Khareef weekend
- Day 1Ayn Razat in the morning, Wadi Darbat and its waterfall at midday, Taqah Castle on the way back.
- Day 2The Tomb of the Prophet Job through the misty hills, then the Mughsail blowholes and frankincense at Al Haffa Souq.
Salalah & Dhofar guide
Things to do in Salalah.
Sixteen places worth the drive, from the frankincense ruins on the coast to the Khareef waterfalls and the dunes of the Empty Quarter, with distances from our door and the best time to go.
- 16places to visit
- 3UNESCO frankincense sites
- 10 minto the nearest beach
Places to visit
From the coast to the mountains.
Distances and driving times are from the hotel, by road, and approximate. Tap a number on the map to jump to the place.
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Dahariz Beach
- Beaches
- 6 km · 10 min
- Best: all year
A long, quiet sand beach on the east side of the city, made for an evening walk.
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Al Baleed & the Museum of the Frankincense Land
- History
- 8 km · 15 min
- Best: October – April
Ruins of the medieval port of Zafar, a UNESCO site, and a museum on the frankincense trade beside them.
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Al Haffa Souq & Beach
- Town & souqs
- 8 km · 15 min
- Best: all year
Old Salalah’s market for frankincense, burners and perfume, with coconut stalls along the beach road.
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Sultan Qaboos Mosque
- Town & souqs
- 9 km · 15 min
- Best: all year
Salalah’s grand mosque. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times; dress modestly.
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Ayn Razat
- Nature
- 25 km · 30 min
- Best: all year
A spring-fed park with pools, palms and gardens at the foot of the mountains.
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Ayn Hamran
- Nature
- 25 km · 30 min
- Best: all year
A shaded spring and stream where birds gather, a short walk from the car park.
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Tomb of the Prophet Job (Nabi Ayoub)
- History
- 35 km · 40 min
- Best: all year
A hilltop shrine with wide views over the plain when the mist lifts.
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Taqah Castle
- History
- 35 km · 35 min
- Best: all year
A restored fort in a fishing town, its rooms laid out as they once were.
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Sumhuram & Khor Rori
- History
- 40 km · 40 min
- Best: all year
Ruins of an ancient frankincense port above a lagoon full of birds.
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Wadi Darbat
- Nature
- 45 km · 50 min
- Best: Khareef
A green valley with a lake, boats and grazing camels, and in the Khareef, the waterfall.
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Ayn Athum
- Nature
- 45 km · 50 min
- Best: Khareef
A seasonal waterfall in a gorge below the mountains, at its best after the rains.
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Mughsail Beach & the blowholes
- Beaches
- 50 km · 50 min
- Best: all year
A white beach under the cliffs, and blowholes at Al Marneef cave that spout at high tide.
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Fazayah Beach
- Beaches
- 65 km · 1 h 15 min
- Best: October – April
A secluded cove at the end of the hairpin road past Mughsail. Bring water.
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Mirbat
- Town & souqs
- 75 km · 1 h 10 min
- Best: October – April
An old trading town with carved wooden houses, a fort and the domed tomb of Bin Ali nearby.
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Jabal Samhan viewpoint
- Nature
- 90 km · 1 h 30 min
- Best: October – April
A clifftop lookout high above the coast, clearest on winter mornings.
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Ubar & the Empty Quarter dunes
- Desert
- 170 km · 2 h 30 min
- Best: October – April
A full day north over the mountains to the ruins of Ubar and the first dunes of the Rub al Khali.
Sample plans
Two days, four days or one.
Use these as a starting point. We’ll book the car and adjust the plan to the weather on the day.
Winter highlights
- Day 1Al Baleed and the Museum of the Frankincense Land, then sunset at Al Haffa Souq.
- Day 2East along the coast: Taqah, Sumhuram and Khor Rori, lunch in Mirbat.
- Day 3West to the Mughsail blowholes and the cove at Fazayah.
- Day 4A full day north to Ubar and the dunes of the Empty Quarter.
One-day stopover
- MorningAl Baleed and the Museum of the Frankincense Land.
- MiddaySultan Qaboos Mosque, then lunch at the Silk Road Restaurant.
- AfternoonAyn Razat, or a walk on Dahariz Beach.
- EveningFrankincense and coconut at Al Haffa Souq.
Month by month
When to go.
Salalah has a beach season in winter and a green monsoon season in summer. Typical daytime highs:
- Jan28 °CClear skies, calm sea
- Feb28 °CBeach season at its best
- Mar30 °CWarm days, good for the desert
- Apr32 °CGetting hot, quieter
- May33 °CHot and humid, lowest rates
- Jun32 °CThe Khareef arrives late in the month
- Jul27 °CMist, drizzle and the tourism festival
- Aug26 °CGreenest hills, busiest weeks
- Sep28 °CWaterfalls still running, fewer crowds
- Oct30 °CHills still green, sea calms
- Nov30 °CBeach season returns
- Dec28 °CWinter sun for everything
Beach seasonHot & dryKhareef
Good to know
Before you set off.
Getting around
There are no tour buses between the sights. We arrange a car with a driver, a taxi or a hire car, usually the same day.
Mountain roads in the Khareef
Fog can cut visibility to a few metres. Drive slowly with your lights on, and expect camels on the road.
What to wear
Light clothes, a rain jacket in the Khareef, and covered shoulders and knees at mosques and in villages.
The sea
The sea is rough during the Khareef and swimming is often not allowed. In winter, swim where it is calm and others are swimming.
Fuel and water
Fill up before the desert and the far east of the coast, where stations are far apart, and carry water.
We’re here to help
Message us before you set off and we’ll tell you what’s open, what the weather is doing and how long it takes.
Photo credits
Photos of the places are from Wikimedia Commons and are used under the Creative Commons licences shown. Thank you to the photographers.
- Dahariz Beach: Al Balid Archeological Park 1.jpg, by a Flickr photographer, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dahariz Beach: Oman, Salalah, Haffa Souq (Souq al-Hosn), Frankincense.jpg, by Dr. Thomas Liptak, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dahariz Beach: Sultan Qaboos Mosque 3.jpg, by a Flickr photographer, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dahariz Beach: OM-salalah-ain-razat-02.jpg, by Balou46, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dahariz Beach: Ain hamran.jpg, by Aayan muhammed, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dahariz Beach: Job's Tomb2.jpg, by 9591353082 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5
- Dahariz Beach: Taqah Castle 7.jpg, by a Flickr photographer, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dahariz Beach: Khor Rori 2.jpg, by Juozas Šalna, CC BY 2.0
- Dahariz Beach: Wadi darbat (2).jpg, by Muiad123, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dahariz Beach: Ain Athum Waterfalls (3).jpg, by Muiad123, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dahariz Beach: Al Mughsail Beach 5.jpg, by a Flickr photographer, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dahariz Beach: Tomb Bin Ali Mirbat Dhofar Oman.jpg, by StellarD, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dahariz Beach: Dhofar, Jabal Samhan, grotta di taiq, cratere 01.jpg, by Francesco Bini, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dahariz Beach: Ar-Rub' Al-Khali (Oman) kz03.jpg, by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Khareef hills: Khareef season,salalah,Oman.jpg, by MURSHID THALI PARAMBAN, CC BY-SA 4.0
Stay in the middle of it all.
Every place on this page is a day trip from Saadah. Tell us your dates and we’ll reply with your price and help you plan.
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