Cruising The Scenic Fjords Of Oman
Musandam is wild Oman, with barren desert, rocky mountains falling sharply to the sea and isolated villages whose only contact with the outside world is by boat. Some of these villages have existed for centuries and have their own languages. The mysterious town of Kumzar is home to one of these isolated cultures; the Kumzari people are the history of Musandam in one – Portuguese, Hindu, Arab, Persian, and a little bit of British thrown in for good measure. Other villages lie inland, hidden from view by the multitude of peaks and cliffs until you are suddenly within them, dodging goats and their droppings while taking in the sight of 300-year-old houses backing onto sheer rock face.
Musandam’s capital, Khasab is small but important as a point of reference for the many natural attractions in its vicinity. In town, there is an impressive and well-preserved 15th-century fort built by the Portuguese that presents well, and the evening buzz around the souqs will be a surprising counterpoint to the languid atmosphere prevalent during the heat of the day. It’s very much a live and let live society here and, astonishing as it may seem, that relaxed attitude extends to sexuality as well. I saw them with my own eyes, two heavily made-up young men in the hotel’s restaurant. I asked the restaurant host about feminine men in Musandam and was told, ‘that does not matter here, many guys come from Dubai for the weekend’. True, you won’t find pecs or packages bulging from billboards as one does in Western societies, nor are there rainbow flags billowing in the wind, but male camaraderie is certainly taken to higher levels than imagined.
Speaking of bulges, a dhow cruise from Khasab Harbour into the mesmerising fjords of Musandam is an enchanting experience; it is a highlight of any visit to this remote and beguiling destination, not least because the shirtless crew is constantly fussing over the guests. After all, in this seafaring region the sights are best seen and experienced from the water. The dhows are the perfect vessels for visitors, embodying the historical past while manned by very capable crews who have experience with the needs of foreign visitors. If you come this far, you absolutely must see the dolphins swim with the boat in the pristine setting of Sham Fjord, one of the richest areas in the world for scuba diving and snorkelling.
Musandam is becoming something of a must-do destination among divers in the know; the Omani government restricts diving permits to 20 a day, which adds a bit of cachet to those who manage to obtain them. Not that you need to dive to appreciate the marine life; the dhows stop for feeding opportunities, first for the humans on board, then for the fish in the water, the kind of fish that star in tropical aquarium displays across the world, with bold colours and unusually shaped fins.
Deep into Sham Fjord, one comes across Telegraph Island, well hidden and sheltered by a sharp curve in the rock walls. This speck of land was instrumental in communications during Oman’s period of British administration, providing the linking point for cables from Iran to the north and Mumbai to the east. Not many people know the island by name, but many know the phrase it produced; many a British serviceman went ‘around the bend’ from madness in the summer heat and total isolation. If only they had air-conditioning and internet back then.
Inland await more attractions. Tawi, for example, where the nicer houses have three doors: one for guests, one for family, and one for goats. Near the houses are prehistoric drawings still to be given an explanation or provenance, yet intriguing by their simple location unscathed by the side of the road. Mountain safaris up to Jebel Harim, the Mountain Of Women, make for popular daytrips, but don’t let your imagination run away with you; the name comes from the days when the men folk spent long stretches at sea, leaving the women to run things back home. As surprising as they are valuable, the 50 million-year-old fossils of starfish and shelled sea creatures embedded in rock at an elevation of 1,600m leaves one pondering the prehistory of the area, which is also home to the only fjord accessible by road, Khor an Najd. As in Tawi, the fossils are simply a stop at the side of the road and remain in a pristine state. The view from the top of Khor al Najd is superb, the beach at the bottom sublime.
Despite the exoticism of the place, it is surprisingly easy to travel to Musandam from Western Australia; a simple, nonstop flight from Perth to Dubai on Emirates followed by a two-hour transfer by road to your hotel will have you wrapped in luxury at Musandam’s most luxurious hotel, the atmospheric Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay. Located on the peninsula’s eastern coast, Zighy Bay reminds us simple pleasures in a fast-paced world are still among the most pleasurable.
The Ministry Of Tourism of the Sultanate Of Oman is one of the best organised tourism offices in the world; its website is an encyclopaedia of information at your fingertips. Sun Island Tours offer a range of packages to Musandam and the rest of Oman; call 1300 665 673 for more information.
www.omantourism.gov.om
www.sunislandtours.com.au
www.emirates.com
www.sixsenses.com/Six-Senses-Hideaway-Zighy-Bay
Robert La Bua. Images courtesy of John Douglas, JohnDouglasArt.com
