The khareef Festival has started few days ago, on the 16th July and will go on till the 31st August.

As I have never been to Salalah, but always have in mind to go during the summer as I heard it is cool, rainy and so green there, I want to know more...

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My questions are:

1) Have you been to Salalah before?

- If yes, how is this town and what are the interesting places to visit?
- If no, tell us if you are interested in this place which is part of Oman?

2) Have you ever attended the Khareef Festival?

- If yes, tell us more about it and what makes it special?
- If no, tell us if you are interested to attend it one day?

Thanks.



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1) Have you been to Salalah before?

Yes, lived 15 years of my early life there!

- If yes, how is this town and what are the interesting places to visit?

* The beaches (Raysut, Mugsail) are pretty nice places .. Mugsail beach also has a few geysers ... thats what the arabs call 'em there, though I wouldn't say they are geysers!

* Anti gravity point ... ask some local for directions.

* There's a waterfall somewhere too ... once again ... ask a local for directions.

* Come down from Muscat to Salalah by road ... because that way you enjoy the greenery of the Jabals during the Khareef season!

2) Have you ever attended the Khareef Festival?

Yup ... every year since it was first launched! Will skip this year though.

- If yes, tell us more about it and what makes it special?

What if I tell you that it is not special at all? ;)

If you've been to a theme park in any other part of the world, then you wouldn't enjoy 3/4ths of the games and amusements that go on in the Khareef festival there.

Secondly, the car parking problems a headache! :rolleyes: You got to walk 10 mins from the area you park to come to the entrance gate!

The good part is, you get a variety of good food all in the same location ... nice nice :D

1) Have you been to Salalah before?

Yes, i'v been there for 5 times i guess..

- If yes, how is this town and what are the interesting places to visit?
The town is quite and a good place to relax sara7a..plus there are many nice places like (3ain garzeez, 3ain erzat, magsail, raysut) and many other placed which i dont really remember them now..
mountains are great over there .. u just want to sit there and dont want to get out of it.

2) Have you ever attended the Khareef Festival?

The Festival it self No

- If no, tell us if you are interested to attend it one day?

well for sure i am interested to attend it one day and this might be this summer inshalla (as i guess so far)

) Have you been to Salalah before?

hmmm yes few times, like 10,000. i'm from salalah. i was born there and lived there till 13. obviously i go there every year, about 10 times a year.

If yes, how is this town and what are the interesting places to visit?

plenty of places to visit. beautiful beaches, waterfalls, green mountains, we have the largest cave in the world.

dont go there looking for nightlife or shopping cause it's just crap.

Have you ever attended the Khareef Festival?

actually i haven't cause it's just not my scene but i hear it's pretty good. it's really crowded though.

i have never been interested in salalah , let alone the festival. its just not a place i would like to visit ..at least not for now.. cause am not really into nature..and as i was told..if u go to salalah then u should be going for the nature.

maybe i'll change my mind in the future. who knows.

Have you been to Salalah before?

No

And so N/A for other questions !

however i am going this yr in September , for one Month ! BUt not on vacation though !

I have been there once with my parents in 1990.. concidentially the day Kuwait was invaded! Anyway, I & my husband are planning to go there for a weekend this year as he has never been there! It will be my first time to see the Festivel, I guess. I'll let you know how it is then:)

1) Have you been to Salalah before?

- If yes, how is this town and what are the interesting places to visit?
- If no, tell us if you are interested in this place which is part of Oman?

2) Have you ever attended the Khareef Festival?

- If yes, tell us more about it and what makes it special?
- If no, tell us if you are interested to attend it one day?

Thanks.


I have been to salalah yes but you wouldn;t really want to take my opinion becuase I realy and I mean it really Had a bad bad time!!!

True it has good spots to visit and all but for some reasons it was not at all my place I just didn;t like it... never got into my blood at all.

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Originally posted by Big MO
.... we have the largest cave in the world.

Big Mo, how come we never heard about this cave and we live next door? What is its name and can we visit it?

I think the fact that Salalah is not really developped puts really people off from visiting it. It is a shame as I heard that it is really green and cool, something we don't have at all in the Muscat.

Why is Salalah not more developped and is the Khareef Festival the only main event organized to attract the locals like the tourists ?




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Why is Salalah not more developped and is the Khareef Festival the only main event organized to attract the locals like the tourists ?

