• Home
  • Round The World Trip
  • Hiking
    • John Muir Trail
    • West Coast Trail
    • New Zealand’s Great Walks
    • Waitukubuli National Trail
    • Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
    • Torres del Paine W-Circuit
  • About
    • Map Of Places I Have Been
    • About Me
    • Contact Me

Kevin's Travel Blog

  • Home
  • Round The World Trip
  • Hiking
    • John Muir Trail
    • West Coast Trail
    • New Zealand’s Great Walks
    • Waitukubuli National Trail
    • Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
    • Torres del Paine W-Circuit
  • About
    • Map Of Places I Have Been
    • About Me
    • Contact Me
September 15, 2016February 21, 2017

Majestic Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands

This post is part of a series called Arabia 2016
Show More Posts
  • Muscat, And First Impressions of Oman
  • Sur, Wadi Shab, and Wadi Bani Khalid
  • Majestic Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands
  • The Goat Market in Nizwa, Oman
  • Bahla Fort, The Tombs of Al Ayn, and Misfat Al Abryeen
  • A Visit to Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
  • In Review: 14 Days of Backpacking in Oman
  • Unexpected Dubai
  • A Beautiful Mosque in Abu Dhabi
  • Pleasantly Surprised by Doha, Qatar
  • Food Indulgence in Kuwait City
  • In Review: 21 Days of Traveling in UAE, Qatar, And Kuwait

The owner of Sur Hotel gave me a tip on where I could see some nice sand dunes without having to rent a 4×4 car or staying at an expensive desert camp. He told me that I should drive to Al Wasil, keep driving south through the small town until I reach the only paved road that comes out of the south side of town. This road goes into the desert and stops being paved 2km away from a desert camp. I could park my car where the pavement ends and climb one of the dunes around.

It took me about 2 hours to drive there from Sur. I had a big smile on my face as I approached the sand dunes. I had seen smaller ones in the past, but never ones of this magnitude. Sharqiya Sands is almost 180 km from north to south, and 80 km from east to west. The dunes I visited were located at the northern tip of this vast desert. I arrived at the end of the paved road at around 4:30pm. There were no other cars parked there. In fact, I didn’t see any other tourists during the area the entire time I was there.

As I was getting my photography gear ready inside my car, a local kid knocked on my door and scared the shit out of me. I waved and said hi to him, but we couldn’t communicate since he spoke no English at all. He was very happy to see me though.

Sharqiya Sands
Sharqiya Sands

It was a cloudy day and the heat wasn’t scorching, which make climbing the big dunes an easier task. The wind would blow from time to time, creating these beautiful visual effects on the sand.

I had almost an hour there until sunset, and I really enjoyed the solitude as I started to do a whole replay of this long trip that started almost two years ago, remembering the people I met, the bus rides I took, the meals I ate, and many other small details that were buried deep in my memory. It was one of those special moments when I really enjoyed the setting and realized how luck I am.

Sharqiya Sands
Sharqiya Sands
Sharqiya Sands
Sharqiya Sands
Sunset over Sharqiya Sands
Sunset over Sharqiya Sands
Sharqiya Sands
Sharqiya Sands
Sharqiya Sands
Sharqiya Sands
Sunset over Sharqiya Sands
Sunset over Sharqiya Sands
Sunset over Sharqiya Sands
Sunset over Sharqiya Sands

Leaving the place after the sun went own, I told myself that I had to come back to experience this again in the following few days. I did that just two days later, but strong winds would prevent me going up the dunes again.

As a consolation, on the way out of the desert I caught a glimpse of a pack of camels in the distance as they walked through the sand filled winds.

Camels, Sharqiya Sands
Camels, Sharqiya Sands

I also made a long drive south to the small port of Shannah. The. It’s about 300 km one-way from Sur, and it took me over seven hours to complete the round trip. The reason for doing it was to experience the paved road that cuts through the Sharqiya Sands, but I ended up a bit disappointed with the views. Except for a short stretch where I could see sand dunes and around me and some Bedu settlements, the rest of the drive was pretty monotonous.

Boats by Arabian Sea, Oman
Boats by Arabian Sea, Oman

Camel on paved road through Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands

Bedu settlements, Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands
Bedu settlements, Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands
Driving on paved road through Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands
Driving on paved road through Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands
Camels, Sharqiya Sands
Camels, Sharqiya Sands

Despite the slightly disappointing drive, experiencing that sunset at the Sharqiya Sands was one of the defining moments of my trip around the world.

