Oman – Birds, Desert & Culture

Naturetrek Tour Itinerary

Outline itinerary

Day 1 Fly overnight to Muscat via Dubai

Day 2 Batinah Coast

Day 3 Muscat

Day 4 Muscat

Day 5 Sur Estuary

Day 6 Bar Al Hikman and Al Ghaftayn Crab Plover courtesy of Chris Ward Day 7 Muntasar

Day 8/9 Salalah and Al Mughsayl

Day 10 Sumhumran and a Salalah farm before flying to Dubai

Day 11 Dubai & London Departs November

Focus Primarily birds, but culture and natural history Spinner Dolphins Grading Mostly easy walks. Grade A

Dates and Prices See website (tour code OMN01) or brochure

Highlights ●Look for Upcher's Warbler & Yellow-throated Sparrow ●Gull-billed & White-cheeked Terns plus Hoopoe Lark ●Visit key sites for Crab Plovers & Hume's Wheatear Spotted Sandgrouse courtesy of Chris Ward

Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf’s Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK

T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk

Oman - Birds, Desert & Culture Tour Itinerary

Introduction The Sultanate of Oman is one of the most developed and stable countries in the Arab world and has longstanding ties with Britain. Its avifauna reflects its strategic position in the Middle East, with influences from the Indian subcontinent as well as Africa. Oman’s landscape weaves a captivating spell over those privileged to see it; the beautiful Al Hajar Mountains jut starkly out of the desert plain in the north- east, while along the southern coast desert sands are fringed by a brilliant turquoise sea. This tour is timed to coincide with an excellent selection of birds: desert specialties; coastal seabirds; waders; other resident birds and late migrants. Itinerary Please note that the itinerary below offers our planned programme of excursions. However, adverse weather & other local considerations can necessitate some re-ordering of the programme during the course of the tour, though this will always be done to maximise best use of the time and weather conditions available. Day 1 Dubai

We depart London Heathrow for an overnight flight to Dubai and then catch an onward flight to Muscat. Day 2 Batinah Coast

On arrival in Muscat, we will be met by our local drivers for the drive north to Ras al Sawadi. Here we will look for waders and sea birds including Caspian, Gull-billed, Bridled and White-cheeked Terns as well as Terek Sandpiper. Behind the coastal lagoon (khawr) we will look for Hoopoe Lark and on the drive from the peninsula we will look for Upcher’s Warbler and Yellow-throated Sparrow. In the surrounding fields we will find a good selection of local specialties, with birds such Isabelline Shrike as Indian Roller, Little Green Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Rufous Bush Robin and Isabelline & Southern Grey Shrikes to add to our growing list. As the sun sets we will book into our Muscat hotel for the next 3 nights.

Day 3 Muscat

In the morning we visit the Al Ansab lagoons. These man-made lagoons at the water treatment works have been formed by pumping surplus water into the settling ponds creating a landscape of reedy wetland, trees and pools. The company has worked hard to develop the area as a nature reserve for the education of the local populace and an excellent place for birds. The reeds host Great Reed Warbler and a shy crake is possible, while the pools and marshes should provide us with many other wetland species, including Purple Heron, Garganey, Red-wattled Plover, Temminck’s

Oman - Birds, Desert & Culture Tour Itinerary

Stint, Pintail Snipe, Green & Wood Sandpipers, while Whiskered & White-winged Black Terns hawk for insects above the ponds and Marsh Harriers suddenly appear to surprise the feeding waders. In the afternoon we will travel to the Al Hajar Mountains to experience the birds and spectacular scenery. We will visit the Al Ghubrah Bowl through the impressive gorge of Wadi Sabt. We will look for Sand Partridge, Lappet-faced Vulture, Plain Leaf Warbler, Scrub Warbler and Red-wattled Plover various wheatears.

Day 4 Muscat

After an overnight stay we will take a short pelagic voyage round Al Fahal Island looking for the last Sooty Falcons before they depart. We will look for other seabirds including Red-billed Tropicbird, Red-necked Phalarope and shearwaters as well as dolphins bow chasing by the boat. In the afternoon we will visit the old city and stop at the Souk near the harbour. The Souk is a myriad of alleys where shops sell silver, gold and all delights of Arabian produce. The old city contains the original palace and is protected by forts at the entrance to the bay. Afterwards we will walk around Qurm Park to find Yellow-vented, Red-vented and White-cheeked Bulbuls. We explore the park for vagrants and the unusual which are attracted by the luscious growth. Finally we will drive to the Qurm Estuary to look for herons, raptors and waders from the bridge by the outflow.

