Coastal Oman: Muscat to Salalah

Remote, wild and pristine, the 1,500km coastal road between Muscat and Salalah is considered one of the finest driving experiences in Oman and offers an almost unparalleled adventure. From Muscat, travel along the coast to Arabia’s most easterly point of Ras Al Hadd with its turtle sanctuary, then continue across the sparsely populated desert shore of Sharqiya province, fringed by the imposing Wahiba Sands.

A possible diversion at this point is to take the ferry from Shana to Hilf and explore Masriah Island. The road then passes the salt flats and birdlife of Barr Al Hickmann and a mangrove-fringed shoreline, arriving at the beautiful powder-like white Sugar Dunes that lie behind the alabaster sands of deserted Khalouf Beach. Next, continue towards the port of Duqm with its moonscape-like Rock Garden.

A journey inland through the desolate Jiddat al-Harasis will bring you to the Al Wusta Wildlife Reserve, home to a population of Arabian oryx. Further south, at Ras Markaz and Ras Madrakah, the coastal road offers stunning marine panoramas, gorgeous beaches, perfect wild campsites, and an opportunity to seek out shipwrecks.

Next, skirt the Gulf of Sawqirah before entering the mountains of Dhofar and visiting the dramatic white limestone cliffs of Wadi Shuwaymiyyah, where a sub-Saharan landscape of acacia trees and an almost irresistible sandy beach await. Should you wish to go right off the grid, it is possible to take a fishing boat to the remote Hallaniyat Islands (Kuria Muria) and snorkel above the numerous corals. The final leg of the coastal drive is perhaps its most dramatic. It passes the towns of Hasik and Sadah before emerging amongst the coconut and banana plantations of Salalah’s sub-tropical plain. As hotels are almost unknown in this region of Oman, when taking the coastal drive from Muscat to Salalah, you will experience the magic of mobile camping or mobile glamping.