Oman Bird Migration & Desert Wildlife
Date: November 28 - December 12, 2008
Lecturer: Roland Randall Ph.D.
Cost: £2,690 • Course Code: OMWL08
Teeming lagoons and turtle beaches, remote wadis and far-flung desert oases, wooded hillsides and lofty mountain passes - Oman boasts an enthralling diversity of landscapes. The Sultanate's wildlife is equally mesmerising: the rocky shore around Muscat acts as a magnet for migratory birds such as the steppe and eastern imperial eagle, the coastal waters are alive with seabirds and dolphins, and the desert plains support sandgrouse, mountain gazelles and herds of Arabian oryx.
The extensive mud flats at Barr Al Hikman attract fabulous gatherings of greater flamingos, egrets and herons, whilst elsewhere we will expect to encounter up to four species of harrier, lappet-faced vultures, storks, ospreys, Indian rollers and, with luck, rarer species such as crab plover, sooty falcon and Tristram's grackle. Frankincense trees are a further Omani delight, alongside junipers, baobabs, forests of mangrove and terrace farms planted with apricot, almond and walnut.
The Sultanate of Oman, the oldest independent state in the Arab world, also hosts a number of historical and cultural sites of enormous interest: the ancient falaj irrigation system, recently inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List; the frankincense route, centred on one of the most important trading activities of the ancient world; and Ras al Jinz, where, just behind the beach famous for its nesting turtles, there are traces of human development dating back to the 7th millennium BC.
Roland Randall will be assisted by Kevin Hand, M.Sc., conservationist and ornithologist.
This tour is for the fit and adventurous traveller only: we will spend a total of four nights under canvass, camping in the desert, by the sea and on the edge of a lagoon on the Arabian Peninsula. In Muscat, Sawadi and Salalah our hotels will be comfortable and with en suite facilities.
Travel will be by coach and, on occasion, four-wheel drive vehicles.
Itinerary
Day 1Depart Heathrow 0930 on British Airways, arriving Muscat 2215. Transfer to Hotel Ramada, Muscat, for two nights.
Day 2Muscat: Natural History Museum (introduction to Oman's natural environment) then walk through wadi to sea at Bandar Jussah (limestone and ophiolite rocks, acacia, sidr and shareesha trees, 1,000 BC graves, abandoned 19th century village). Afternoon in Quriyat (on Gulf of Oman) for raptor watching: steppe eagle, Egyptian vulture (also sun birds, Indian roller, sandgrouse, avocet).
Day 3Morning: excursion by boat for dolphins (common and spinner) and sea birds followed by grass farm (bee-eaters, francolins, egrets) on north-east coast. Overnight at Sawadi Beach Hotel, Sawadi (set beside sandy beach with offshore islands).
Day 4Drive through wadi system, limestone mountains, date gardens and over mountain pass (eagles, vultures, brown-necked raven) to Saiq Plateau via falaj UNESCO World Heritage site (ancient irrigation water system). Continue to Jebel Akhdar for two nights at Jebel Akhdar Hotel.
Day 5Whole-day excursion in Jebel Akhdar (the “Green Mountain”): walk (with picnic lunch) through juniper woodland, terraced farms with apricot, almond and walnut trees, mountain villages.
Day 6Via desert oasis (farmed dates and other crops) to Ras al Jinz (UNESCO World Heritage site) for endangered green turtles and possible sightings of lappet-faced vulture. Transfer to permanent camp on edge of lagoon at Ras al Hadd.
Day 7Drive to great Wahiba Sands desert (coastal dunes, spectacular cliffs) with overnight in desert camp.
Day 8Coastal drive to Mahoot and Barr Al Hikman (sea birds, flamingo, osprey, herons). Two nights in bell tents close to sea.
Day 9Whole day in Barr Al Hikman: extensive mud flats with oystercatcher, plovers, terns.
Day 10Drive though Duqm, Hayma and central stony desert to Dawkah (drongo, sandgrouse, buzzards, shrikes). Transfer to simple hotel near Dawkah.
Day 11Drive to Salalah along uplands of Qara Mountains with visit to large farm for grass production (storks, harriers, egret). Transfer to Crown Plaza Hotel, Salalah, for three nights.
Day 12Whole-day excursion to coast and mountains near Sadh east of Salalah (molluscs, abalone, gulls, terns, osprey).
Day 13Whole-day excursion in Central Mountains behind Salalah (baobab trees, hyrax, kingfishers, jacana, weavers, harriers).
Day 14Excursion west of Salalah (frankincense, dragon's blood, desert rose). Evening transfer by air to Muscat.
Day 15Depart Muscat 0015, arriving Heathrow 0625.
Cost includes: return airfare, full-board (including picnic lunches on some days), excursions & admissions.
Not included: visa, travel insurance, single room supplement £390.