Day 5 Sur Estuary

We start the day by visiting the magnificent Sultan Al Qaboos Grand Mosque with its peaceful gardens that attract a range of small birds. We then head south along the new coastal highway stopping at Qurayyat for Egyptian Vulture and at some of the small canyons to search for Hume’s Wheatear. It is then onto Sur where traditional dhows are still built. We continue south to Khawr Jirama to see Crab Plover before the sun sets. Other birds present could include Greater Flamingo, and Terek Sandpipers. The night is spent in a hotel on a White-cheeked Bulbuls prominent. After dinner we have a visit to see the turtles coming onto the beach to lay their eggs. We return to the resort for late evening.

Day 6 Bar Al Hikman and Al Ghaftayn

We start our first of two long drives today via Bar Al Hikman for birdwatching on a grand scale. This area, though not known for numbers of species, is special for the amount of birds that continue

Oman - Birds, Desert & Culture Tour Itinerary to fascinate birdwatchers in Oman. Herons, waders, terns and gulls winter in this location after migrating from their northern climes. Clouds of plovers and sandpipers cover the mud flats and we will look for Crab Plover and Great Knot. After lunch we then head further south to Al Duqm for a bird extravaganza before a new port is built. We then head inland to the flat desert for our overnight stay at the Al Ghaftayn Motel arriving after dark and a break at Hayma.

Day 7 Muntasar

We walk around the gardens of the motel before breakfast looking for overnight migrant arrivals before we check out and head south for a further hour on a well-graded track. Our destination is Muntasar - an isolated airstrip and abandoned sulphurous spring are all that remain of the settlement 30 km north of Qatbit. A thinly forested plain of ancient Ghaf trees manage to survive in the intense heat, sometimes without receiving rainfall for 4 or 5 years. However, the main event for us is to await the arrival of Spotted and Crowned Ayn Sahnawt Sandgrouse to drink at the spring – a magical experience at such a remote place. In the breeding season adult Sandgrouse may fly daily 20 or 30 miles to drink at this spring, and will soak its belly feathers, before making the daily mammoth journey back to its nest to provide its young with fresh drinking water! We will find a selection of other desert species here, including Desert and Pied Wheatears and Southern Grey Shrike. If we are very lucky we will spot a Grey Hypocolius. After the spectacle visit of Sandgrouse we then head south to Qatbit Motel for a short break to explore the ‘gardens’ before our long drive south detouring into farms that are scattered over this eastern edge of the Rub’ al Khali. As darkness falls we will arrive at our guesthouse in Dahariz for the next 3 nights.

Day 8 Salalah and Al Mughsayl

We awake to the sound of lapping waves on a beach covered with gulls and waders. Early in the morning fishermen will be casting their lines and it will feel like we are in the tropics with waving palm trees and a cooling sea-breeze. Today is an early start to visit some good birdwatching sites west of Salalah, including Khawr Mughsayl, one of the most interesting brackish lagoons along this coast. Our first stop is a golf course! It is then on to West Khawr. At these local sites we aim to look for

Steppe Eagle Ferruginous Duck and Garganey. We should find Western Reef Heron, Squacco Heron, Night Heron, and Intermediate Egret. Offshore, Brown Booby is likely and the beach will be alive with Sooty Gulls and Sandwich & Lesser Crested Terns. All good birdwatching trips have at least one not so glamorous location to visit. We visit the Salalah rubbish

Oman - Birds, Desert & Culture Tour Itinerary tip where Great Spotted & Steppe Eagles gather in large numbers and the local sewage works attracts a range of waders, as well as notable species such as Abdim’s Stork. We will head further west to Mughsayl beach and Khawr. This is the most important site west of Salalah. One of our key species here is Socotra Cormorant, whilst around the Khawr we will look for Namaqua Dove. Unfortunately the fortunes of the Khawr have diminished over the years but it can still throw up the odd surprise such as Pheasant-tailed Jacana. After a leisurely lunch of local food looking out to sea we will visit the blowholes next door. We will look at natural Frankincense trees before driving up the wadi looking for pipits and Verreaux’s Eagle. That night we will look for Desert (Hume’s) Tawny Owl before heading back to the hotel. Day 9 Salalah

