabilstrand and pink lagoons
Another beach that stretches for kilometers. The pink lagoons, where flamingos are said to frolic, are also located here. The lagoons are still there, but there are no flamingos to be seen. No wonder, as a new tarred road leads directly to the lagoons.
Wadi Dharif & Al Bahadur Beach
A shallow wadi “flows” through the desert to the ocean. Here, the Wadi Dharif forms several lagoons that are filled with water. Many water birds feel at home here. Especially huge numbers of cormorants, which fly in formation along the beach at sunset. Apart from a fisherman who passes by twice a day, there is no one else here. We are alone and enjoy it here too.
Ras Madrakah
Another beautiful beach is located near the fishing village of Ras Madrakah. The beach is very clean and quiet – at least on weekdays.
Ad Duqm
A city of millions is being built here. In the tourist area there is a beautiful, clean beach and even a campsite with water and electricity. But we are standing on the beach. I repair our stairs and Vreni does the laundry. 4 machines of bed linen and 2 machines of clothes. Our 4 kg washing machine has been providing valuable service for over six years now. Without a washing machine, our travel life would be much more complicated.
Nafoon beach
A secluded sandy beach several kilometers long with powdery, grey sand. How beautiful – if the beach wasn’t completely littered. That is such a shame. But the mentality here is as follows: The family holds a pick-nick on the beach. Afterwards, all the garbage is tied up in a plastic bag and the plastic bag is placed on the ground next to the car and driven away without any garbage. Unfortunately, there is no one here to clear away the “carefully” deposited waste. Honestly, that’s a mentality we can’t understand. It somehow clashes with our pride in our own country.
Al Khalouf
Al Khalouf also has a white sandy beach. This leads to the “sugar dunes”, which we did not visit. The fishing port looks improvised. The larger fishing boats are anchored off the coast. But even here the atmosphere is tranquil. Nothing of the hustle and bustle or anything like that.
Jaalan Bani Bu Ali
Quhaid Mosque. Nomads live in their “modern” dwellings in Jaalan Bani Bu Ali. This is where the tour through the Wahiba Sands desert begins. As we only want to drive in company, we wait to see if another vehicle comes along that also wants to drive through the desert.
We don’t meet anyone who wants to drive through the sand with us. But we do meet Dirk & Silke from southern Germany, who know our vehicle from our website. Unfortunately, they want to go south and not north.
As the weather changes and a lot of sand is stirred up, we end up driving further north instead of through the desert.
Al Ashkhirah
And again a long sandy beach – and what we consider a “romantic” fishing village, which we drive through on narrow lanes.
Al Khabbah beach
Our last beach on this section of the route, Khabbah Beach, is magnificent. A walk along the beach here is a must. The waves always leave behind exciting structures.
