We are on our way to Salalah, our dream destination in the south of Oman. About 260 km south of Al-Hashman lies the Wadi Dawkah. The many frankincense trees in the wadi are still well preserved and are even being cultivated again today. It has now even been “promoted” to a park with UNESCO World Heritage protection. This interests us and we take a walk through the park.

Wadi Dawkah

Frankincense, consecrated smoke, sacred incense. Frankincense is a gum resin that is harvested from various species of the Boswellia tree (balsam tree). Frankincense is not only used for cultic purposes, but also for medicinal purposes.
The Boswellia trees grow to a height of 4 to 5 meters, have a dense, gnarled trunk and branches and shed their leaves in dry weather. As Wadi Dawkah is only about 50 km from Salalah, we once again see tourists here. But the area is not overcrowded and we can take our time to look at the small trees.

Ain Ayuoon

Our next point of interest is the Wadi Ayuoon, which lies in the Dhofar Mountains and drains northwards into the desert. Unfortunately, we can’t find a way into the wadi, otherwise we would have liked to go there. But as it is, we can only see it from a vantage point. We recognize several pools of water. We hear water splashing and conclude that there must be a spring somewhere that causes water to run here all year round.

Dhofar Mountains

Today we drive over Jebel Qara to Salalah. The Dhofar mountain range consists of three mountain ranges, Jebel Qamar in the west towards Yemen, Jebel Qara in the center near Salalah and Jebel Samhan to the east, all of which were formed from limestone. Jebel al Qamar, Jebel al Qara and Jebel Samhan together form an extensive plateau.

The drive on a good secondary road winds around hills and past gorges. After Salalah, the road drops steeply down to the plain on which Salalah lies on the Indian Ocean. On the mountain we keep seeing frankincense trees in the landscape. Finally, the road drops steeply down to Salalah and soon we are at the Indian Ocean.

Coconut Beach

When we arrive in Salalah, we stand on Coconut Beach and are delighted that we have finally reached one of our dream destinations. We have to admit that we really like it in Oman. The people are friendly, helpful and relaxed, but not intrusive.