This past weekend, I joined a tour group called Trekkup Dubai for a turtle themed adventure to Oman.

We flew out from DXB T2 on Salam Air. It was a bit hectic to get there, with rush hour traffic and unfinished lessons (for Sunday). Our flight was delayed, and I managed to finish writing the rubrics for the lab we were starting!

Upon our arrival, we were taken by bus to the Holiday Inn Al Seeb, where we had a short night in a very comfortable hotel! Their breakfast was a fantastic buffet, which was especially useful, as lunch wasn’t scheduled until 4pm…Heading south

Once in our rental 4WDs, we headed south towards our first stop: Wadi Shab.

Located near the town of Tiwi, Wadi Shab is one of the big tourist locations in the area, with its name apparently meaning “Gorge between the cliffs”. A quick boat ride across the mouth of the stream brings you to the beginning of the walking path. Our guide, Said, led the way up the trail, which was not difficult, but did involve some very polished and slippery rocks, narrow paths (that drop off to the stream below (no railings)), and climbing over some large rocks/small boulders. It was a good 45 minutes up there in the near mid-day sun, which had many of us eager to jump in the water for a swim!

Once we finally arrived at the swimming area, we hopped in and started to head towards the cave. I should have brought some swimming shoes, as the water levels were quite low, and we had to walk over many pebbles in some sections (ouch!!). The water was a beautiful blue, and we had some opportunities to jump off the cliffs along the way.

The end of the line was the cave, which was only reachable by swimming through a very narrow passage. It was beautiful inside, and for those that were able/willing to climb the rope upwards, they could scramble through the rocks and water to take a plunge from the cliff back into the depths of the caves pool. I knew my limits, and did not attempt to climb the waterfall, enjoying the pool instead.

After about an hour of swimming, we headed back down to our cars for the remainder of our drive to Sur.

We dropped off our luggage and headed out onto the water in 3 boats to enjoy a packed lunch. It was high tide, and the seas were rougher than anticipated, so we went into the bay. We tried to spy some turtles, who are known to swim in the area, and eventually we saw a few pop their heads out. Unfortunately, visibility within the water was very poor (1m max) and snorkeling did not yield any sightings. The few of us that had jumped in the water also discovered that the current was very strong, and pulled us swiftly away from the boats. We basically had to swim, just so that we would stay in place, and eventually Leslie’s wolf whistle finally alerted the boats to come get us. (They initially thought that our waving and whistling was just to say that we were having fun). Thankfully, we are all good swimmers, but it could have gone bad if someone had gotten tired or was not as comfortable in the water.

Turtle sanctuary

With turtles on the mind, we enjoyed dinner by the sea before heading to the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Sanctuary. We waited until we were told that there was a turtle spotted and then we walked in the dark to the beach. The lights disturb the turtles as they are laying their eggs. We learned that there are 5 types of turtles in Oman, but that the ones that frequent this beach are the green turtles, which are quite huge, at around 120cm long and over 60kg. At the age of 3, the females become fertile, and every 3 years they will lay 3 sets of eggs (they lay one set, then 2 weeks later another and once more 2 weeks later. All different mates). Not many babies survive, so, there are many many eggs per nest. The nests are about a metre deep, and need to be in an area of sand that won’t get too hot. The gender of the turtles is determined by the temperature of the sand. Below 28C are males, above 28C are females. Only the females return to the beach they were born at. The group had mixed feelings about the ethics of having so many people on the beach and how it affects the females. I do feel that there were a lot of us, and that we were quite close, but at the same time, they restrict how much of the beach we can visit, and you must go with a guide. I know from other places that if it is not under controlled circumstances, people would be trying to touch the turtles. I’m not sure yet if I would suggest for people to go, but it was interesting. We were even treated to an interesting and disgusting stench, which the turtles produce while mating. TMI!

Snorkeling

Saturday morning, we headed out early again to Ras Al Hadd beach (it was a late night after the sanctuary, but I can once again take pride in my navigational skills, getting us home without a map!). We hopped on our boats and went turtle spotting. It didn’t take long to see their shadows underneath, or their heads popping up. We tried to snorkel with them, but they are very quick, and the visibility was still very poor (it had increased from 1 metre to about 3 metres…). We actually had better luck seeing them from the boat (particularly as they were in the process of mating). There is something about Oman that reminds me of a trip to La Guajira, Colombia.

Bimmah Sinkhole (Dabab)

After a quick lunch, we started back towards Muscat for our evening flight. Along the way (which felt like forever), we pulled off at a gas station/rest stop area and continued down the road to the sinkhole (Hawaiyat Najm). It is a beautiful blue-green colour, and wonderful to swim in. Although people claim that it is filled with freshwater, it was quite salty. It even comes complete with a fish spa treatment! (They nibble at your feet). I really wish we had more time here. I guess I will have to come back!

With a quick dip being all the time we could afford, we sped back to the new international airport and back to reality! It is truly amazing how such a short trip could still feel like a (very busy) vacation.