Khaluf to Shuwaymiyah via Madrakah

ARGUMENT:
How a ship having passed the Line was driven by Storms to the cold Country towards the South Pole; and how from thence she made her course to the tropical Latitude of the Great Pacific Ocean; and of the strange things that befell; and in what manner the Ancyent Marinere came back to his own Country.
The Rime of the Ancient Marinere, in Seven Parts. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1798 version

February 2006

After two nights of camping out, two days of driving along the coast and 1,000km under the belt, we're suddenly bouncing about the back alleys of Dhofar. This moonscape of the Jiddat Arkad rises out of the sea, snaking down through wadis like Aynaynah, with its strange name and stranger blobs of rock and fossils. You could lose hope in a landscape like this, but it starts to rise up and take shape further south, until you're at the edge of a cliff, looking straight down into the fantastic depths of sandpapered rock and the hanging gardens of Wadi Shuwaymiyah. From the white dunes of Khaluf, the soft grey-silver sands of Duqm, the pink pool of Khwar Ghawi to the olive complexion of Shuwaymiyah, our journey along the middle of Oman's coastline read like a road down a rainbow. It took us across a landscape devoid of people, and occasionally devoid of things. Mostly blank space on the map, it is a long journey of subtle shades in the middle of nowhere.

Months earlier, we had explored the coastline that wound itself in a tight knot under the Sharqiya desert, wedged between endless sand and the Arabian Sea. That journey would lead us to Mahoot, marked as Al Hij on maps. It is your gateway to the fabulous pink salt flats that stretch across horizons. There are no roads along this coast - you have to race the tide across the beach, and turn to treacherous soft sand higher up if you're too late. That ride will take you from the end of tarmac at Al Ashkharah south to Khuwaymah, where even the dirt track ends. After that it is all pure sand and adventure. The shore off Mahoot Island, peppered with the bones of whales, is around 400km from Muscat. Highway 32 dives southwest from there, hugging the coast a few kilometres from the sea. Follow it as we did and you will be rewarded just after Mahoot, where flatlands rise softly with dunes of white sand at Khaluf. Tucked away where the sand falls into the sea, this little fishing village is a one-road settlement of fishermen, now boasting a flurry of fresh urbanisation that includes a brand new filling station bang on the beach. Fill your tank under seagulls here, drive around camels munching by the shore and continue southwest.

We had driven directly from Muscat for this trip, and it was dusk by the time we came to Duqm, which will offer you nothing more than fuel and food, unless fish factories interest you. After filling up we drove a few kilometres from the town, drove off the road and slept there. It's a perfect camping spot - level ground of softly packed earth, dotted with low trees just enough for a little privacy. We slept in the Land Cruiser, folding away the back seats to reveal a massive sleeping area, safe from the cold and the dew that drenched things we left out. We woke to a sunrise that revealed a sign pointing seawards to Ras Duqm. Bouncing along the dirt track will lead you to the sea, and a quietly beautiful beach of greyish silver, with pebbles straight out of a Japanese rock garden. Nestled under low cliffs, the beach was deserted except for a line of sea birds, a lone dog, blue and green boats and rusted pickups.

Further down the coast, past the little pool of hot pink at Khwar Ghawi and off the main road lies Ras Madrakah. This is a huge splash of pristine white beach, sheltered within rocky cliffs on either side. Madrakah itself is a clean, well spaced out settlement that you can drive through in a minute, arriving at a beach perfect for camping on. There were five 4WDs when we got there, each with gigantic tents fit for a sheikh, and there was still space for privacy. Once you get over its canvas-like blank expanse you could tire of just beach, though. The fact is that the only difference between Ras Madrakah and Sifa is that one is 700km away from civilisation, while the other is a little more than an hour's drive from Muscat. The coastline turns more to the west that south from here on, and at the end of a 200km arc you will be near Sawqrah. It sounds exactly like Soqra on the Jebel Akhdar but is spelt differently. And instead of stone houses clinging to the edge of a canyon you have a developed fishing community with brand new roads and houses.

Sawqrah marks the end of the highway that stretches all the way from Muscat, and you have to have a 4WD to venture deeper down the coast from here. The road climbs steeply over Sawqra, and soon degenerates into a very hard dirt track over a plateau called the Jiddat Arkad. Trying desperately not to get enveloped in our own dust cloud that billowed out behind us, we bounced over the harsh landscape. Wadi Aynaynah is the only interesting diversion we could spot, and is possibly worth more time than we could spare. Its depression begins gently, with soft, rounded forms of rock opening up to reveal bits of trees, strange shapes and fossils that hinted at ancient days below the sea. Up ahead, Shalim is a one-road dusty settlement that will end your monotony. Its roundabout is as large as any in Muscat, dominated by a massive nodding donkey. It is also where you can have authentic Bengali food, as good as it is out of place, in a small restaurant by the roadside.

