This deep sinkhole (1 million cu metres), known as the Well of Birds, gapes without warning in a corrugated landscape of rock, covered in thicket. A small path leads from the car park to a viewing platform, but the sinkhole is really only accessible with a guide, available from a tour company in Salalah.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Al Baleed Archaeological Park
28.93 MILES
Well-labelled and atmospherically lit at night, the ancient ruins of Al Baleed belong to the 12th-century trading port of Zafar. Frankincense was shipped…
Jebel Samhan Viewpoint
9.38 MILES
The upper plateau of Jebel Samhan suddenly ends in a vertiginous drop more than 1000 meters to the coastal plain below. Barely a ledge interrupts the…
Wadi Darbat
7.11 MILES
A popular picnic site during the khareef and a great place to enjoy the jebel in any season, Wadi Darbat is a grassy plateau in the hills marked by Oman's…
Sumhuram Archaeological Park
9.75 MILES
Looking across one of Dhofar's prettiest bays at peacefully grazing camels and flocks of flamingos, it’s hard to imagine that 2000 years ago Khor Rori was…
Ayn Razat
21.43 MILES
The most striking of all the springs scattered across the Salalah Plain, Ayn Razat flows copiously from the hillside at all times of year and rolls across…
Wadi Darbat Waterfall
8.89 MILES
Every few years, steady rains across the jebel result in a torrent of water racing across Wadi Darbat and falling over the edge, 300m to the Salalah Plain…
Taqah Castle
11.74 MILES
This small but well-preserved castle was built in the 19th century. With a furnished interior, good signage and an accompanying booklet explaining the…
Bin Ali's Tomb
11.48 MILES
Housing the remains of Mohammed Bin Ali, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, this tiny tomb, with its two distinctive onion domes, marks the old…
Nearby Dhofar attractions
1. Taiq Cave
4.99 MILES
Identified in 1997, this 90 million cu metre–sinkhole is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Elliptical in shape, it has a depth of 250m and is…
2. Baobab Grove
5.16 MILES
Botanists may be surprised to find a small stand of baobab trees gracing the thickets just above the Salalah Plain. These magnificent giants, their trunks…
3. Wadi Darbat
7.11 MILES
A popular picnic site during the khareef and a great place to enjoy the jebel in any season, Wadi Darbat is a grassy plateau in the hills marked by Oman's…
4. Wadi Darbat Waterfall
8.89 MILES
Every few years, steady rains across the jebel result in a torrent of water racing across Wadi Darbat and falling over the edge, 300m to the Salalah Plain…
5. Jebel Samhan Viewpoint
9.38 MILES
The upper plateau of Jebel Samhan suddenly ends in a vertiginous drop more than 1000 meters to the coastal plain below. Barely a ledge interrupts the…
6. Sumhuram Archaeological Park
9.75 MILES
Looking across one of Dhofar's prettiest bays at peacefully grazing camels and flocks of flamingos, it’s hard to imagine that 2000 years ago Khor Rori was…
7. Khor Rori Beach
9.89 MILES
A celebrated local beauty spot, this khor (inlet) is often partitioned from the sea by a sandbar that shrinks and grows according to the season. In the…
8. Bin Ali's Tomb
11.48 MILES
Housing the remains of Mohammed Bin Ali, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, this tiny tomb, with its two distinctive onion domes, marks the old…