by Bayan Al Hadhrami
when tour guides love what they are doing, they can draw an imaginary picture in your mind about the place they are taking you to. A journey with a tour guide like Mohammed al Hadi is exceptional in all ways. Visitors to a place come with expectations, but it’s the tour guide and his expertise that determine the size of knowledge and change that he can put in each experience.
This Omani tour guide, whose passion for adventure and travel has led him to garner an audience of 50,000 followers on Instagram, has recently gained much popularity as he avidly reveals to his audience some of the most magnificently fascinating, yet least known, tourist locations in the Sultanate of Oman. In his recent popular Instagram post, Al Hadi immerses himself in Qabat Sulfur Spring in Dima W’attayeen, engaging his audience in an unusual experience as he covers himself in white sulfur then lays in a pond of azure hidden between the folds of Al Sharqiyah mountains.
Al Hadi not only recommends touristic locations, but also aims to educate his followers as he lists the benefits of swimming in sulfur spring. He speaks, in other videos, of the history, culture, heritage and wildlife in Oman. While in one post he introduces the Green Turtle Reservoir in Ras Al Jinz, in another post Al Hadi presents the oldest human settlement in Oman, Harat Al Yemen in Izki. Other locations which he promotes visiting include Wadi Bat, Snake Canyon, Jabal Shams, Majlis Al Jinn cave and Misfat Al Abriyeen.
Al Hadi works as a tour guide in the National Museum of the Sultanate of Oman and organises local trips for all age groups, introducing to tourists the history and natural landscapes of Oman.
Mohammed is known for his adventurous private trips which he plans in accordance with his client’s physical ability and age. He creates detailed timelines for the trips and documents the journeys, as he also prepares for his clients all the necessary safety equipment, food and drink.
Al Hadi states that even though all the natural landscapes and places in Oman are beautiful, tourists must be cautious and not risk visiting unfamiliar locations without a tour guide.
He stresses that while fun and enjoyment are important, safety comes first. Each location comes with its own challenges which visitors have to be aware of and prepared for.
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