Six things to pack for your trip to explore Khasab’s beauty

MUSCAT: Although isolated for a long time in its past, Khasab has become a popular weekend spot for visitors after a modern coast road was constructed.

Listed below are a few things (summer accessories, watersports gear, cameras, music, firstaid kit, insulated cooler) that you might want to take on your Khasab adventure:

1. Sunglasses and hats, can’t be stressed enough. Along with 21st-century shopping and dining, visitors can step into yesteryear courtesy magnificent villages such as Qadahand Ghubb Ali that are located near Khasab, where you can examine prehistoric drawings on the rocks.

2. Water-sports gear, non-slip water shoes for onboard the boat, and trekking shoes for anchoring out and exploring the Oman Fjords. The fjords or khors ( jutting cliffs towering over narrow inlets), are a magnificent geological feature of Khasab; if you take a tour by dhow (a traditional Omani sailing vessel), you can also go diving, swimming, and snorkelling.

3. Bring along your cameras, Go Pros, waterproof cameras and bin- oculars to capture the fun of the day – be it exotic birds or marine animals such as huge schools of tuna and dolphins that swim in the calm waters; sharing on Facebook and Instagram is half the fun.

4. Take your tunes and podcasts with you in the form of iPods and MP3 players as you go wandering and getting your insights into old Omani culture and history - visit the Khasab Castle which was built by the Portuguese during their occupation of the area.

5. For more outdoor adventures stock a first-aid kit with bandages, gauze and antiseptic cream as well as motion or mountain sickness medication, as it could be useful as you take a mountain safari to Jabal Harem, Musandam’s highest peak at just under 2,100m. It’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to a first-aid kit.

6. An insulated cooler for drinks and snacks: Being out on the water tends to make everybody feel a little snack-ish, and we recommend you take an insulated cooler so that unceremonious hunger and thirst don’t get in the way of you and your rendezvous of Khasab’s magnificent beaches and coastlines.