A Finnish teacher living in Oman loves outdoors and adventure. The vast variety of landscape and nature that the Sultanate offers just seem to be a perfect fit for her. Helmi-Riikka Olkinuora from Helsinki admits that during a weekend she can camp out under the stars in Sharqiyah Sands, climb via Ferrata at Jebel Shams before swimming with turtles at Dimaniyat Islands or even abseiling down to swim at the fresh waters of a wadi.
All this she has got to experience during her two-year stay in Oman. An English teacher at the Finland Oman School (FOS), Helmi is an adventure freak. Hailing from the Finnish city of Jyvaskyla, a cradle of education, she has a large appetite to discover many of the ‘undiscovered’ spots in Oman.
Helmi is of the firm view that one will always be able to spot likeminded people or adventure groups and can never run out of options for exploring newer locations.
During outdoor camps, Helmi is out mostly with friends or among adventure groups like @steps_om, @wadi.adventure or @sparrow.adventures.
One of her main interest lies in documenting her adventures on social media sites especially Instagram. This, she feels, promotes Oman-Finnish relations among its people and vice versa.
In the future, she has plans to arrange class trips from FOS to explore Finland and promote cultural exchanges.
“Adventures in Oman do not always go without surprises. Many times we have been caught off guard with the sunset while still trying to finish a hike or find the perfect camping spot. But luckily, with the Omanis, you know you will never be left without help as many have shared meals and chipped in with car rescues.”
“All I can guarantee is that the 4 am wake-ups, sunburns or ruined shoes will triple their value in unforgettable experiences,” she mentions.
By now she has a good range of camping and hiking gear ready but encourages people to go out even with a backpack and old sneakers and buy the stuff they need once they get addicted to the outdoors.
An important aspect she says is to stock up enough snacks and water!
She honestly knew far too little about Oman when she first heard of an opportunity. Upon a Google research, Helmi came upon the 18th of November Street and realised that Oman’s National Day actually coincides with her birthday.
“I took it as a sign and accepted the job the next day,” she says.
Wadi Mibam seems to be her favourite wadi and the one which totally blew her away, while Wadi Hawir is ‘nature’s own amusement park.’ Hawir has nature made water slides, amazing cliff jumps and little caves to adventure through.
Jebel Shams via Ferrata is the most exciting mountain adventure and the hidden beaches of Bandar Khayran, the coastal town, never ceases to amaze her.
Performing Stand Up Paddle board yoga (SUP) at Wadi Al Arbeieen, a relatively new concept or boarding into the sunset are also her favourites.
“Where else can you wake up as a solo camper in sight and have a morning swim with the sea turtles,” she reasons.
She explains weather as the problem since adventure destinations during the hot summer months becomes more limited. “As long as there is water around though, anything is practicable,” she adds.
The best part Helmi enjoys while travelling are the new experiences while checking them off her bucket list, and meeting the coolest people on the way.
“One of my favourite moments of adventure is getting an early start and feeling the cool air on empty highways!”
Up on her bucket list for the year is the Jebel Shams summit and the 7th Hole located on the Salmah Plateau and many more wadis to conquer. Outside of Oman she has plans to travel to Canada with Turkey, Morocco, and Zanzibar.
‘1,001 Teacher Tales,’ her Instagram account, refers to One Thousand and One Nights, the collection of Middle Eastern tales, archiving all her outdoor activities in the Sultanate.
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