* Not developed because the governments not trying to make it more developed!

* Yup ... thats the only major festival at Salalah.

Besides, not many 'tourists' come either. Its mainly people from 'dubai' that come ... they drive crazy, litter the streets, abuse quite a bit ... oh, all at the expense of tourism :rolleyes:

1) Have you been to Salalah before?

Been to Salalah 3 times, last being October last year.

If yes, how is this town and what are the interesting places to visit?

It's a dead town. Very boring. Extremely under developed. There are nice things to see, as mentioned by others above. But you can see everything that's worth seeing in Salalah in a day and a half. For example, you have to go to Maghsail to see the geyser, but once you get there and see the water spouting out of the hill that's it. You go, you see, maybe you take a couple of pictures, and then what?

The mountains are green during the Khareef and it looks really nice. But the weather's so humid and sticky that I didn't want to get out of the car.

Salalah needs to be developed. They need more activities for the tourists. I was dying of boredom at night. If you want to eat your choices are either to eat at the hotel or go to a fast food restaurant. There are no good restaurants to go to other than Bin Ateeq and one other one that's around the quality of Omar Al Khayyam here in Muscat.

Shopping? Forget about it. Entertainment? During Khareef you can go to the fair ground or a concert if you're interested in Arabic music, but other than that there's nothing. No cinemas or anything of that kind.


2) Have you ever attended the Khareef Festival?

Yes I was there for a week attending a course during Khareef of 1997. After seeing the sites the first two days I ended up spending all my free time in my hotel room reading and smoking like a chimney.

Originally posted by X-press

Big Mo, how come we never heard about this cave and we live next door? What is its name and can we visit it?

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hey it was in the news a couple of years ago when it was discovered. I saw it also in the Oman Air magazine a couple of months ago.

Why is Salalah not more developped and is the Khareef Festival the only main event organized to attract the locals like the tourists ?

Salalah is the second largest city in Oman after Muscat and the second most developed after Muscat. why isn't developed as much as Muscat??? you have to ask that question to the guys in the government who think that investment should be made only in Muscat!!!!!!
the Khareef festival is a big event for the locals and tourists as well. However if you know the places there are plenty to see.
the biggest problem is it's badly promoted. for example there is an anti gravity hill which noone seem to have heard off. anywhere else in the world this would've been a major tourist attraction.

Originally posted by Big MO
Salalah is the second largest city in Oman after Muscat and the second most developed after Muscat. why isn't developed as much as Muscat??? you have to ask that question to the guys in the government who think that investment should be made only in Muscat!!!!!!

Since when is the government responsible for developing cities beyond giving them the proper infrastructure. The government builds roads, hospitals and schools. It provides electricity, water and other services. It is not responsible for making Salalah a less boring town. That's the people's responsibility.

How come some of the richest people in Oman are Dhofaris who invest their money in Muscat but not in Salalah? Why don't they build a small shopping mall or a cinema in Salalah?

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Originally posted by Big MO
....there is an anti gravity hill which noone seem to have heard off. anywhere else in the world this would've been a major tourist attraction.

Never heard of this anti gravity...what is really happening there Big MO?

I feel it is very sad that such a beautiful place, which is supposed to be second after Muscat is so isolated and underdevelopped. I knew it was quiet, but never realized there were no malls, no cinemas or entertaining places :(

I agree that people should invest there but the government is also responsible for giving it a push. Why would anyone want to invest in a dead place? Maybe it would be nice to have couple of 4 or 5 stars big resorts, with special spas, beauty or detox treatments, kids activities and shopping areas...adding some great night activities would not hurt.

After reading the above posts, I feel something more needs to be done beside the Khareef Festival to attract people there.

1) Have you been to Salalah before?

Yes


- If yes, how is this town and what are the interesting places to visit?

I've been there once. It was years ago, so I don't remember anything other than the greenery and the mountains.


2) Have you ever attended the Khareef Festival?
Nope


- If no, tell us if you are interested to attend it one day?

I'm not really interested. Waste of time, if you ask me! I'm not into nature and culture really.. so I wouldn't enjoy it.

