Explore the hidden treasures of Dhofar

Muscat: The governorate of Dhofar continues to gain popularity as a hot spot for tourists during the Khareef season. Despite its popularity, quite a few gems remain off the radar for most tourists.
Anas Al Dheeb, a photographer from Salalah said: “Many tourist sites in the governorate are unknown to many visitors because most prefer to visit the well-known places that have basic services on offer. According to Al Dheeb, one such area is Al Fazaih beach, which is home to some spectacular views. The beach can be accessed by driving straight along Al Maghsail road.
The western wilayats of Dhofar, such as Dhalkut and Rakhyut, are well known and packed full of beautiful spots. However not many tourists like to visit such areas due to their distance from the main city of Salalah.
“Shat, Al Hota, Sarfait and Deem are other cities in the western area of Dhofar, although these are dangerous to visit alone, so you must go with an expert tourist guide,” Al Dheeb said.
Adnan Daheesh, another local from Salalah said: “The hidden gems in our governorate that I would like to share with Khareef visitors are Jabjat and Shahit in the wilayat of Taqah, and Nahiz in the northern part of the governorate.”
Wadi Nahiz is located within the area of Al Hajaf, and is roughly 12km from Salalah, close to the Muscat-Salalah Road. The wadi is known for a cave located on a plateau.
The cave, which overlooks the wadi, has a large entrance and an arch decorated with old, large beams around two metres in height. To reach the main room of the cave, you have to pass through the narrow passage on the north side of the entrance.
The cave boasts a number of stunning structures, such as columns and stalagmites of various types. Tahani from the wilayat of Taqah, said: “Most of the tourist destinations are known to everyone, but there are some beautiful places that many tourists don’t know about, mainly due to the distance from the city or because of the difficulty faced in reaching them.
“The unknown sites that I invite tourists to discover are Taqah Hills, Wadi Hinna in the wilayat of Mirbat, Ain Natif in the area of Hasik, and the mountain road between Taqah and Salalah, which takes you to Sahlnout. This way you will see spectacular views while going there.”[email protected]