Unexpected return to Austria

We are currently in Vienna because Edi’s mother unexpectedly passed away. We will therefore be in Austria for several weeks. In the meantime our camper is safely parked in Dubai.

The Nakhal Fortress

From Muscat, we drove closer to the mountains, where at Nakhal, a spring and a green oasis with palm trees were protected by a fort. It is located at the foot of the Hajar mountain range, which make an impressive backdrop. The gateway and towers seen now were extensions built in 1834 attributed to imam …

The Nakhal Fortress Read More »

Muscat

We had reached Muscat, the capital of Oman, looking forward to experiencing this city known for its long trading history. As an important port between the west and the east, Muscat was ruled by various indigenous tribes as well as foreign powers such as the Persians, the Portuguese Empire and the Ottoman Empire at various points in its history. A regional military power …

Muscat Read More »

Into the desert

We had decided against trying to cross Wahiba Sands, not too keen to challenge our camper that much. We had passed the entrance in the south-east, where we already saw nice sand dunes. The entrance from the north is at Al Mintirib, where we decided to drive a bit into the sand as the tracks …

Into the desert Read More »

3 times Bani

First we visited Jalan Bani Bu Ali, then Jalan Bani Bu Hassan and finally drove into the Wadi Bani Khalid. We think bani means sons. At least in this area, everything had a bani in its name. Jalan Bani Bu Ali has some old watchtowers, old mud houses crumbling away and a castle with the …

3 times Bani Read More »

The island of Masirah

From Shannah, we took the ferry to get to the island of Masirah, which lies about 15 km from the mainland. The desert island has lovely sand beaches, which are great for snorkelling, something we were looking forward to. There is the national ferry which we thought we would take, just that they were not …

The island of Masirah Read More »

Duqm and the Sugar Dunes

From Ash Shuwaymiyah to Duqm, the route was quite boring, taking us through endless plains with not much to see. Later, we were closer to the coast again but the landscape was mostly monotonous. For the night, we found a lovely spot at the lagoon of Wadi Tarif. Like all this lagoons, many birds were …

Duqm and the Sugar Dunes Read More »

Wadi Ash Shuwaymiyyah

We drove into the wadi of Ash Shuwaymiyyah, a broad valley, with impressive sandstone walls to both sides. Of course we couldn’t resist and took a dip in the cool water of the spring. With the spray coming from the rocks above and the clouds moving past in the blue sky, a magical place to …

Wadi Ash Shuwaymiyyah Read More »

Mirbat and the route north

We had found a great spot for the night not far from Khor Rori, were a herd of camels greeted us in the morning. From there, it was a short drive along the coast to Mirbat, where we first stopped at Bin Ali’s Tomb. Bin Ali was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and the …

Mirbat and the route north Read More »