Bar al Hikman is a deliciously dreamy slice off the eastern coast of Oman. A 160 km-long coastline made up of perfect green and blue waters divided by pure white sands, it’s hard to tell who loves Bar al Hikman more: the half million birds who come to its shores, the quarter of the endangered Arabian Sea subpopulation of humpback whales who pass through its waters, or the humans who have discovered its kitesurfing, snorkeling, birding and whaling potential. 

This proposed UNESCO nature reserve supports this dazzling variety of life by offering seagrasses that are nurseries for reef fish and shores that are feeding and resting or rooting spaces for migratory birds on the West Asian-East Africa flyway.

Some unique endemic species like the Omani spiny-tailed lizard, green sawfish and spotted guitarfish can be found here as well as migratory birds such as the curlew sandpiper which travels over 6,000 km from its breeding ground in the Siberian tundra and chooses Bar al Hikman to rest and replenish before continuing a similar distance to South Africa.

What is clear though is that it is the peninsula’s unique ecosystem and topography that draws them all. Bar al Hikman forms the largest part of the Al Wusta Wetlands Reserve and is made up of coral reefs, mangroves, marshes and intertidal mudflats. As if this convergence of so many distinct yet interconnected habitats wasn’t enough, Bar al Hikman also tips the scales by being one of the largest such areas in the region and a designated Ramsar site.

But despite its impressive credentials, it’s likely that you’ll spend the first few minutes (or hours!) simply marvelling slack-jawed at the almost unreal beauty of the longest natural sand bar in the Middle East. And we wouldn’t blame you one bit.