Beaches
With over 3100 kilometres of coastline, it goes without saying that Oman has got a big list of beaches overlooking the Sea of Oman, the Arabian Sea and the Straits of Hormuz in the North. While some of the sandy beaches are ideal spots for picnics or marine excursions, there are a few which offers amazing snorkeling and diving experience.
Al Sawadi Beach
70 kms from Muscat, 30 kms from Barka
Al Sawadi beach is at a short drive from Barka and is being developed as a resort town. We visited the beach in the month of April and the beach attracts quite an audience especially during weekends. One of the main attractions of the beach is a rock island, 600m from the end of the beach, standing tall with a watch tower on its tip. If you are at the time of low tide, you can walk towards the island, however during high tide, water fills in the pathway and you need to take a boat ride to reach the island. We were right on time during the low tide, so with water at knee level we managed to cross the water and reached the island. Our target was to reach the hill top and climb on top of the watch tower to get a panoramic view of Al Sawadi and its waters. However, we had to keep a check on the tide as well (as the miser in us didn’t want to pay for the boat ride).
A series of steps leads to the top of the hill and in between you can see a few side open cottages for those interested in picnicking. The view from the watch tower is quite amazing, however, if you can climb a vertical ladder, you can get on the absolute top of the watch tower. From up there, we could see the water level rising as the high tide was kicking in. So after a few clicks from the top, we climbed down the hill. The water was now at hip level, however, we decided to cross the water by foot. With our camera bags on our head, we slowly crossed the waters and reached the beach side, where setting sun and rising moon were posing on two ends for our camera clicks.
Tiwi Beach (Pebble beach)
150 kms from Muscat, very near to Wadi Shab
Location : Pebble Beach (Tiwi)
If you think that beach is all about sand or sometimes rocks, this beach at Oman’s Tiwi will add “pebbles” too on to the list.This was the first time that I have been to a beach full of pebbles, yet another piece of work from Mother Nature.
The pebble beach is located on the Muscat-Sur highway and is located very close to yet another attraction , Wadi Shab. Unlike many other beaches in Oman, this one is quieter and less crowded, even on weekends. There aren’t any shops nearby nor expect any amenities, just pure nature. The beach stretches to about 1 km and most of the part is filled with light coloured pebbles and the sand (where ever present) is on a coarser side. The water clear blue water is quite amazing and could well be an ideal setting for a barbecue.
I had been to the beach at least three times, where one time we had a barbecue at night (after the Wadi Shab trip) and the next time, we camped at the beach.
- Ras Al Jinz (Sur, Ash Sharqiyah)
- Mughsayl Beach (Salalah)
- Qurum Beach (Muscat)
- Al Haffa Beach (Salalah)
Dear Arun,
Your travel stories are very nice. Oman diary has come up very nice. Though your stint in Oman was short, we the Tkmites always remember you for your active participation in all our get togethers.
All the best.
Thank you sir for your comments. Along from Oman’s beauty, TKM family was something which gave me warmth and togetherness. I never felt homesick and thoroughly enjoyed all the events and gatherings. Can never forget those days.
Amazing job…I do wonder how vividly you remember the memories of those wonderful trips after more than two years …Keep up the good work buddy…
Thank you for you comments and for being an integral part of my Oman journeys. Our “antholanams” definitely ranks top of my best memory list.
Really Superb…I still feel nobody really appreciates the beauty of this country..All my friends travel to different parts of world but not Oman sometimes i wonder why??..I was a bit hesitant to come here but really liked this place and am around for last 17 years or so..Hope your travel experiences accompanied by beautiful pictures can promote this country further,,My best wishes..
I feel those who ignore Oman as a travel destination doesn’t deserve to see the beauty on offer. I guess the issue is with that fact that someone really needs to spend time in Oman to explore what on offer, unlike places like Dubai/Singapore where you can pack all the attractions in 3 or 4 days. I hope I have done justice to Oman’s beauty through my words and inspire people to visit there.
Good one bro. You’ve very well detailed and presented it precisely. Feels I took a tour through the desert and back here..
Being born and brought up in Oman, I feel ashamed to say, I haven’t travelled half as much as you have. Amazing photography and very explicitly written. I regret not being a big part of it. But our trip to Wadi Shab will always be among my favorites.
Hope to see some more from you. Great Work Man (Y)
Hope this inspires you to cover the uncovered. It was a great time in Oman and it would have been a grave injustice if I hadn’t written about my experience there
Very nicely narrated
I could revisit Oman with your narration. Impressed