Day 9: Shaat Village Suspended in the Clouds & Mughsail Beach

At an altitude of 1000 meters, the village of Shaat is one of the most prominent and popular tourist destinations in Salalah. It is located on the slopes of Jabal Al Qamar and overlooks the Indian Ocean. Shaat was the most awaited place to visit and yet the most disappointing. I will explain why.

UNFAVOURABLE WEATHER CONDITIONS

In fact, I visited Shaat previously, on the second day of my trip around Salalah, right after leaving Masood Hidden Beach. But on that day, the weather was gloomy, cloudy; the visibility was close to zero, and it was raining non-stop. So I did not have a chance to see anything. And on a clear day, the view is just mind-blowing.

Turns out, you really need to be lucky to witness the clouds above the cliff during khareef season. As charming as it is having the clouds below your feet, under these clouds, there is such an incredible view hiding that it is just a shame not to be able to see it.

Even despite the long waiting for the clouds to rise (by the way, it looked as if nature was teasing the visitors – as soon as you could see that the clouds were rising, suddenly they would drop down from doubled heights), each visit to Shaat was an amazing experience. Once I was at the top, treading riskily at the edge of the mountain, it seemed like I was in another land, maybe another world or a kind of an odd planet suspended in some galaxy.

There are two main places to visit in Shat, which are the viewing point with parking and rest area that can be reached by a sedan (16.764411, 53.601134) and Shaat hidden beach that is accessible only by 4×4.

Of course, there are always a lot of tourists in Shaat, but I found a rather hidden corner, here: 16.766667, 53.606487, where I was able to relax undisturbed for some time. This area is also worth checking: 16.762396, 53.586879.

SHAAT HIDDEN BEACH

I personally did not visit Shaat Hidden Beach (16.789156, 53.673236) due to the lack of time and also due to the uncertainty of the road in monsoon season, as I have been told it gets very muddy, slippery and as the road goes along the cliff, through some steep ledges, this is certainly not a good connection. The altitude loss is about 1000 meters along the 10 km route. Taking into consideration fact that I travel alone, I passed this time.

The risky road, however, does not change the fact that the views along it are beautiful. However, I think it would be safer to hike down the route in khareef season (read more about khareef here: Day 3: Pristine Paradise — Fazayah Beach).

Depending on ebb and flow, there might be limited space at Shaat hidden beach, as the beach itself is quite tiny.

There is an army checkpoint on the way to Shaat. There are several of them in Salalah, as this area is very close to the border with Yemen. The army officers asked me for a passport and vehicle ownership card and after about 5 minutes I was free to go.

I regret that I did not go further toward the border with Yemen (especially to visit towns like Rakyout and Dhalqut), but contrary to appearances, the way to the border still takes around 2 hours.

MUGHSAIL BEACH IN SALALAH

On the way back I decided to visit the popular spots at the Mughsail Beach, which are Al Marneef Cave and the famous blowholes (16.875703, 53.766789).

The youngest visitors especially loved the natural phenomenon that occurs here. During the monsoon season, when the sea is extremely rough, the water is driven into the rock cave under the shore and it escapes upwards through the holes.

To be honest, there were so many people there that I had a glance at the beach from afar and hurried back to my car.

Mughsail Beach salalah — *Mughsail Beach in Salalah, Oman*

The beauty of Mughsail Beach is undeniable, but as I already mentioned many times, I try to avoid public attractions. I feel obliged to emphasize once again how important it is to get to all these wonderful natural spots in Salalah as early as possible, to enjoy healing nature in peace and silence.

Worth mentioning is also the other part of Mughsail Beach — the white sand six kilometers stretch along the coast with mountains in the background and crystal clear water, which is easily accessible through the directly adjacent main street.

The government has made a huge effort and built small castles (16.882757, 53.793820) among the palm trees, which serve as places for camping and picnics, a shade from the sun, and a privacy barrier.

TIME TO SAY GOODBYE TO SALALAH

This is the end of my trip around Salalah. With tears in my eyes, I left this region with the feeling that I will definitely have to come back next year to enjoy the misty mountains in the beautiful khareef season again. There is still so much to see but certain places and people will stay in my heart forever.

If you would like to read other articles from the series of articles about my trip to Salalah, you can check them out here.

REMEMBER!

Do not leave any garbage behind, including food. Even organic waste can take months to biodegrade and meanwhile it will attract animals. It may make them stop eating their natural food and rely on what humans leave behind and make them sick.
Have always a bag ready to collect trash left behind by other inconsiderate people – in the end, you are saving nature.
Hike or camp over gravel and rocks. In some areas, the vegetation can take years to grow back.
Leave natural and historical items where you find them.
Minimize cooking over a campfire, use the stove instead – it is less impact on the wilderness.

UAE OFF-ROADER GUIDE

If you are looking for more off-road trails to discover around the United Arab Emirates, I can recommend this ultimate guide that is packed with many routes, giving very detailed information and answering all questions you could have about off-roading in the UAE.

You can get it from Amazon.