Turtles laying and hatching at Ras Al Jinz

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
5
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
0
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
1
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
0
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
3
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
5
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
27 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
441st/454
Bottom 10%
continent
Middle East
country
Oman
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$20 ($15-$15 in 2022 prices)
Time of year visited
November
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Wildlife - Sea Turtles
All Tags
Beaches Stargazing
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
Gash

Summary

Ras Al Jinz is a beach and wildlife centre that is at the far eastern Oman end of the Arabian Peninsula and is an important protected site for the Green Turtle species to lay their eggs.  What these turtles go through in their migrations and nesting techniques to secure the next generation is truly mind-blowing, and in seeing the small hatchlings making their way back to the ocean at such a small size next to the giant mothers is actually quite emotional . . .

 

. . . but the problem with this experience is how it is managed, which feels like all the bad aspects of mass tourism.  You’re grouped with fellow tourists all at the same time around 9pm – there were around 5 groups of 25 when I visited.  You all walk the 20mins to the beach together.  All wait right near each other to approach a turtle.  All stumble around in the dark not quite knowing where you are going for around 30mins.  And then all walk back 20mins to the visitor centre.  The format wouldn’t be so bad if the guides had a bit of passion because tourists understand the restrictions of no light and the need to not disturb the turtles, but they all tend to have that more-bothered-about-their-mobile-phone-and-guests-are-a-bit-of-a-nuisance attitude that is unfortunately all too common in the Middle East.

 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s quite funny as you collectively laugh at how silly the whole thing is.  And, you do get to see glimpses of the turtles digging themselves in, laying eggs and hatchlings at this time of year.  But its just not worth the long drive there.  Your time could be far better spent in the wonderful red deserts or mountains of Oman

 

If determined to go, biggest tip – stay at the Turtle Guest House rather than the Turtle Reserve.  30% of the price, nice enough and they also organise your tour for you.

 

Highlights

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#1 Seeing the giant green turtle mums digging the perfect hole with her large flipper swings . . . and nailing the tourists with the sand

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#2 Getting glimpse of the turtle eggs, and hoping some of theme make it to the nearby ocean in 6 weeks time

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#3 Driving through the desert - there isn't much around Ras Al Jinz, so its quite cool driving

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#4 Feeling a bit like you're in the red deserts of Star Wars on the entrance to the Reserve

How does Ras Al Jinz compare to Oman’s other things to do

Oman is an incredible country to travel in.  I would look to prioritise like this:

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4WDing across the Hajar Mountains via Hatt
An adventurous and spectacular off-road drive through remote mountain villages, dramatic scenery and some of the most impressive landscapes in the Middle East.  Mega wow experience. 4WDing across the Hajar Mountains via Hatt.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Walking Jebel Shams’ Wadi Ghul canyon
A scenic balcony walk along the edge of Oman’s “Grand Canyon” with big views and an easy but very rewarding hike. Walking Jebel Sham’s Wadi Ghul canyon.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hiking and swimming Wadi Shab
A very scenic hike through a desert canyon followed by swimming through clear pools and narrow gaps to reach a hidden cave waterfall — one of Oman’s most fun and unique experiences. Hiking and swimming Wadi Shab.

 

⭐️⭐️ Driving up to Jebel Akhdar
A winding drive up into the cooler highlands with terrace farming, villages and viewpoints, but more about the setting than a standout activity itself. Driving up to Jebel Akhdar.

 

⭐️ Muscat
The natural entry point for the vast majority of trips to Oman, Muscat’s Corniche with its fish market and Mutrah Souk, and the museum are nice.  but don’t spend time there if it means sacrificing time in the other Omani highlights. A day in Muscat.

⭐️ Exploring Nizwa Fort and Souq
A well-restored historic fort and traditional souq that give a good feel for Oman’s history and culture in a compact, easy visit. Do on the way to the mountains from Muscat. Exploring Nizwa Fort and Souq

 

GASH – Turtles laying and hatching at Ras Al Jinz
Watching turtles come ashore at night to lay eggs (or seeing hatchlings head to the sea) is a rare wildlife experience.  Its just done very badly. Turtles laying and hatching at Ras Al Jinz.

 

See the 5 days for Oman itinerary for how this all comes together.

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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