We leave Salalah and the surrounding area with a little melancholy. We felt very comfortable here and the climate was perfect for us. On the other hand, we are also looking forward to what is yet to come. To the many beautiful beaches, the sound of the sea in our ears every evening, the highly praised wadis and much more. The term “wadi” means a “dry river valley”, which only carries water during the rainy season. However, in many wadis, water also runs in isolated places during the dry season, which makes these desert regions habitable.

Taqa Fort

The Taqa Fort, in the middle of the village of Taqa, is around 250 years old and served as the residence of the “Wali”. At that time, the wali was the representative of the king or another authority and could also be referred to as the governor.
The fort was last restored before 2011 and has been open to the public ever since.

Khor Rori

The ruins of “Khor Rori” are located not far from Taqa Fort. Founded around 400 to 500 BC and abandoned around 500 AD, Khor Ruri and its port were an important stop on the shipping route to India. Like the port in Salalah, it was also used to ship incense all over the world. Khor Ruri is part of the Unesco World Heritage Incense Park.
As the ruins are not very large, the visit does not take very long. The view of the lagoon formed by the flow of the Wadi Darbat into the ocean is fantastic and we can easily imagine the harbor of the time.

Wadi Darbat

To be honest, Wadi Darbat should actually be visited shortly after the rainy season. Then one or more waterfalls would cascade over the rocky bar that closes off the valley and the wooded mountain flanks would be green with trees and bushes. But even now, in the dry season, the wadi is worth seeing and we are surprised that water is still flowing.
Huge herds of camels graze in the valley, as do adorable donkeys with their young. Birds chirping, frogs croaking and the gurgling and splashing of water – oh, it sends shivers down my spine – all these sounds are so beautiful and relaxing.

Trees and groups of trees

The further we drive into the valley, the more striking trees and groups of trees inspire us.

Overnight stay

We find a spot for the night at the back of the wadi, close to the gurgling stream and the camels’ pasture.

It is a pity that the beautiful Wadi Darbat is used for tourism in such a way that the wadi has lost a certain romantic and natural charm. Several neglected ropeways across the water, a boat rental, unsightly rental huts, an inappropriate restaurant building etc. spoil the natural surroundings. It can be seen that the feeling for nature is at least partially missing here. Too bad. This is not only the case in Oman, but throughout the Arab world.

Jabal Samhan

On the way to the edge of Jabal Samhan, we make a stopover at the village of Tawi Atayr. An underground cave has collapsed here and now forms a 200m deep sinkhole or sinkhole. This is created by underground water flows, which dissolve lime from the limestone in a chemical process and thus form caves. If the underground cavity is too large, the cave can collapse, creating a sinkhole.
And as you can see below, you can’t see anything ;-), or not down to the bottom of the sinkhole.

Sinkhole

Break-off edge

The precipice of Jabal Samhan is 1400m high and plunges steeply into the coastal plain around Mirbat. On a clear day, the views down to the plain and across the Indian Ocean are incredible. Unfortunately, however, we are “blessed” with heavy haze, which is why we cannot fully enjoy the view. At night, apart from the strong wind, it gets pretty cold up here. But that doesn’t matter in our heated motorhome.

Baobabs

A real rarity on the Arabian Peninsula are the “baobab” trees that grow here in the wadi in Wadi Hinna. The trees are said to be two hundred to two thousand years old. What is also special is that the authorities have planted numerous fresh baobab seedlings, which are being cared for. The aim of the nature conservation authority is to preserve and, if possible, increase the tree population. It is assumed that there must once have been an entire baobab forest here.