Friday, August 7, 2009

Oman-Turtle watching at Ras Al Hadd.

Turtles are amongst the oldest and important marine species living in the Omani waters.Marine turtles are cold-blooded reptiles and their distribution is restricted to the warmer areas of the world. Oman is one of the very rare places in the world where turtles can be watched freely and calmly. Turtle nesting attracts hundreds of visitors to Ras al Hadd each year to watch the site at close quarters.

There are two routes that lead to Ras Al Hadd .One which we took a year ago and travelled five hours. These are some of the sites we saw.






























The new route has a different view all together.The rocky shores with absolutely blue-green waters along one side of the road and the mountains on the other.A beautiful site!























































Sinkhole -is in the middle of nowhere, it used to be a cavern but over time the roof collapsed in and formed this vast hole which is full of the most amazing crystal clear water.




























After checking in to our hotel at Ras Al Hadd and great dinner at 9:30p.m we set out for a guided walk along the sand to see where giant green turtles laying under the light of the moon.















Next morning we were up at 4:30 as we were told that the turtles head back to the sea.Sunrise by the sea.














This one looks more like a tired mom:)















This one was headed out to the sea.




























And she disappeared into the blue waters of the Arabian Sea.















Portrait of a "smiley" camel:)














On our way back -High above was the Egyptian vulture.












































Indian Roller.





















38 comments:

  1. Fantastic photography, you are so luckey to have such a diversity of species to photograph.

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  2. Terrific shots of what must have been an incredibly exciting experience.

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  3. What stunning views and great pictures of them. The water is such an intense colour.

    Beautiful birds as well. And those Turtles. What a great trip this must have been for you all.

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  4. Nice pictures of the Turtles - your DragonFlys are also great - what camera do you have?

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  5. Hi Shantana, I have missed your posts. The mountains and water in these pictures is so amazing. It's like nothing I have seen. What a thrill to see the turtles and birds also. Thank you for sharing something from so far away with me!

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  6. Stunning pictures of Ras Al Hadd; and the water is so blue. What a beautiful place.
    What a great trip.

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  7. Wonderful! It looks almost unreal! How beautiful!

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  8. Another great travel story! Thanks!

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  9. Oh my, this is such beautiful landscape. How wonderful to have the turtles.

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  10. Wow..what an experience. Those landscape shots are surreal and those of the turtles are awesome. Who would have expected this in Oman!!

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  11. That water is so lovely--the turquoise color..wow! Love the turtles--must have been such an interesting trip!! I would never get to see an Indian Roller but for this post!...NICE

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  12. Amazing panoramic photos you have captured! I just took those steps down to the sink hole! ;) Beautiful... breathtaking.

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  13. Thanks for sharing your story. What beautiful photos. You are able to take me to see amazing landscapes with your blog. Thank you.

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  14. What a beautiful trip you had and your photos are gorgeous. The scenery is spectacular and watching the turtles must have been very exciting. I enjoyed the bird photos--it's so interesting to see such different birds from another part of the world. I must say though that I think my favorite photo is the one of the camel. He does indeed look like he is smiling.

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  15. I love that landscape, we have this red soil in the outback and it looks as rugged and fantastic as this one. The turquoise water, ah one just wants to dive into it. Lovely and interesting to see the turtles. I guess this is a protected wildlife area. Great and interesting post and photography.

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  16. What stunning colours and scenery! WOW! And then to have the spectacle of the turtles too. What an amazing trip you had. Love the vulture and roller pics too. Great post Shantana!

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  17. Beautiful beaches. The roller looks just like the Lilac-breasted one from Africa. and the turtle series is a treat, great job.

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  18. What an amazing post! The water looks so beautiful and as for all the photos...fantastic! The bird photos are exceptional!

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  19. Wow--what an incredible and gorgeous experience you must have had, Shantana. How beautiful!! I would have loved to have been there to see those turtles. AMAZING....

    Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  20. Your photos never cease to amaze me! They are always beautiful and fun to read about.

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  21. Wow, that Indian Roller is magnificent! Love it! The turtle series is so amazing! Glad you shared it with us! I would love that kind of experience!

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  22. Wow! What magnificent photos. I can't get over the stunning colour of the sea, just beautiful and Turtles too. What a great visit you had! I loved the 'smiley' Camel too :)

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  23. WoW...simply beautifully captured shots....fantastic imagery!

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  24. I really like your photos of the Lilac Breasted Roller.
    We do have them here in Botswana too and it is my favourite bird.
    Thanks for visiting my blog too a while ago.

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  25. So amazing to be able to see the Giant Green Turtles. Thanks for posting about them.

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  26. A beautifully stunning place Shantana with so much to see!

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  27. fantastic pictures!
    oooooh I need to add this to my birding destination wishlist

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  28. What a fabulous post! The water is amazing, your photos are wonderful, I love the turtles, they look very large. Everything, the camel, the raptor, the roller, fantastic.
    I'm going to go back to look again.
    Is the water warm?

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  29. Hi,
    Wow wonderful post, the shot of the roller and egyptian vulture are beautiful. Two birds I have never seen!!

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  30. Lovely series, the color of the water is so unique especially in that shot of the sinkhole. Turtle sighting seems to have been an exciting experience.

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  31. Congratulations for your pictures and this fantastic blog. I´ll visit you again.
    Greetings from Spain.

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  32. Outstanding scenes with outstanding Photography.
    John.

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  33. A few minutes ago I saw on Travel Channel a programme about Oman and thought instantly on your blog. You have some beautiful scenery there ... that water has an unbelievable color.

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  34. Hi Shantana,
    I hope all is well with you and your family and your just taking a little break?
    Take good care,
    Lori

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  35. Nice post - pictures of oman ..Keep Posting


    Ron
    pictures of oman

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  36. Hi again, I think some of us are getting a little worried at your absence, is all well with you and the family?

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  37. What a fabulous tour! The water in the first few photos is such beautiful shade of green. What a marvelous adventure.

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  38. Wow! What magnificent photos. I can't get over the stunning colour of the sea, just beautiful and Turtles too. What a great visit you had! I loved the 'smiley' Camel too :)

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