Saturday 12 / July / 2025
Duqm: As The 1,100-kilometre drive from Muscat to Salalah has become the standard route for those heading to the annual khareef season.
But while most drivers push through non-stop to reach Dhofar, the smarter travellers know better.
They stop in Duqm. Positioned at the halfway point - 550 kilometres from the capital, 600 from the southern destination - this special economic zone has quietly built the infrastructure that transforms a fuel stop into a proper break.
The kind of place where you arrive planning to stay one night and find yourself extending to two.
Look at where you can stay and you’ll understand what Duqm is really about. Yes, there are the expected four-star hotels for business travellers but it’s the Duqm Beach Camp that signals something more interesting.
Proper camping - not the rough-it variety - with the kind of thoughtful amenities that let you wake to the sound of waves without sacrificing your morning coffee.The town’s ambitions are written in its public spaces.
Duqm Park isn’t just landscaped, it’s designed with the understanding that good public realm creates good public life. The Sai Commercial District hums with an energy that suggests this isn’t just another development project but a place where people actually want to linger.
Even the inclusion of a bowling alley - sometimes you want to knock down pins after a day of driving.
For travellers who judge a destination by its capacity to surprise, Duqm delivers.
Izbat Al Maha offers the kind of authentic desert experience that’s increasingly rare - Arabic coffee served in settings that feel genuine rather than staged.
Hiking trails
The newly developed hiking trails show a commitment to the environment that goes beyond development.
But it’s the day trips that transform a stopover into a base camp. The Rock Garden, with its lunar geology.
The Arabian Oryx Reserve where conservation meets spectacular wildlife viewing.
The pink lakes of Al Jazir Instagram-ready but genuinely otherworldly.
Each excursion returns you to Duqm with the satisfaction of having seen something genuinely special. The khareef season will always be the main event and Salalah will always be the star.
But for those who understand that the best journeys are measured not in destinations reached but in discoveries made, Duqm represents something more valuable than a pit stop.
It’s a proposition that sometimes the most rewarding travel happens when you’re not in a hurry to get anywhere else.
