Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There is no public transport to Yitti, which is about a half-hour drive from Mutrah.
There are three routes to Yitti from Muscat. The shortest way is to follow the signs
through a deep cut in the mountains from the roundabout in Bandar Jissah. To make an
enjoyable round trip, return through Wadi Mayh.
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Wadi Mayh
For a taste of a typical Omani wadi within an afternoon's drive of Muscat, look no further
than Wadi Mayh. With towering limestone cliffs, sand-coloured villages, back-garden date
plantations, straying goats and feral donkeys - not to mention a compulsory watchtower
or two - Wadi Mayh has it all. Look out for a pair of stout
falaj
(traditional irrigation
channels) that have been shored into either side of the wadi, and carry water from one vil-
lage plantation to the next.
The wadi has areas where multicoloured layers of rock have been forced into a vertical
wall. The steep sides of the wadi make it vulnerable to fierce flash flooding that often
washes out part of the road.
The entrance to the wadi is about 24km from Wadi Aday roundabout in Muscat. To
reach the wadi, follow the Qurayat road from the roundabout. After 16km, turn left at the
roundabout with the gold eagle. Turn left at the sign for Yitti (at 24km) and the road even-
tually leads into the wadi. The wadi can be negotiated by car although the last section of
road (about 10km) towards Yitti is not sealed. There is no public transport. Wadi Mayh is
signposted off the Bandar Jissah-Yitti road.
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Bandar Khayran
It's worth driving for at least 30 minutes along the Yitti to Al-Seifa road to get a flavour of
the inlets or
khors
that make this part of the Muscat coastline so memorable.
The first
khor
is popular with fishermen, but the second
khor
(at 4.8km) is one of those
rare entities - a tidal football pitch, giving a new meaning to the term Mexican wave, per-
haps, especially as the spectators of this busy pitch include crabs and mud creepers.
An Oberoi Resort is planned for the next
khor
at Shatti Masgour.
Thereafter (at 6km), the road hugs the side of Bandar Khayran, a large, mangrove-
fringed lagoon, more usually visited by boat from Muscat. It is a beautiful spectacle late in