Hours later we would be eating more Bengali food, but this time a minute away from the beach, down in Shuwaymiyah. The clientele here were fishermen from the Bay of Bengal, crowded around a television and dishes of rice, meat and vegetables. Your first look at the coast will be from up above, a few minutes from Shalim. Stop the car once the road begins to dip downhill, at the GSM tower on the right. Walk past it and you'll be at a sheer, sudden cliff face that you'll only be aware of once you're practically on top of it, a few feet from the edge. It's a fantastic viewpoint if you aren't scared of heights, and if you're there by evening you'll have perfect light for photographs. Wadi Shuwaymiyah is really the cherry on the cake for this trip. After so much blank landscape, its soft, grand topography, deep and wide canyon and, of course, its beach will be fantastic to the eye.

If you'd like to continue your journey and follow the coast all the way till the end of Dhofar, you'll have to head back to Shalim and then to Marmul, Thumrayt and Salalah. From there you can head east till the Jebel Samhan, and west till the Yemeni border. With Salalah as base camp, you'll need at least couple of days in either direction to explore the coast. After that - if you've already headed north up the Batinah and on to Musandam (Oman Today December 2005, The Last Unknown), you can take pride in having covered the entire Omani coastline. To head back to Muscat from Shuwaymiyah without retracing your steps, make for the Muscat-Salalah highway. From the Shalim roundabout head past Amil, Nimr and Rema to Hayma. Stick to the main road, don't turn off to any of these places and you'll be on the highway with Hayma ahead. It's one straight road up to Adam and Nizwa, and then a few hours to Muscat. Once you leave Shalim behind your landscape will be one of endless flatness, with crowds of nodding donkeys silently at work in the desert.

As far away from the Arabian Sea as possible, do remember that all that oil under your feet comes from traces of sea creatures, vast reservoirs that owe their existence to the waters you left behind. Everything, everywhere, is connected - even the ground beneath. That common thread will lead you deep into the interior, a natural progression for future exploration.



Zero your odometer at the clock tower roundabout, just after Seeb airport
36km: on the Samail road, take the turnoff to Sur at Bidbid
103km: Turn right to Mudhaibi and Mahoot, at the Shell
115km: Turnoff to Samad (2km away). Don't take it - instead, carry straight on
146km: Mudhaibi
163km: Shell roundabout at Sinaw. Fuel up, turn left to Mahoot
288km: Shell and Omanoil filling stations
356km: Al Maha roundabout. Turn left to Mahoot, or drive on straight down the coast
385km: Turn left to Khaluf
413km: Khaluf Al Maha filling station
440km: back to main road, turn left, south to Duqm
487km: oasis on the left, with water, palms and thousands of bird footprints
505km: Al Maha filling station and restaurant
575km: Duqm Shell filling station
593km: turn left to Ras ad Duqm
610km: Ras ad Duqm
627km: back to road, turn left and south
636km: Hayma turnoff on your right. Head straight on instead
664km: Dhahir Al Maha filling station
674km: turn left to Ras Madrakah
699km: turn right at Ras Madrakah roundabout. The beach is just ahead
732km: back to main road, turn left and southwest
775km: turn left to Wadi Dhirif if you'd like a small diversion
781km: back to main road. Turn left and southwest
855km: drive through the Rema roundabout towards Al Kahil
876km: Al Kahil roundabout. Turn left for the pink lagoon at Khwar Ghawi
887km: the pink lagoon
898km: back to Al Kahil roundabout. Turn left and southwest towards Sawqrah
944km: beginning of ascent up Jebel Arkad. Turn left instead to see Sawqrah
951km: end of the Sawqrah road
957km: back to road, turn left and start ascent. Paved road ends once you're uphill
1002km: turn right to Wadi Aynaynah
1007km: back to road, turn right
1054km: Zakhier
1071km: Shalim Shell filling station
1110km: Shuwaymiyah Al Maha filling station. Up ahead you'll come across the dirt track that forks left along the beach, and straight on to the wadi. You will come to the hanging gardens
11km into the wadi, on your right. Continue straight on to explore further

To get back to Muscat, head back to Shalim and fill up fuel at the Shell. Head back to the main roundabout and turn right.
Zero your odometer at the roundabout
2km: straight through to Amil and Muscat. Turn left to Marmul for Salalah
27km: turn right at the T-junction, towards Nimr and Hayma. Tarmac begins
224km: turn right on the Muscat-Salalah highway
246km: Shell filling station at Hayma. Fill up on fuel. The next filling station is 200km away. Do not stray from the highway on to private roads
446km: Al Maha station at Ghaba. Fill up and drive straight to Adam, Nizwa and Muscat




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