Posted in Travel, Photography, Round The World Trip, Middle East, Oman
Leave a comment
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Post navigation

   Sur, Wadi Shab, and Wadi Bani Khalid
The Goat Market in Nizwa, Oman   

You may also like

Western USA Road Trip: Zion National Park

Continue Reading
Looking back at Wheeler Peak

Western USA Road Trip: Great Basin National Park

Continue Reading

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Subscribe


 

Categories

  • Travel (354)
    • Round The World Trip (242)
      • Pre-Trip (20)
    • Americas (176)
      • Argentina (24)
      • Bolivia (12)
      • Brazil (20)
      • Canada (12)
      • Chile (12)
      • Colombia (9)
      • Mexico (9)
      • Peru (21)
      • United States (71)
      • Uruguay (3)
      • Venezuela (8)
    • Africa (13)
      • Djibouti (2)
      • Eritrea (6)
      • Somalia (6)
    • Asia (46)
      • Cambodia (4)
      • China (1)
      • Hong Kong (1)
      • Japan (15)
      • Macau (1)
      • Malaysia (2)
      • Mongolia (1)
      • Myanmar (10)
      • Singapore (2)
      • Taiwan (8)
      • Thailand (4)
    • Caribbean (14)
      • Dominica (14)
    • Europe (1)
      • Russia (1)
    • Middle East (26)
      • Iran (13)
      • Jordan (1)
      • Kuwait (3)
      • Oman (7)
      • Qatar (3)
      • United Arab Emirates (4)
    • Oceania (50)
      • Australia (8)
      • New Zealand (42)
  • Hiking (149)
    • John Muir Trail (31)
    • West Coast Trail (10)
    • Olympic National Park (7)
    • Yosemite National Park (10)
    • Sequoia National Park (6)
    • Angeles National Forest (2)
    • Ansel Adams Wilderness (5)
    • Bryce Canyon National Park (1)
    • Chapada Diamantina (1)
    • Death Valley National Park (1)
    • King's Canyon National Park (8)
    • Mount Roraima (3)
    • New Zealand Great Walks (33)
    • Salkantay To Machu Picchu (9)
    • Torres del Paine (6)
    • Waitukubuli National Trail (11)
    • Zion National Park (2)
  • Motorcycle (12)
  • Photography (286)
  • Train Rides (14)
  • Life (15)
  • Other Stuff (2)

Archives

  • 2020 (2)
    • April (2)
  • 2019 (5)
    • July (2)
    • June (3)
  • 2018 (10)
    • May (2)
    • March (4)
    • February (1)
    • January (3)
  • 2017 (34)
    • December (1)
    • September (1)
    • May (1)
    • April (4)
    • March (12)
    • February (10)
    • January (5)
  • 2016 (47)
    • November (1)
    • October (4)
    • September (6)
    • August (4)
    • July (2)
    • May (2)
    • April (8)
    • March (11)
    • February (3)
    • January (6)
  • 2015 (75)
    • December (1)
    • October (6)
    • September (2)
    • August (5)
    • July (8)
    • June (7)
    • May (9)
    • April (13)
    • March (13)
    • February (6)
    • January (5)
  • 2014 (80)
    • December (2)
    • November (5)
    • October (6)
    • September (9)
    • August (7)
    • July (6)
    • June (10)
    • May (17)
    • April (5)
    • March (4)
    • February (4)
    • January (5)
  • 2013 (27)
    • December (4)
    • November (2)
    • October (6)
    • September (2)
    • June (1)
    • May (5)
    • April (3)
    • March (2)
    • January (2)
  • 2012 (14)
    • December (3)
    • November (5)
    • September (1)
    • August (2)
    • June (1)
    • March (1)
    • February (1)
  • 2011 (18)
    • December (1)
    • November (2)
    • October (2)
    • September (2)
    • August (1)
    • July (1)
    • May (1)
    • April (6)
    • March (1)
    • January (1)
  • 2010 (28)
    • December (4)
    • October (2)
    • September (1)
    • August (3)
    • July (7)
    • May (3)
    • April (2)
    • March (3)
    • January (3)
  • 2009 (22)
    • December (6)
    • November (3)
    • October (1)
    • September (5)
    • August (2)
    • July (2)
    • June (1)
    • March (1)
    • January (1)
  • 2008 (4)
    • November (2)
    • May (1)
    • March (1)
  • 2006 (4)
    • November (1)
    • February (1)
    • January (2)

kevinstravel

After 18 weeks of training, ready for my first mar After 18 weeks of training, ready for my first marathon tomorrow #surfcitymarathon
San Marco Basilica in Venice #travel #italy 🇮🇹
Ponte Vecchio in Florence during sunset #travel #i Ponte Vecchio in Florence during sunset #travel #italy 🇮🇹
The surreal 3 madrassas from the 15-17th centuries The surreal 3 madrassas from the 15-17th centuries in Samarkand. #travel #silkroad #uzbekistan 🇺🇿
Load More... Follow Me on Instagram

996 Days Traveled
33 Countries Visited
290 Beds Slept In
79 Flights Taken
180 Buses Long Distance
93 Trains Long Distance
48 Boats Survived

© 2006-2020 Kevin's Travel Blog. All Rights Reserved.