Lee Abbamonte

Exploring Jebel Harim and Oman's Musandam Peninsula

Monday, March 02, 2020
By Azamara

The second port on the 2016 loyalty member voyage was Khasab, Oman. The Azamara Journey became the first cruise ship to dock in Khasab, the capital of the Musandam peninsula. It was my third time visiting Oman’s Musandam Peninsula – two prior times I drove from Dubai while visiting all of the emirates. This visit to Oman was the first time I had any organized activities planned and it was pretty awesome! I did a 4x4 jeep safari to Jebel Harim, the highest peak on the Musandam Peninsula.

A 4x4 jeep safari to Jebel Harim, the highest peak on the Musandam Peninsula.

After disembarking the ship, we met our Land Cruisers for the rough ride up to Jebel Harim. It was about a 30-minute drive through Khasab and the immediate area before we caught our first dirt road. It took us up to a scenic overlook of one of the beautiful fjord-like inlets on the Musandam Peninsula.

Then, we headed out to a massive dirt road that led into the mountains. In a crazy coincidence, it was the exact same dirt road my friend and I drove the last time I was in the region, as we were trying to get to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. It was pitch black out and we were running out of gas and pretty nervous we’d get stuck. I also remember us saying how we’d love to see the views in the daytime. So, seeing the amazing views in daylight years later was pretty surreal!

We made a few pit stops along the way for photos and to learn some local history from our excellent guide.

When we reached the summit of Jebel Harim at over 6000 feet, the views were spectacular in all directions. It was pretty windy up there and, of course, there were lots of goats!

A goat on the summit of Jebel Harim on the Musandam Peninsula

I slept the majority of the way back along the bumpy roads, but I did manage to wake up for a few more photos along the beautiful route. It was a lot of fun being back in a place where I had been but didn’t even know it! There’s that old quote about travelers, “I’ve seen more places than I can remember and I remember more places than I’ve seen”. Well, that definitely applies to me here!

It was a really fun 4x4 safari to Jebel Harim in the Musandam Peninsula of Oman! Azamara will return to Khasab, Oman, in 2017 on this voyage.


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