Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Desert camping getting popular among tourists

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Camping in desert is becoming popular among the European tourists who love to explore Salalah during the winter season. For them winter in and around Salalah is very pleasant, great escape from the harsh winter in their own countries.


“I cannot tell you how good I am feeling while enjoying the warmth, both of the Sun and the hospitable people of Salalah. I am enjoying every bit of time here and was simply amazed to experience true nature while doing camping with my group in the Empty Quarters,” said Ben who was part of a tourist group from Germany.


Said Ahmed al Fareh, Managing Director of Al Fawaz Tours, confirmed this trend and said, “We had started with a few tents in 2010. Now we not only have to raise the number of tents but have added many new facilities and planning to set up a new camp equipped with the latest facilities suiting to the needs of the travellers.”


“Tourists love simple arrangements in the desert which comprises fixed tents, which can accommodate up to three people in each tent and a total of 27 at a time. Simple yet modern toilet facilities are available at the camp and the most popular area is the fireplace where the tourists gather generally after the night meal and listen Arabic songs and stories from the guides,” said Al Fareh while giving an outline of the camp.


Abdul Qadus and Mintu, who are responsible for all the facilities at the camp, enjoy treating the European guests. “They come from far away countries and are always inquisitive to know about Arabian culture, past and present. Most of them are first timers but there are some who are coming to Salalah since the start of the Scandinavian charter operation 12 years ago,” they said.


The visitors to these camps during the winter season are mainly charters tourists, the number of which has multiplied several times. “We have strong booking this season as there would be some 40,000, tourists, up 30,000 from 2011-12,” said Al Fareh.


The tourists like the camping as they find wonderful opportunity to experience the quietness and silence of the desert, being away from the hustle and bustle of the city life.


The camps give them reason to indulge and enjoy as the temperatures back home range from minus 10 - 15 degrees Celsius.


Among many other activities the tourists love to spend time in the camps, which are spread over in many parts of Dhofar. The organisers of these camps not only offer an entirely different tourism experience to their guests, they try to give them a feeling of old Arabian culture in which family and friend’s gathering around a fireplace was very common.


“The golden sand dunes with very soft texture, almost 250 meters high are worth seeing. A vast land with sand dunes with the sun setting behind them provides the tourists with a rare sight,” said a tourist.


For many others enormous area with dunes and some plants with the Ashra flowers, purple in colour, provide a great contrast containing so much of beauty. “For kilometers one can behold just the desert and the dunes. It was said to be very dangerous to cross this Empty Quarter as people used to get lost in the way while crossing this area as there was no land mark except for the dunes and some desert plants and trees,” they said.


Kaushalendra Singh


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