Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Al-Ashkarah
25 / POP 10,000
Wedged between two beautiful white-sand beaches, Al-Ashkarah is a lively fishing village
and important supply point for the Bedouin communities of the Sharqiya Sands. Umbrel-
las on the beaches on the southern side of town provide camping opportunities. The sea
here is much rougher and more characterful than on the beaches north of town and if you
choose to break your journey here, you can look forward to large waves and flocks of
gulls itching to join your picnic.
Sleeping & Eating
Arabian Sea Resort$$
HOTEL
( 97 794244;
www.arabiansea.com
; off Ras Al-Hadd to Al-Ashkarah Rd, Asselah; s/d with sea view OR30/40)
In
a superb location at the top of the high tide, where turtles lumber up the beach at night,
this low-rise hotel looks more like a government school from the distance. The rooms,
however, have starched linen, huge windows,
rondelles
, plasterwork and equestrian
paintings that give them a rococo flourish. The hotel is in Asselah, close to Al-Ashkarah.
The owner can arrange 4WD and camel safaris into the interiror. The trips last from
5pm to 7pm (OR30 for children, OR70 for adults) and culminate in a sunset vista of a
desert castle that belongs to the owner's family.
Al-Ashkarah Hotel$
HOTEL
( 25 566222; Main Rd, Al-Ashkarah; s/d OR10/12)
If you arrive too late to set up camp, Al-
Ashkarah Hotel, with pink doors and ill-fitting carpets, is just about clean. The Golden
Beach Restaurant next door can rustle up rice and dhal or an egg roll-up for breakfast. The
hotel is on the main road, on the edge of town.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Al-Ashkarah to Shana'a Road
Dubbed the 'Dunes Rd', this remarkable feat of engineering cuts a corridor through the
auburn Sharqiya Sands and is almost a destination in its own right. The road links Al-
Ashkarah with Shana'a, the ferry terminal for Masirah. Crossing some of the most inhos-
pitable terrain in the country, it passes small fishing villages, outcrops of aeolite (fossil-