An early start to Ayn Torbraq where there is a water point liked by species such as Golden-winged Grosbeak. We then move on to one of the natural springs, in the ravine of Ayn Hamran, where we will make a start on the local specialties, such as Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Blackstart, White-breasted White- eye, African Silverbill, Rüppell’s Weaver, Abyssinian Sunbird, African Paradise Flycatcher and African Rock Bunting. The first of the specialties, Arabian Warbler is also likely. This race is endemic to south- west Arabia, although the species itself also occurs Arabian Partridge in parts of northern Arabia too. The hills above the ayn (spring) are excellent for Fan-tailed Raven and raptors including Booted, Bonelli’s and Short-toed Eagle. If we are vigilant and lucky, we might see a drifting pair of Verreaux’s Eagles, which nest in caves on the face of the towering escarpment. In the bushes we should keep an eye out for Black-crowned Tchagra and skulking Arabian Partridge. Our next stop is Wadi Darbat which is one of the most beautiful wadis of the Dhofar Mountains. This area is good for raptors, especially eagles. Another Dhofar specialty, Tristram’s Grackle is present as well as Arabian Warbler and South Arabian Wheatear. As we explore the lakes and trees we will keep a look out for Pin-tailed Snipe, White-breasted Waterhen and Pheasant-tailed Jacana. Next is a short visit to Tawi Atair where a huge sink hole hosts an isolated population of Yemen Serin, a south-west Arabian endemic species, only recently discovered to be resident here. A short descent along a boulder-strewn path will lead us to the edge of the deep cavern, probably more exciting than the final views of the rather dull Serin itself! A walk in the scrub will hopefully produce Singing Bush-lark. We will start to head back towards Salalah, stopping at the western side of

Rüppell’s Weaver Khawr Rawri for any water birds including Yellow Bittern at the edge of its range. Our last stop of the day is back at Ayn Torbraq. As the light fades

Oman - Birds, Desert & Culture Tour Itinerary we will use a vehicle lights to shine on the water point as Lichtenstein Sandgrouse arrive for a drink. We return to Dahariz for a good night’s rest.

Day 10 Sumhuram

Today we will pay a visit to several creeks east of Salalah. These wetlands are unique in being adjacent to the sandy coastline, but cut off from the sea by natural sand bars, so creating brackish lagoons fed by mountain springs. East Khawr, and Khawr Rawri will produce a number of interesting species. At East Khawr we will see many small waders as well as Western Reef Heron, and Glossy Ibis. Khawr Rori is a good place to find rarities as well as ducks and species such as Eurasian Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo and the ‘Dohar Swift’. Kawr Rawri The khawr is by the ancient town of Sumhuram which dates back to the 4th century BC which we will visit, including a museum. We then return to the airport via Sahnwat Farm for our afternoon flight to Dubai, where we will spend the night in a local hotel. Day 11 Dubai and London

This morning we will be birdwatching in Dubai concentrating on those species we did not see in Oman. The programme remains flexible so that we get the maximum output before returning to the airport for our flight back to London. There are a range of reserves not far from the hotel and airport, however, a must is the Ramsar site at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary where a hide provides a feast of birds by an outlet flow. We will also visit Mushrif National Park to look for Arabian Babbler. Where else we go will depend on traffic!

As soon as it’s time, we will make our way to the airport and head back home, taking back with us many memories of this captivating region.

Tour grading

This is a gentle-pace birding tour on which we will undertake short leisurely walks. Weather

In November, Oman’s climate is likely to be warm to hot and dry. We can expect clear blue skies across the country with temperatures between 20 °C and low 30s °C, but it can get cool in the evening in the south.

Oman - Birds, Desert & Culture Tour Itinerary

Food & accommodation included in the price

All food and accommodation is included in the price of this tour except any meals taken in transit.

Your safety & security

You have chosen to travel to Oman. Risks to your safety and security are an unavoidable aspect of all travel and the best current advice on such risks is provided for you by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In order to assess and protect against any risks in your chosen destination, it is essential that you refer to the Foreign Office website – www.fco.gov.uk/travel or telephone 0870 6060290 regularly prior to travel.

Bird lists & previous reports

Where available these will be provided with your Final Joining Instructions, and will gladly be sent to you before, if you wish for a more detailed preview.

How to book your place

In order to book your place on this holiday, please give us a call on 01962 733 051 with a credit or debit card, book online at www.naturetrek.co.uk, or alternatively complete and post the booking form at the back of our main Naturetrek brochure, together with a deposit of 20% of the holiday cost plus any room supplements if required. If you do not have a copy of the brochure, please call us on 01962 733 051 or request one via our website. Receive our e-newsletter

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