Into the Dunefield

I have no doubt that my most recent birthday, celebrated earlier in the month, will become my most memorable.  First, my mother and a close family friend traveled to Oman and surprised me with a birthday visit.  I'm still in disbelief that they made the trip.  Then, we celebrated my actual birthday in southwest Oman in a region called the Sharqiya sands.  This area of several hundred square miles is covered with sand dunes.  Some dunes are over 200 feet high.  In the middle of the dunes, miles away from any cities, towns, or roads is a camp where one can stay.  We spent two days at the camp - climbing the dunes, basking in the sun, and marveling at the solitude.


Press play on the above video and see our adventure unfold.

Dunes as far as the eye can see.

The desert camp where we stayed.

On our last day a herd of camels looking for breakfast tried to enter the camp.

Camping at Fins Beach

 We recently camped out with some friends at Fins Beach, about an hour and a half south of Muscat.  As you can see from, the pictures below, there is stunning scenery -  turquoise water, rocky cliffs and mountains in the distance. It was really windy, and honestly a bit chilly for swimming but we just loved being in this beautiful place, enjoying the view, and letting the boys climb all the rocks and boulders they liked.

Our jeeps down on the beach

Lunch time!

Checking out the view

Our campsite

We had the fire going ...but forgot marshmallows...

Sunrise behind us

Morning on the beach

View from the cliff over the campsite

Canyon Hike - into Wadi Shab

A few weeks ago we explored one of Oman's more famous canyons, "Wadi Shab," which has pools and canals fed by the infrequent rains and some groundwater from the valley.  The water gets very deep at the narrowest parts - many people go swimming and there was even a cliff diving competition here over the summer.  But we definitely did not partake in any of that!  We hiked in for about 30 minutes and at the point where swimsuits are required, we stopped  to enjoy our picnic and the view.  Next time we'll swim.  We certainly enjoyed the breathtaking scenery - just about 2 hours from Muscat.   

Boat crossing required to get to the hiking path....

Thank you, trusty boat driver...

Entering the canyon ...

Lots of boulders for climbing!

No this is not a postcard - I took this photo myself!