Oman walking challenge to highlight endangered Arabian leopard and eco-tourism

An Emirati adventurer is using a 50-kilometre walk from the mountaintops of Salalah, Oman, to the edge of the Arabian Sea to throw the spotlight on the critically endangered Arabian leopard.

The Arabian Leopard Challenge, which takes place at the end of next month, starts at Jebel Samhan and the trail winds through three different eco-systems in a day.

The route passes Tawi Attair, one of the largest sinkholes in the world, and will allow those on the walk glimpses of the rich wildlife in the area.

“The challenge begins at 1,500 metres in a very bare, rocky desert and sunny environment, then you start walking into the monsoon region and everything turns from yellow to green,” said Ali Husain, founder of Husaak, the adventure group organising the challenge.

“You’ve got the trees and rain, the reef and rivers and many waterfalls all the way down to the ocean.”

Experts will be on hand to teach walkers about the Arabian leopard, of which there are only about 50 left in Oman and a total of about 200 in the world.

The UAE is at the forefront of efforts to increase numbers, with the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife in Sharjah taking in a male and female who have produced about 35 cubs.

Last year the emirate also opened Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre, on the outskirts of Kalba, which is home to some of the leopards.

Animal conservation and eco-tourism are at the heart of the challenge, said Mr Husain, 35.

“We work closely with the World Wildlife Fund and this event has an educational animal conservation theme about the endangered wildlife in Arabia.”

He said 50km might sound like a vast distance to cover in one day but that it was suitable for almost everyone, including children.

“It is downhill and very easy,” Mr Husain said. “We have a station every 5km where you can decide if you want to rest, eat, exit the challenge or continue.”

Mr Husain founded Husaak five years ago to offer eco-tourism activities in the UAE and Oman, and said there was much more to explore in the Omani province of Dhofar.

“Everyone speaks of Salalah but they only see one aspect of it,” he said. “They go to see the city, the greenery and that’s it.

“They don’t know the richness of the animals and microclimates that are created within the monsoon, so basically the objective of this is to present Dhofar in a completely different way.

“Everyone thinks of Arabia as a desert like Liwa, but when you go to Dhofar it is like you are almost in Africa. It is so green and there are so many animals.”

Working with the Omani ministry of tourism, Mr Husain hopes to raise awareness of the plight of the Arabian leopard and promote Dhofar as an eco-tourism, adventure and wildlife destination.

Mr Husain’s initiative is timely. The UN has named this year the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, and tourist organisations are keen to get involved.

In the UAE, the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority has committed to making tourism more sustainable and its Al Wadi resort has a conservation reserve.

There are now 43 officially protected areas that cover more than 14 per cent of the country’s territory.

Mr Husain said promoting eco-tourism among GCC nationals was an important way to help people connect with nature and change their mindsets.

“There is a mind shift when you take them to nature and they reconnect and they completely change within 24 hours,” he said.

“We do everything with our own hands. As a customer you will be there working, not sitting there expecting to be served. You will start the fire, fix the tent, set up camp. Everybody works.

“In a world where everything is social media and corporate and emails, it is good to go back and use your hands and disconnect from that.”

Those interested in taking up the challenge can visit husaak. com/alc to register.