2 day(s)
English
Included
Visit Bar Al Hakman, known as "Oman’s Maldives"
Explore unique pink salt flats that shift color with sunlight
Enjoy crystal-clear shallow waters and untouched beaches
Road trip through scenic desert and coastal landscapes
€ 1258.2
€ 1157.54
Free cancellation and unlimited rescheduling leads to total flexibility while you plan your travels
Lowest Price Guarantee — no other provider offers this tour for less
A road trip to Bar Al Hakman is an unforgettable experience, especially for nature lovers and adventure seekers looking to explore one of Oman’s hidden gems. Located in a remote part of the country, Bar Al Hakman is often referred to as “Oman’s Maldives” because of its crystal-clear shallow waters and untouched white-sand shores. What makes this destination truly magical, however, is its surreal pink salt flats that change color with the angle of the sun, creating a dreamlike landscape perfect for photography and quiet contemplation. Along the way, travelers can witness flocks of migratory birds resting in this unique ecosystem, adding a touch of life and movement to the serene environment. The road to Bar Al Hakman passes through scenic desert plains and coastal tracks, making the journey as rewarding as the destination itself. This trip offers a peaceful escape from the bustle of the cities and an opportunity to immerse yourself in Oman’s raw natural beauty, where sea, sky, and salt meet in perfect harmony.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Air-conditioned vehicle
Camping Gears
Watching Birds
Visiting Pink Lagoon
Gratuities
Personal belonging
Weather-appropriate clothes
Not wheelchair accessible
No public transportation nearby
We Will Pick-up all travelers from all hotels in Muscat
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Type in your hotel/accommodation to see how far the attraction or departure point is.
Loading pick up points...
Loading pick up points...
Amazing place ! Nature at its peak.. sea, sky and sand…
Escape away from Oman. A different world ! Must visit
Beautiful place.. need a 4 by 4 wheel car as it is offroad and the signal. Other than that… its amazzzzing
🛑🛑 BAR- AL- HIKMAN : geology and prehistory ----------------------------------------- Barr Al Hikman is one of the most prominent coastal wetland regions in the Middle East, having a coastline of over 160 km bordered by an inland sabkha . Hikman is the name of the local bani hikman tribe who live in mahout. About 120 square kilometres of its area is characterized by intertidal mudflats, shallow seas, and five tidal inlets. Moreover, Bar Al Hikman remains a pristine coastal area with minimal human intervention, which allows for natural hydrodynamic and sedimentary processes. It also has extensive seagrass beds that have vanished from other intertidal areas globally. Pink lake - salt loving bacteria called HALO BACTERIA or ARCHAE bacteria form pink lakes .These bacteria love warm salty water .These pink lakes also contain green algae that feed on salt. ( eukaryotic algae are not the same as prokaryotic cyanobacteria). A large shallow bay called Ghubbat Hashish lies adjacently to the west of bar al hikman. It is home to mangrove fringed island called Jazeerat Mahout and the most extensive seagrass beds in Oman. To the east of the peninsula and south of Shannah, the Site's boundary consists of intertidal mudflats and few reef structures located near the water's surface. On the southern coast of the peninsula, there are sandy lagoons (Khawr Al Milh) such as characterized by dense stands of Salicornia spp. and approximately 10 km2 of sandy mudflats that extend along the shoreline. Sabkha : The vastness and magnanimosity of the flat terrain of Bar al Hikman can be experienced on the drive all the way to its south where our camp was located. There is a vast territory of uninhabited desert landscape, sand dunes and salt SABKHA’s on either side. It tests your patience and driving skills both. SABKHA is an Arabic word meaning layered salt encrusted mud flat surface found in areas of arid climatic conditions. Sabkha is a coastal, supratidal mudflat or sandflat in which evaporite-saline minerals accumulate as the result of semiarid to arid climate. Scientifically speaking Sabkhas are subsurface capillary zones formed in extreme arid or high temperature interior or coastal zones with extensive deposits or crusts of salts[gypsum and halite or rock salt] which has precipitated due to subsurface water over period of millions of years. The floor of a sabkha is made up of hard packed combination of sand, mud and precipitated dry salt. Vast SABKHA planes are found throughout the Arabian peninsula in Oman, UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The dredging of the coastal sabkha of ancient shallow Dubai port carried out in early 20th century by the rulers of Dubai changed the fate of Dubai forever, transforming it from a small pearl fishing town to a world class city with an international harbour for trade and business. The drivable dry flat Sabkhas rapidly turn into a drivers nightmare when they get converted into a dangerous sticky muddy water logged mixture after rains, in which vehicles including battle tanks get stuck. This is what happened to the Nazis’s when their TIGER tanks got stuck in the water logged muddy sabkhas of north Africa during the battle of AL-ALAMEN in Tunisia against the British in 1942. Bar al Hikman comes under the Ramsar protected site. Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention ( Iran) also known as "The Convention on Wetlands", an international environmental treaty signed on 2 February 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, under the auspices of UNESCO. It came into force on 21 December 1975, when it was ratified by a sufficient number of nations. It provides for national action and international cooperation regarding the conservation of wetlands, and wise sustainable use of their resources. Ramsar treaty participants meet regularly to identify and agree to protect "Wetlands of International Importance", especially those providing waterfowl habitat." Unfortunately we saw lot of plastic waste at Bar al Hikman.
Decided to go check this place out after reading reviews and hearing from friends. Drove from Muscat to Mahout and hired a local to take us to Bar Al Hikam as there was no proper map on Google and we were sure that we would get lost. It was an hours drive from mahout through the salt flats and the drive itself was great. On reaching Bar Al Hikam, we found the place to be simply breathtaking and the whole effort was worthwhile. Beautiful white sand beach, backwaters and the entire view was amazing. They have a camping company providing accommodation but we didn't plan to stay. But camping out there would be a great experience, totally off the grid (zero mobile network). Got back to Mahout after spending a couple of hours there. It's definitely worth a visit. The cost for taking us from Mahout to Bar Al Hikam was 50 OMR and it was worth every penny.
