Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Jebel Samhan
Although you need a permit and a good reason to visit the leopard sanctuary at Jebel Sam-
han, the sealed road up to the reserve entrance makes a rewarding day trip from Salalah.
The road passes the entrance to Tawi Attair, a deep sinkhole known as the 'Well of Birds'
which has a viewing platform but is really only accessible with a guide. Further up the
Jebel Samhan road, signs lead to Taiq Cave, a vast limestone complex deep in the hills. En
route to the cave, you'll pass lots of low-lying
jebbali
roundhouses, traditionally construc-
ted with sticks and more recently covered with tarpaulins and tyres.
Continuing towards Jebel Samhan, the road climbs up through a variety of different
flora, including rocky fields of desert roses. Sometimes known as elephant plants, they
have huge bulbous trunks and beautiful pink flowers in spring. As you near the summit
(around 1300m) drive towards the cliff edge for a panoramic view of the coast. There are
many exceptional vistas in Oman and this is one of them. If you're wondering about the
odd spiky tree on the plateau, it's called a dragon tree and is confined to high, semi-arid
elevations. The road ends at a couple of ad hoc teashops.
To reach any of these sights, take the Tawi Attair road after the fishing town of Taqah,
and follow the brown signs. If you return to the coast from Tawi Attair following the signs
to Mirbat, you'll pass (on the right of the descent) a wadi of tall, bulbous
baobab trees
- the
only such trees in Arabia.
Hasik
Positioned at the most eastern end of the Dhofar coast before the cliffs of Jebel Samhan
interrupt, Hasik is worth the two-hour drive from Salalah for the journey more than the
destination. The road is sealed and not particularly exceptional in winter, but in summer
luminous clouds billow down from the jebel and high winds whip across the water, send-
ing the surf backwards as the waves roll inexorably forwards. Glossy cormorants cluster
like oil slicks in the coves and waders shelter from the seasonal fury amid the drifts of
pink top shells.
There is not much to see in Hasik itself, but if you continue along the road towards
Hadraban, look out for a spectacular limestone formation overhanging the sandstone
cliffs. A small car park marks the spot. Construction of a road around the base of Jebel
Samhan, linking Hasik to Shwaymiya, will cut two hours off the coastal journey from
Duqm to Salalah and be a tourist attraction in its own right.
Hasik is clearly signposted from Hwy 47, just before the town of Mirbat.
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