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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival in Oman
Our tour starts in Al Suwadi after supper. We arrive at Seeb International Airport, where we are met by our local coordinator and are transferred to our hotel in Seeb or in Al Suwadi.

Day 2 – Ras Al Suwadi, Khor Suwadi and Barka Lagoons
Today we head northwest through farms and date palm plantations along the Batinah coast, with the high Al Hajar range as a backdrop. Along the beach at Ras Al Suwadi and in cultivated fields, we could find several shorebirds - Snowy Plover, Mongolian and Greater Sand Plovers, Red-wattled Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Terek Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Whimbrel and Common Greenshank, as well as Great Black-headed, Heuglin’s, Yellow-legged, Caspian and Slender-billed Gulls, and Swift and Lesser Crested Terns. Landbirds include Indian Roller, Little Green Bee-eater, Eurasian Hoopoe, Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin, Isabelline and Southern Grey Shrikes, Purple Sunbird, Indian Silverbill, Red-vented Bulbul, Laughing Dove, Rose-ringed Parakeet, White-eared Bulbul, Graceful Warbler, Bluethroat, Red-tailed Wheatear and Graceful Prinia. Red-billed Tropicbirds occur offshore, and we have a chance at a late lingering Sooty Falcon. Overnight in Al Suwadi.

Day 3 – Drive to Sohar
We drive today to Sohar, the second largest town in Oman, for a one-night stay. Our route takes us through grass fields and wetlands, where we should encounter a host of migrant and resident raptors, shorebirds, larks, pipits, wagtails, wheatears, warblers and more. Our target species include Pallid and Montagu’s Harriers, Great Spotted and Imperial Eagle, White-tailed Lapwing, Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns, Grey Francolin, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Short-toed and Bimaculated Larks, Black-crowned Finch-Lark, Small [Oriental] Skylark, and several pipits -Tawny, Richard’s, Long-billed and Red-throated. At the Sohar Sun Farms dairy farm complex, there are series of irrigated meadows which attract Desert Lark, breeding Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters and European Roller. We will keep a watch for Cream-coloured Courser and Caspian Plover. Overnight in Sohar.

Day 4 - Drive to Khatmat Milaha, Shinas, Liwa
We explore Khatmat Milahah, close to the border with the United Arab Emirates, where acacia and Prosopis woodlands support several choice species including Ménétries’s, Eastern Orphean and Plain Leaf Warblers, Eastern Pied Wheatear, Black Redstart and Lesser Whitethroat. Occasionally Great Thick-knee can be found in the area. If time permits, we visit Liwa and the Shinas Lagoon for Syke’s Warbler and the kalbaensis race of White-collared Kingfisher. Overnight in Muscat.

Day 5 - Qurm Park, Lansab Lagoons
Muscat and the port of Mutrah are fascinating Arabian cities, and include the home of the Sultan and his imposing palace. We pass by several interesting buildings and sights as we head to our next destination, Al Qurm Park, an area of freshwater lakes, open greenspaces, woodlands and mangroves, an ideal combination to attract a large selection of species. Wetlands are inhabited by Indian Pond Herons, Western Reef Egrets, Glossy Ibis, many shorebirds including Black-winged Stilts and Temminck’s Stints, several species of terns and gulls, and Clamorous Reed-Warblers, open areas should have Red-wattled Lapwing, African Rock Martin, Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse and Desert and Isabelline Wheatears, and wooded areas support Yellow-vented and White-spectacled Bulbuls. Migrants should be here as well, and we may be lucky to find the local Arabian Babbler. Overnight in Muscat.

Day 6 - Drive to Al Amerat, Quriyat and Ras Al Hadd
Today we visit a 12-km stretch of flat coastline from Quriyat south-east to Daghmar, bounded by rocky hills and backed by salt-flats (“sabkhas”) with sand-dunes. Several transitory wetlands (“khawrs”) are scattered along the coarse-sand beach, of which the one on the north side of Quriyat is the largest and has the most extensive Avicennia mangroves. We look for Imperial Eagle as well as vultures, several wheatears and wetland birds, and species we may not have found up to now, perhaps Sand Partridge, Egyptian and Lappet-faced Vultures, Great Spotted and Steppe Eagles, the chrysopygia form of Red-tailed Wheatear, and Hume’s Wheatear. Overnight in Ras al Hadd.

Day 7 – Ras Al Hadd, Khor Jaramah, Sur Lagoon
Extensive mud flats here are an important site for shorebirds and there can be large gatherings of waterbirds, Greater Flamingos, herons and egrets, and gulls. Crab Plover, Great Knot, Curlew and Broad-billed Sandpipers, Sooty Gull – over 50 species have been noted in winter. Greater Hoopoe-Larks and Brown-necked Ravens are widespread and a few permanent water holes attract Spotted and Coronetted Sandgrouse. Golden Eagle is possible, and with a huge amount of luck we may spot a Macqueen’s Bustard. Overnight in Muscat.

