Desert images from Wahiba Sands

Last November I had two wonderful weeks in the Sultanate of Oman with my loved one. Time, finally than Pictures to show. And that's where I start with desert images from Wahiba Sands. If you have no idea about Oman, you might assume that much of the country looks like this. In fact, the desert of Wahiba Sands (also Rimal Al Wahiba called) is only roughly 12000 square kilometers in size and does not cover quite 4% of the country. It is therefore a rather small and manageable desert area. Therefore it is very popular among tourists. Of course we were there too.

For us Northern Europeans, deserts are something special because they are rare to experience. And you have to experience it. A wonderful and at the same time hostile space in which dozens of optimally adapted creatures live their existence almost invisibly. The last time my loved one and I were in a desert was many, many years ago: Sossusvlei in Namibia. This desert is almost three times the size and really impressed us both. It was with this anticipation that we visited Wahiba Sands in the second half of our Oman vacation. And because it was only one night, it's great to show a small series of pictures here.

A visit to Wahiba Sands is fully organized for tourists. On the main road from which the sand tracks branch off into the desert camps, there is a gas station where red-faced white people wait for their guide and a super-friendly gas station attendant who puts your car's tires to the right pressure. He asked us which camp we wanted to go to and then said that we didn't need any tour guides to travel there because it was signposted and only went straight. It's the closest resort anyway. 20 minutes later we drive behind a guide on sand for the first time at 80 kilometers per hour and laugh out loud when we spot a small signpost to the camp between a lot of sand. We’re northern Europeans after all…

For the rest of the day we prefer to leave driving on the sandy slopes of Wahiba Sands to the professionals. Sunset in the dunes is on the agenda and we are looking forward to sandy pictures with the low sun. I uploaded a little video to YouTube to give you an idea of ​​the landscape.

A wonderful evening - however, the photographic experience is somewhat marred by the fact that the Bedouins park their cars in the most beautiful places. In addition, despite the low season, there are so many cars and people on the road that there are hardly any larger areas for typical photos of the dunes and untouched nature.

The evening is rounded off with delicious and varied food at large tables. So we get to know some nice Omani from London, who are also in Wahiba Sands for the first time. Later we enjoy the wonderful starry sky. When there is local folklore and Northern Europeans clap unrhythmically to traditional sounds from traditionally dressed people - such as doctors, lawyers or architects - we go to bed early. After the disappointing evening, we quickly decided to try again early in the morning for a great dune experience. Since sunrise is scheduled for 6 a.m. on the calendar, we hope there will be few people.

And we were not disappointed. This time we had the experience we wanted before we arrived, alone and without a car. Even though I briefly cursed the decision to climb the first sand mountain before breakfast. Walking with bare feet in the warm sand and sometimes collapsing into the cold ground made up for the physical exertion. Desert is something special!

It's a shame that we have to leave the camp in Wahiba Sands shortly after breakfast. But shortly after 11 a.m., even in the moderate temperature of November in Oman, it is so warm again that a car without air conditioning is unimaginable. This time we manage the return journey over the sandy roads back to the main road on our own and are already looking forward to the friendly person at the petrol station who will bring our tires back up to road pressure.