Oman - Musandam, the Norway of the Middle East

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In April, we travelled to Oman over Easter, specifically the northern area of Musandam. If you are not aware, Oman is actually separated into some geographically isolated areas, take a look at the map on the right to find them. In fact there is an area of Oman surrounded completely by the UAE, and in turn, there is a small enclave of the UAE inside this area. However, we visited the beautiful coastal exclave around Khasab in the north. 

The drive from Dubai took around 3 hours - keeping in mind we stopped a few times on the way and probably didn't take the most efficient route. It's an enjoyable drive, partly through the desert and partly along the coast. 

Enjoy the photos of the trip below.

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The Coastal Drive

Driving along the coast one encounters a lot of interesting spots, with boats, mosques and small cities dotted alongside the mountains.

Football

A big empty plot near the expanded artificial harbour is used for a game of football.

Trees on the Mountain

Interestingly shaped trees are dotted alongside the mountain ranges surrounding Khasab. Have not figured out what kind of trees these are yet though.

Cars of Choice

Range and Land Roevers are the cars of choice for the well established local.

Knowledge Corner

Wisdom built over centuries is probably passed through generations at this place.

Entrance

There were a few beautiful houses with amazing doors like this one dotted around the city.

Full Moon

The moon was rising over the mountains one night, casting a bright light over the valley in which Khasab is set.

Along the Coast

One of the small bays along the route from the UAE to Musandam, with a small village set along the road.

Up on the Cliffs

We drove (and walked) up some of the cliffs along the mountains as well, and encountered some beautiful scenery.

Boat Ride

Boats are a very important method of transportation in this area. In fact, some villages can't be reached at all by car and only barely by foot.

Goats

These are everywhere - driving hazards as well.

Khasab Castle

The castle of Khasab is set at the entrance into the city and was built in the 17th century.

The Ruler

Photos of the ruler and past rules are dotted around the city.

Khasab City Center

Surprisingly, there is a relatively nice and modern city centre set away from the sea.

Khasab Center Mosque

The main mosque in Khasab isn't particularly outstanding, but still one of the most impressive buildings in the city.

Construction Safety

... does not seem a major concern.

Homes with Style

It's not uncommon to see homes with extensive decorative elements.

Little Girl

Despite popular assumptions, even in more conservative places like Oman, female kids are running around playing like their male counterparts.

Get Together

A very typical scene.

Universal Signs

Say Hi to the cool kids!

Goat

In your face!

A Chat at Sunset

Two locals sitting by the canal into the harbour and discussing life. One of the mosques is visible in the background set against the mountain backdrop.

Mosques & Mountains

One of the smaller mosques set against the mountains at sunset.

View from Atana Musandam

This is the view from the hotel we stayed in, looking towards the west over the mountains.

Local Women

Two local women walking through the sand.

Random Things

On our boat ride through the fjords we saw some strange things - such as this freezer in the mountains. Unfortunately we didn't get to see any dolphins, even though they are quite common in the area.

Transport

Some of the villages around the Fjords are only accessible by boat.

Dhow Travel

The larger dhows are still used for transporting goods over the sea. Inside the fjords, they are mainly used for touristic purposes, and the original wooden ones have been replaced by more modern models out of polycarbonate.

View into the Fjords

We took a day trip around the fjords north of Khasab. While the weather wasn't ideal, the view was beautiful at times.

Mountain Villages

As mentioned, some villages are not accessible by road. Here you can see why this is the case. Notice the power lines coming in over the mountains. Water is often stored in large containers and provided by the Omani government.

Going for a Swim

The fjords are great for snorkelling - although we did encounter some jellyfish...

Watching Out

Our captain on the dhow.

Patriotism

Someone decided to climb up here to draw the Omani flag in the middle of this remote mountain in the fjords.

Shapes

Notice the beautiful shapes and colours along the mountains.

Remote Home?

Another remote home - here you can see the water container I had mentioned earlier.

Dirty Birds

This rock is not coloured white...

Atana Musandam

The biggest and newest hotel in Khasab - fairly pleasant, but not outstanding.

Boat Parking

The artificial canal built around the harbour is used for locals to park their boats.

Breeding

The birds used small holes in the walls of the castle as breeding grounds. On the bottom right of the whole you can see a small glimpse of a chick that already hatched.

Hello

In the towers of Khasab Castles, a number of parrots were breeding. I was able to capture this shot through one of the old firing holes in the tower.

View over Khasab Castle

A view over the Khasab Castle with the Omani flag.