Ramlat al Wahaybah

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Impressions
The Ramlat al Wahaybah, or Wahibah sand sea, lies in eastern Oman, just south of the eastern limit of Al Hajar mountains (see satellite image). The image will open in a separate window. The size is 72.5 K and the file takes up to 30 seconds to download fully at 28.8K.

From Space, the dunes appear to stretch longitudinally north-south for 180 km, lying over an area of approximately 10,000 sq km. A Royal Geographical Society expedition in 1985-1986 discovered not only that there are a very wide variety of dune formations but also several formerly unknown plants and animals in the region.

View of the northern edge of the Wahibah sands. Wadi al Batha lies between the sands and the Al Hajar mountains in the distance.		The Wahibah sands are underlain by deposits of aeolianite - "fossilized" sand dunes from an earlier era.

 

The present sand sea is thought to be a relic from an earlier climatic period which ended 20,000 years ago. Even before then, there had been successive wetter and dryer intervals, and lakes have even formed. Heavy rains in 1996 created a lake then, but it disappeared very quickly!

A belt of woodland lies on the eastern edge of the Wahibah. The Prosopis tree is distinctive. It seems to survive in this arid environment because its very long routes can reach deep groundwater and by trapping dew from the fogs which sweep in intermittently from the Arabian Sea.

Distinctive shape of the Prosopis tree		Village on the northern edge of the Wahibah sands. Groundwater sustains agriculture, mostly dates and animal fodder

 

The Bedu
The Bedu, the nomadic inhabitants of the Wahibah, herd flocks of goats, finding water from scarce wells.

This dug well was dry at the time we visited		Bedu women with goat herd

But the Bedu travel by four-wheel drive rather than by camel these days. Camels are prized more as racing animals.  

This particular beast was valued at about $130,000 - the camel that is, not me!  That was in 1995 - in 2000, the best camels fetch up to $213,000 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).		Young boys jockey the camels, which race at an average speed of 40 kilometres per hour.  Owners follow their beasts in four-wheel drive vehicles on a parallel track.

Prize animals are pampered with a diet of best dates, honey, alfalfa and cow milk and ghee, costing as much as $1,000 a month.

Both Bedu and tourists attended the Rimal al Sharqiyah Festival held over Eid al Adha in 2000, with singing, dancing, camel rides, dune climbing and display and sale of local handicrafts.  This should become an annual event.

Folk music at night		A Bedu woman sells carpets woven from goat hair

The two pictures above and the racing camels by Abdullah Ibrahim al Shuhi  and published in the Oman Observer,  March 2000

The desert
The colours of the sand of the Wahibah are breathtaking, particularly in early morning and late afternoon. Personally, I find them very warm and soothing. And forget goat-skin tents. The Bedu appreciate colour too!

Ozzie and I went on a photography mission. This is him just after sunrise.		A desert home.The Bedu like to brighten up their lives too.

 

My journey right across the Wahibah, with friends from the Jebel Hash, followed the established track starting south of Al Mintirib. It took us over six hours, stopping frequently to check the maps and GPS positions. At one point, the track turns east and you have to cross the dunes. I only got stuck once, but reversing up the slope of the previous dune and hard revving in four-wheel drive low gear soon sorted that out.

We emerged at a fishing hamlet called Qariyat Juhayd on the coast in early afternoon, amongst huge, rolling dunes 100 m high. Motoring north along the coast, we found the beach sands more loose and harder to drive in than the inter-dune tracks of the Wahaybah. At any rate, we camped by the sea for the night, and as you can see, we had the beach to ourselves.

Emerging from the Wahibah dunes, Qariyat Juhayd is just the few small shacks in the distance.		The Arabian Sea, east of the Wahibah sands. We camped here overnight. Use quality sleeping bags to protect yourself from heavy dew.

Several tour operators will arrange trips to the Wahibah.  You will be able to sleep in tents or under the stars, like we did, where you can either admire the Milky Way or realize just how bright moonlight can be.

Oasis Tourism has a custom-built Bedu village in the sands from where you can trek by camels or motor by 4-wheel drive.  Telephone +(968)24 797973 or fax +(968)24 797977 and mobile +(968 99439729), e-mail: oasistrs@omantel.net.om.  Also try Nomadic Adventures and Tours who can take you on a camel trek right across the Wahibah staying with Bedu families on the way. 

If you're reluctant to camp out in the desert, you can still experience travels in the Wahibah returning to a bed overnight.  The Al Areesh camp offers accommodation just 20 minutes drive from the Sands.  Desert Discovery also manages the Al Naseem camp near the Ras al Junaiz turtle sanctuary. Check with tour operators for other, similar accommodation. 

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