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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival in Oman
Our tour starts in Muscat after supper. Overnight in Muscat.

Day 2 – Qurm Park, Al Amerat and Sunub
Muscat and the port of Mutrah are fascinating Arabian cities, including the home of the Sultan and his imposing palace. We pass by several interesting buildings and sights as we head to our first 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 attract Indian Pond Herons, Western Reef Egrets, many shorebirds including Black-winged Stilts, Greater Sand Plovers, and Temminck’s Stints, several species of terns and gulls, and Clamorous Reed-Warblers, open areas should have Red-wattled Lapwing, Grey Francolin and African Rock Martin, and wooded areas support Yellow-vented, White-eared and White-spectacled Bulbuls, Graceful Prinia and Purple Sunbird. Migrants should be here as well, and we may be lucky to find the local Arabian Babbler.

Mountain foothills near Sunub support Hume's and Red-tailed Wheatears, Desert Lark, Desert Lesser Whitethroat and House Bunting. Raptors could include Egyptian and Lappet-faced Vultures as well as migrants such as Steppe and Spotted Eagle, and Brown-necked Ravens should be soaring overhead. Night in Muscat.

Day 3 – Quriyat
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 will look for Imperial Eagle as well as vultures, several species of wheatears and wetland birds, and species we may not have found yesterday. Night in Muscat.

Day 4 – Boatride to Jazeerah al Fahl island and Sohar
In the morning, we take a boat ride to Jazeerah al Fahl, an island of rocky terrain and steep cliffs, in the Indian Ocean off Muscat. Usually the crossing, which may take a couple of hours, is in calm seas, and we will be on the lookout for pelagic species, such as Persian Shearwater, Bridled and White-cheeked Terns, and phalaropes. Flying around the cliffs are Sooty Falcons, an interesting raptor that nests in early fall when migrants are passing through. On the crossing Red-billed Tropicbird and Jouanin’s Petrel are possible.

After lunch, we head northeast along the Batinah Coast to the second largest town in Oman, Sohar, for a one-night stay. On the way, we’ll bird the cultivated areas along the coast and the sandy beaches, looking for Snowy Plover, Great Black-headed, Caspian and Slender-billed Gulls, and Lesser Crested Terns, as well as Indian Roller, Little Green Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin and Isabelline and Southern Grey Shrikes Night in Sohar.

Day 5 – The Sohar area
At the Sohar Sun Farms dairy farm complex, there are series of irrigated meadows which can attract Black-crowned Sparrow-lark, Desert Lark, several pipits and wagtails, and Eurasian Hoopoe, and is particularly good for Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse and Pallid and Montagu's Harriers. Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters breed here, while Indian and possibly European Rollers perch on irrigation posts. We will keep a watch for Cream-coloured Courser and Caspian Plover.

The Khatmat Milahah acacia and Prosopis woodlands host Variable (Eastern Pied) and Rufous-tailed Wheatears, Menetries’s and Plain-leaf Warblers, and Isabelline Shrike. If time permits, we visit Liwa and the Shinas Lagoon for Syke’s Booted Warbler and the kalbaensis race of White-collared Kingfisher. Night in Muscat.

Day 6 – Transfer to Barr Al Hikman
Today is a travel day. We travel south from Muscat. The central plain of sand and gravel supports a low diversity of birdlife. Greater Hoopoe-Larks and Brown-necked Ravens are widespread and a few permanent water holes attract Spotted and Coronetted Sandgrouse. Golden and Steppe Eagles are possible, and with a huge amount of luck we may spot a Macqueen’s Bustard. Night near Barr Al Hikman.

Day 7 – Barr Al Hikman peninsula
The extensive mud flats here form one of the most important sites for shorebirds in western Asia, and there are fabulous gatherings of shorebirds, Greater Flamingos, herons and egrets, and gulls! Crab Plover, Great Knot, Terek and Broad-billed Sandpiper, Sooty Gull – over 50 species have been noted in winter. Night near Barr Al Hikman.

Day 8 – Mabr Farm and Ghaftain
After a morning’s birding around Barr Al Hikman, we head off into the interior to the town of Ghaftain, stopping at Mabr Farm on the way. This farm has produced some excellent records in recent years, such as Forest Wagtail and Black-throated Thrush – who knows what we might turn up here! Night in Ghaftain.

Day 9 – Jaaluni Reserve and Qitbit
Today, with permission, we visit the Jaaluni Reserve of Jaddat al Harasis plain, close to the geographical centre of the country and home of the White (Arabian) Oryx Project. On this flat, stony plain a reintroduction program was started to rescue the White Oryx. The area also supports Mountain Gazelles which likely number into the thousand. 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 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 resthouse compound often host Crowned Sandgrouse in the late afternoon. Night in Qatbit.

Day 10 - Qitbit, Muntasar spring and Salalah
The Muntasar spring in the Wadi Mughsin is 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. Drive to Salalah for 4 night stay.

Days 11 to 13 - Dhofar Region
We spend the next three days 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. 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 and Wadi Durbat are bird-rich, and species we could find here include Bruce's Green-pigeon, Didric Cuckoo, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Blackstart, White-breasted White-eye, Rüppell's Weaver, Abyssinian Sunbird, African Paradise-flycatcher and African Rock Bunting as well as the first of the Arabian endemics, Arabian Warbler. Also present are such goodies as Black-crowned Tchagra and Golden-winged Grosbeak. Elsewhere, the hay fields of Sahnawt Farm attract White Storks, and breeding species such as Singing Bushlark and Namaqua Dove should be present. Wetlands east of Salalah hold interesting species that include Yellow Bittern, Western Reef-heron, Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, several crakes including Baillon’s and Little, and maybe Pheasant-tailed Jacanas.

Mountains and lightly-wooded hillside covered with acacia scrub and giant fig trees are home to Arabian Partridge, Long-billed Pipit, Tristram's Grackle and Palestine Sunbird. At Tawi Attair, Yemen Serin, a south-west Arabian endemic species, occurs and we have a good chance of finding Barbary Falcon, Arabian and Ruppell’s Weavers, and African Paradise-Flycatcher.

Khawr Mughsayl, a brackish lagoon along this coast, supports Black-crowned Night-heron, Eurasian Spoonbill, Temminck's Stint, Broad-billed, Curlew, Green and Wood Sandpipers, Black-tailed Godwit and Red-necked Phalarope. Offshore, Brown Booby is likely, as are several species of dolphins and whales, and beaches can be alive with Caspian, Siberian and Sooty Gulls and Sandwich and Swift Terns. If we haven’t already found pelagic species, then a sea-watch from the headland at Mirbat could produce Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Wilson's Storm-petrel, Swinhoe's and Jouanin's Petrels, Masked Booby, Socotra Cormorant, Sooty Gull and Bridled Tern.

Day 14 – Departure home or on to Bahrain
We fly to Muscat to connect with our flights home, or fly to Bahrain for our Bahrain extension to find the very unique Hypocolius.

Bahrain Extension

Day 14 – Arrival in Bahrain
Arrival in Bahrain. Transfer to our hotel.

Day 15 – Hunt for Grey Hypocolius!
We will visit a known roosting site for the species. It is a little early in the season for peak numbers, but we should be successful in finding it. Elsewhere, small farms attract a diversity of migrants, and we will spend time exploring promising areas. Night in Bahrain.

Day 16 – Departure
We depart in the morning on flights home after this amazing adventure.

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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.