Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Opt for cooler getaways this Eid holiday

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A time to relax and a chance to escape the daily humdrum, holidays bring in waves of happiness and memories. Nothing can be more soothing than stepping into serene getaways as they offer endless natural surprises and a time to pamper one’s self.


As Eid holidays have already started, most people are looking for cool escapades to beat the summer heat. The Sultanate is blessed with natural assortments, providing amazing options from scenic marvels to places with low mercury levels.


Its versatile topography also allows for different kinds of adventures, some but a few hours drive from the capital and some only accessible by flying or sailing by boat on the country’s azure waters.


Although the summer is at its peak and temperatures are going beyond 40 degrees, few milieus are sure to cool you down. Here are a few places you should highly consider during the Eid holidays.


Salalah as a great summer destination. With all its age-old booming tourist attractions and is the second largest city of Oman, the land of Frankincense offers the kind of escape one would need without leaving the Middle East. Salalah’s natural spectacles were conserved to please travellers. The waterfalls of Wadi Darbat are a splendour to behold. The rich and diverse flora-fauna makes this place a tourists’ heaven. The drizzling weather with monsoon on its card (June- September), cloudy terrain, green pastures, coconut fringed beaches, banana plantations, camels strolling along the beaches, waterfalls, lakes and many more, make Salalah a must-visit place.

The most acclaimed surfers’ paradise, this island holds a record temperature of 25 degrees, keeping its climate cool all throughout the year. A long and a memorable drive through the sands of Al Askharah till the salt flats of Shannah Harbour should never be missed. The forty-five-minute ferry ride over the turquoise blue sea from Shannah makes the trip even more exciting. Landing on this island makes one forget the city fatigue. Watch out as the surfers enjoy braving the winds and high tidal waves. A land of leatherback turtles, the present month welcomes a bale of them for nesting. The serene and picturesque beaches of this island will leave one stumped to wish for few more visits.


Cool sea breeze and moderate temperature make Ras al Hadd as a place to be during the summer months. The land of the rising sun of Middle East, the 26 miles sand-fringed beach of Ash Sharqiyah Governorate not only holds Oman’s oldest sea-faring tales but is also the nesting haven for the most endangered species – the green turtles.Every year in the month of June and July, the beaches witness more than a thousand green turtles, traveling ashore to lay eggs, continuing the cycle of life. A trip for those on the look out for some marine life on land, grand sunrise along the horizon and bizarre rock formation; this place makes sure not to disappoint its sightseer.


The green Hajjar, located about 150 km away from the city of Muscat, Jabal Al Akhdar is unflappable, with a minimum of 20 degrees summer temperature.


The crumbling remains of the abandoned villages clinging along the hilly terrain, the pomegranate, walnut and olive orchards, make it a paradise atop the desert.


The aroma of the pink rose reigns high in this zone of the Sultanate. Famed for its pure rose water and honey, traditionally made by the villagers, preserving the rose gardens and the orchards, are considered to be the best gift from the green mountain. Let these locales help you beat the summer heat. Which of these places do you consider in your bucket-list this Eid?


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