Day 8 - Fly to Salalah. Raysut Rubbish Tip & Sewage Ponds, Khor Mughsayl, Wadi Mughsayl (owling)
We spend the second part of our tour in Dhofar province in extreme southern Oman. The Dhofar region is much more African in its wildlife than the rest of the country, a touch of the tropics, with waving palm trees and a cooling sea breeze. The summer monsoon rains are responsible for forested hillsides with African tree species, including Baobab and Frankincense trees. Today we fly to Salalah, arriving in time to visit ponds and wadis for several target species - Cotton Teal, Ferruginous Duck, eagles, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Hume’s Tawny Owl, Ruppell’s Weaver, Shining Sunbird, South Arabian Wheatear, White-breasted Whiteye and Tristram’s Grackle. Overnight Salalah.

Day 9 – Al Beed Farms, Qitbit
Today, we drive to Al Beed Farms, Qitbit. Here are several rocky desert birds such as Spotted Thick-knee, Greater Hoopoe, Bar-tailed and Desert Larks, Cream-coloured Courser, Spotted and Coronetted Sandgrouse, and Little Owl. Then it is on to Qitbit for a sunset walk around the guest house garden, for Jacobin Cuckoo and Nile Valley Sunbird plus unusual migratory/wintering birds migrants that may be sheltering there, such as Eurasian Wryneck, Blue Rock-thrush, Barred Warbler, Common Rosefinch, Ortolan Bunting, Rose-coloured Starling and many more. Desert pools outside the guest house compound often host Crowned Sandgrouse in the late afternoon. Night in Qitbit.

Day 10 - Montasar, Qitbit, Al Beed Farms, Shisr.
We bird the area around the compound, then head to the Montasar spring in the Wadi Mughsin, renowned for its sandgrouse. Both Crowned and Spotted Sandgrouse arrive by the hundreds, often punctually, and we should witness this dramatic wildlife spectacle. This area also supports Tawny Pipit, several wheatears, Desert Warbler and Long-legged Buzzard. On our drive south towards Salalah we should encounter the first of many migrant White Storks, and we may be lucky enough to come across Dunn’s Lark, a little known nomadic species. Overnight Salalah.

Days 11 to 13 - Dhofar Region
Soaring overhead will be Fan-tailed Raven and raptors including Booted, Bonelli’s and Short-toed Eagles, perhaps Verreaux’s Eagle. Natural springs such as at Ayn Hamran, Wadi Durbat and Khor Taqah and Khor Rouri are bird-rich, and species we could find here include Bruce’s Green-pigeon, Didric Cuckoo, Grey-headed Kingfisher, White-breasted White-eye, Black-crowned Tchagra, Rüppell’s Weaver, Abyssinian Sunbird, African Paradise-flycatcher, African Silverbill and African Rock Bunting as well as the endemic Arabian Warbler.

The areas around East Khor, Jarziz Farm, Sahanawt Farm, Ayn Razat, Tawi Attair and Wadi Hinna could produce such goodies as Yellow Bittern, Singing Bushlark, Blackstart, Yemen Serin and Golden-winged Grosbeak. The hay fields of Sahanawt Farm attract White Storks, and breeding species such as Namaqua Dove should be present. Wetlands east of Salalah hold interesting species that include Western Reef-heron, Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, and several crakes including Baillon’s and Little. Mountains and lightly-wooded hillside covered with acacia scrub and giant fig trees are home to Arabian Partridge, Long-billed Pipit and Palestine Sunbird, and we have a good chance of finding Barbary Falcon and Arabian Weaver.

On one day we have a boat trip where we should encounter Brown Booby, and we have a chance of Masked Booby, Jouanin’s Petrel, and Persian and Pale-footed Shearwaters, as well as several species of dolphins and whales. If we have not already found pelagic species, then a sea-watch from the headland at Mirbat could produce Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Wilson’s Storm-petrel, Swinhoe’s Petrels, Socotra Cormorant and Bridled Tern. Night time owling could net us African Scops Owl and Spotted Eagle Owl.

Day 14 – Departure home
Today we spend some final time birding around Salalah, before catching a flight to Muscat to connect with our flights home.

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What to Expect

Expect hot and dry weather for most of the tour, with warm and humid in the Dhofar region of southern Oman. Landscapes range from flat desert to rugged mountains; walking will be mostly easy with some moderate walks over stony ground. Our daily travel schedule will vary. Most days will involve a full day of birding, usually with a picnic lunch in a prime birding spot. Driving distances range from short on some days to moderate on others, with frequent stops during each day’s travel. You can expect some early morning walks, during which we walk into desert regions and finish before the heat of the day sets in. Usually our pace will be relaxed. On most days we return in the afternoon to our accommodations and in the evening we go to a local restaurant where we discuss the day’s activities and review the list of birds seen and heard. The conventional wisdom is to dress in layers. Our boat trip should not encounter rough waters. The infrastructure in Oman is excellent, roads are in good condition, Omanis are known for their hospitality, and generally birding is fairly easy and surprisingly diverse.