Travelogue Oman 2019
Barr Al Hikman and Al Khaluf (Sugar Dunes)
With this we approached the southernmost point of our journey. The bay Barr Al Hikman was described in the travel guide as a true paradise of species above water (birds) and under water (fish, corals). Unfortunately we didn’t find much besides an endless sandy beach and abandoned fishing villages. Well, there were a few flamingos, but they were very far away even with binoculars. I probably could have gotten the exact coordinates of coral reefs, birds’ favorite spots and mangroves from somewhere, but I would have had to do that in advance because there were no people around (and I admittedly didn’t try an internet search on the fly).
Then we continued, because we still had to make some distance for our destination of the day: the white “Sugar Dunes” – picture book dunes made of picture book sand directly at the sea. And I had deliberately chosen our route so that there was one more adventure to be had: driving through a Sabkha region. Sabkha is – as far as I understand – a region that lies on the coast, floods at irregular intervals and is thus characterized by a mud of sand and salt. When this mud is wet, it is about as slippery as ice. If it dries out, then a crust can form on the surface that you can break through and then get stuck in the slippery mud again. Yes, the off-road guidebook says you should only go through Sabkha regions if you absolutely have to, which didn’t really apply to us now. Otherwise, it says, stay on existing tracks. Do not stop until you reach solid ground again. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Let’s go.
The distance we are now covering is about 20 km and these are probably the most exciting car kilometres I have covered so far. In case of emergency, I knew we could make it to the small town of Filim on foot. Further, even in the middle of nowhere, Oman in 2019 had a mobile coverage that you can only dream of in Germany beyond the metropolitan areas. The risks are therefore manageable.
Below are two videos that can give a little insight into what the ride was like. The desert tour had prepared me to the extent that I dared to drive quite fast and was not afraid to simply drive over an embankment more than half a metre high at full speed, when suddenly a large body of water appeared in front of me on the road. This moment is unfortunately not on the videos, but was certainly my adrenaline peak on this ride.
What a ride! The car was really dirty afterwards and Sabkha is not only slippery while wet, but also very hard and sticky once it dries. But fortunately I didn’t have to take care of that myself. And first, desert and beach were on the agenda anyway.
Shortly after Filim you continue directly on the beach. Another one of those endless, beautiful beaches.
A few kilometres further down the beach we meet the French couple Caroline and JP, who have a bit more experience in sand riding than we do. At a certain point we have to deflate our tyres to avoid getting stuck in the sand.
Shortly before sunset we reach the dunes, pitch our tents and enjoy ourselves on the dunes for a while.
After breakfast we leave. Following our guidebook, we want to go to a fish and salt farm a bit further south, as there are supposed to be lots of birds there. However, this is one of the points where you notice that the last edition of the off-road guide is a few years old. The plant is no longer in operation. After some searching we find where it used to be, but there is basically nothing to see.
We leave the desert and after a few kilometres we find a garage where we can have our tyres inflated again. Then it’s back north.