After leaving the desert we headed to the coast for our final night in Oman. This was the only night we missed enjoying the sunset by the fire as we were racing against darkness to reach camp. We set up at dusk and although we worked against the wind to put up our tents the breeze quickly died down and we had a calm and beautiful night by the Arabian Sea. In the morning we saw turtles, took pictures and set off to the capital of Oman - Muscat.
We wanted to show Daisy the desert but it was not safe to venture far with only one vehicle so we went only a short way in but even then the vastness of the desert was apparent and we dune bashed a little bit too just to be sure the experience was complete.
The city was alive with pedestrian traffic and we explored the souks for Omani treasures. The highlight of Nizwa was a tiny café called Wadi Musalla Coffee Shop. The café sold a large variety of fresh juices and we kept on ordering flavour after flavour. The waiter was very happy to take our orders and delivered our choices very quickly and with a smile. There was a large language barrier but the word “juice”, a smile and a point to the menu was the only communication we needed.
We drove back to Nizwa and could not pass the town’s Pizza Hut without stopping in for a hot meal that we didn’t have to eat off of paper plates. Al Diyar Hotel was what we expected (our expectations were low) and after switching hotel rooms for one with water we took turns taking very long showers and then set out to explore the city.
Seeking even higher altitudes we decided to continue up into the mountains for more sightseeing. The road was very quiet apart for some local wildlife and some people who preferred walking to driving – a very healthy population me thinks. We watched the temperature gauge and it ticked down cooler and cooler as we drove on. The air was cool and fresh and we came across small stone houses built into the side of the mountains.
The Brits were surprised that we were able to pack everything we needed for a 5 day trip into our truck and complimented our organisation. It was a last minute trip for the two of them and they only packed clothes into their rental. They hoped they were driving through a town when they needed to eat. We parted ways and we drove to the small town of Ar Ruus to look around and then we drove even higher before heading into Nizwa for our night in the Al Diyar Hotel for some running water.
Sayq Plateau was beautiful. It was amazing to see towns built right at the cliff edge and again the sky was stunning. We drove around the area trying to find a suitable camping spot and ended up driving off the suggested track. We bumped into two British guys visiting from Bahrain and we all decided that we would share a nice secluded flat spot for the night. Sayq Plateau is known for gorgeous sunsets and we were luck to enjoy one while we set up camp.
We enjoyed the sights on the way to Sayq Plateau. We drove past a town built into the side of a mountain and through the town of Nizwa. In Nizwa we stopped to stretch our legs and popped into a grocery store to see if there was anything interesting to pick up – namely mustard!
Early in the morning the clouds filled the canyon and it looked like they were flowing through the canyon like water. Unfortunately I only got to see this in Barry’s and Daisy’s pictures because I slept in (no regrets). We started to pack up our site and when breakfast was served the wandering goats wandered a little closer in hopes of getting a taste. Our next stop was Sayq Plateau at approximately 2,000m above sea level.
Jebal Shams is stunning and was made even more awe-inspiring with the beautiful Oman sky as a backdrop. Daisy could not understand why I kept talking about the sky and I think it’s because she hasn’t spent a long summer in Dubai looking at a dusty brown sky. The sunset was beautiful and we settled in for the night.
