Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
)
1km further up the
Arabian Oryx Hotel
(
23 436379; arabianoryxhotel@gmail.com; r OR20;
road, which also offers basic Indian cuisine.
There are a number of unremarkable chicken-and-rice restaurants dotted around the pet-
rol station opposite the motel.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Jaaluni
The return of the oryx is one of the great wildlife success stories of the region and watch-
ing these magnificent animals paw the dust in the summer heat, or slip gracefully through
the dawn mists in winter, makes the long journey to the desolate Jiddat al-Harasis plain
worthwhile.
A permit is needed to visit the reserve; this is easily organised through the
Office of the Ad-
visor for Conservation of the Environment
OFFLINE MAP
( 24 693537, 24 593537;
acedrc@omantel.net.om; per party OR20; 7am-6pm)
in Muscat. The permit covers the cost of a
mandatory guide, usually a member of the Harsusi tribe, who will show you the on-site
portacabin
museum
, the resident, captive breeding herd and help you spot a wild oryx if
you're lucky. You will definitely see gazelle - they linger around the reserve offices, nib-
bling the grass in the parking lot. If you ask, the guide will also take you to the remarkable
windblown formations of the Huqf Escarpment, an hour deeper into the reserve. Unfortu-
nately most guides don't speak English. Alternatively, tour operators can arrange trips
with English-speaking guides.
You can camp in the reserve at a designated site but you will have to bring your own
food. Keep your clothes under canvas as there is always a heavy dew by the morning -
this is how the animals survive in the absence of surface water.
The reserve is 50km off the Hayma-Duqm road (Hwy 37) on a poorly graded track.
The track can be identified by a blue sign for Habab, 96km from Duqm and 13km from
the only housing complex on Hwy 37. After 23km along the track, veer right at the blue
sign for Jaaluni. It takes about an hour to drive from Hayma to the reserve. The guard at
the security gate by the reserve fence will want to see your permit.
