Very early each morning, especially on weekends, staff and personnel of the Ras al Jinz Turtle Reserve comb the long stretch of isolated beach surrounded by tall mountains on both ends in this remote part of the Al Sharqiyah Governorate. They are the advance party that checks if either the turtles are laying eggs on the beach or the hatchlings are moving out from their nests.
With the loud rushing of the waves on the shore and the cacophony of mostly strong winds, the shore of Ras al Jinz is perfect for the often shy turtles to nest. They’d been coming here for perhaps 100 of years and due to its remote location and protected nature, they have the whole area to themselves with the villages located miles away to ensure that their annual nesting cycle is not disrupted.
At around four-thirty or five in the morning, the Turtle Reserve staff would open the door that leads toward a sandy pathway. This pathway is about two kilometres long and ends abruptly where the sandy beach begins.
Surprisingly on the very early hour of dawn of April 7, even if it was an off-peak season, about 50 guests were gathered at the lobby of the Turtle Reserve waiting for the doors to open. From retired elders to kids as young as one year old, age didn’t matter. Everyone shared the same high spirit for what one of the people in the group said was “an opportunity that doesn’t happen a lot.”
Renting a barasti in the nearby Ras al Hadd the evening before, Ras al Jinz is a different world of its own. In the darkness, the tabletop mountain that sits near the shore and the eerie silence help build up the excitement. The faint blue light coming from the guides’ flashlights were the only source of light that betrays human interruption.
It didn’t take long for us to witness the magic of the turtles. We were unwelcomed guests intruding on what would have been a solemn ritual practised by these sea dwellers for generations and generations.
Everywhere one looks, even in the darkness, one can tell where the turtles passed or stayed. They created massive disturbances on the sand and the holes they made were gargantuan that had they dug a little deeper, it can bury a decent size human being.
We stayed on the same area until the sun has fully risen. By around 7 am, the turtles were back to the sea. We were told that a few of them who kept bobbing up and down by the water yet still near the shore and seemingly have no plans to leave were actually trapped on a dance of untiring lovemaking. As one of the staff shared, it can last up to 12 hours even longer.
As the bright light in the sky illuminated the whole expanse of that almost treeless space, we saw that Ras al Jinz, even without the turtles, was in itself, a work of wonder.
Interesting rock formations
The turtle off-season is the best time to pay attention to the different rock formations in the area. If you’re one of those who love rock gardens, Ras al Jinz has its very own but it has been neglected and was only made second to the turtle attraction.
Time and the elements had made their mark in the faces of the mountains in the area. There are a few giant caves, shallow, but yet make great photos.
But what stood out to me were the four natural rock formations: The Chamber of the Three Witches, the Giant Cabbage, the Forgotten Turtle and the Rose’s Petals.
The Chamber of the Three Witches is a series of three rock structures that once looked at a particular angle, give out this feeling that they are out to get you — like witches in Western fairy tales would.
The giant cabbage sits behind a giant boulder and sits by the side of a cliff. Because of its smooth, white finish, it came out totally different from everything that is in the area.
The Forgotten Turtle looks like at one time, it just took a rest but the sun was too harsh that it dried it down with its eyes open.
The Rose Petals, located at the right end of the whole shore were formed by perhaps wind and waves and if looked at certain angles, reminds one of the beauty of the rose petals.
Of course, all of these are products of an active imagination. When you visit Ras al Jinz, for sure you will have a totally different experience and perhaps will note down different formations.
But one thing cannot be denied, the Rock Garden of Ras al Jinz offers a different kind of adventure, one that people need to pay more attention to.
A stunning beach area
If one is to ask people in the Sultanate which are the best beaches, only a few will perhaps consider the soft sands of Ras al Jinz. Understandably so, it is located so far that not everyone has the chance to see it.
Watching the sunrise or sunset in Ras al Jinz will have different impact on you and will make you reconsider. Walking further to the right end of the long beach, the table top mountain is very visible and as one social media commenter shared, “it was totally out of this world” and they “could not believe that it is in Oman.”
Of course one has to pay special attention to where you step on. Every once in a while, you will have the stunning surprise of seeing hatchlings racing towards the sea or witness birds running after crabs on its clean sand.
With but limited number of people going here, there is also a feeling of remoteness and exclusivity. That feeling that you have all the space to yourself, a whole beach with a good view, with clean water — that is something definitely make it worth to put the beach of Ras al Jinz on your ‘Best Beach’ list.
YERU EBUEn & TITASH CHAKRABORTY
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