Originally posted by mux
Since when is the government responsible for developing cities beyond giving them the proper infrastructure. The government builds roads, hospitals and schools. It provides electricity, water and other services. It is not responsible for making Salalah a less boring town. That's the people's responsibility.



again i disgree with you. the role of the government doesn't stop at providing the infrastructure. what's the main attraction of Salalah???? it's natural beauty. and what has been done to promote Salalah in the magnitude it deserves. very little. i mean ladyX lives in Muscat and she never heard of the largest cave in the world that we have in Salalah. i bet 90% of the ppl in here never heard of it. good promotion means more tourists, more tourists mean more visitors which lead to more businesses. maybe then the rich dhofaris will invest in slalalah rather than muscat.

Originally posted by X-press

Never heard of this anti gravity...what is really happening there Big MO?

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how i'm not surprised that many ppl have not heard of it. our tourism ministry just sucks.

anyways the anti gravity location is a hilly spot where aparently the gravity is lower than normal. i've been there and drove my car up to the middle of the hill and stopped, switch the car engine off, hand break down, foot off the breaks and instead of the car going down as you would expect it just stayed in it's place. some ppl even said their cars went upwards a little.

I've been to Salalah, and im going to the Festival too! FOR WORK though :weep: :bang: .. Well at least im going!

I have been there 3 times before in the early 1990's it was pretty nice, but staying there for more than a week is not a very good idea, i mean you can take your time going around and enjoying, but if your looking for good fun, it aint there! go and relax

Originally posted by Big MO
how i'm not surprised that many ppl have not heard of it. our tourism ministry just sucks.

anyways the anti gravity location is a hilly spot where aparently the gravity is lower than normal. i've been there and drove my car up to the middle of the hill and stopped, switch the car engine off, hand break down, foot off the breaks and instead of the car going down as you would expect it just stayed in it's place. some ppl even said their cars went upwards a little.

I too did try with my 4-wheel drive and my car went up about 3 to 4metres with full load of people, and the location is on your way to Mirbat before the first bridge you turn left about 500metre off the tarmac road

Sorry..

I'm very much fond of nature but I donno why Salalah has never fascinated me at all .....:sorry:.

Originally posted by H-Highness
Sorry..

I'm very much fond of nature but I donno why Salalah has never fascinated me at all .....:sorry:.

let's face it HH, all women go a little itchy if they don't go on a shopping spree every five days!!!! so instead of thinking abt the khareef of salalah you think abt the heat of dubai.

L:D :D L

I can't deny that I'm fond of shopping but hey it wont be Dubai. I haven't been to Dubai for almost 7 yrs now, just can't stand the crowd there.

I never been to Salalah, I plan to go there this summer for 3 or 4 days as my cousin warned be not to take more than 4 days :confused: :rolleyes:

WARNED you not to take more then 3 yo 4 days:duh: why?

Originally posted by bint salalah
WARNED you not to take more then 3 or 4 days:duh: why?

Well that's very sensiable Warning.. If she stays more than 4days she May fall in Love With Salalah City:D .. and she may not come back to Muscat:) :p

1) Have you been to Salalah before?

yes, I lived there fore two years :)
and went for a visit a couple of times after that.

- If yes, how is this town and what are the interesting places to visit?
well, I am not good at remmbering the names of places .. but the mountains there are great and I think big mo gave good names for places to go.

I love the place .. maybe coz its related to my childhood .. but I dont mind going there again and again .. the only thing, it has to be with group of people .. coz that way you can really have fun :)

2) Have you ever attended the Khareef Festival?

No, didnt have the chance yet ..
- If yes, tell us more about it and what makes it special?
- If no, tell us if you are interested to attend it one day?
yes I am .. I just want to see how things are ..

i get the feeling that some ppl who live in Muscat have an illusion that they're living in Las Vegas :duh: yes Salalah's night life is boring but frankly speaking so is Muscat's.

Mo..

Cool down man :D the whole country is boring may be there's something more than that making people not to like it. :eyes.

Surprised to hear no cinemas there.

Originally posted by H-Highness
Mo..

Cool down man :D the whole country is boring may be there's something more than that making people not to like it. :eyes.

Surprised to hear no cinemas there.

as cool as ice HH. there are 3 or 4 cinemas in salalah.

There two popular books published about Dhofar. One was published in the 1980s by the Diwan of Royal Court:
It is very interesting it shows the plants that grow there and the types that are used for medicinal purposes. The book is called:
'Plants of Dhofar'

The other one has been published recently by the Ministry of Manicupility & Environment a book called:
'Get to know the enviroment of Dhofar'
It describes that there are 340 3yoon (I don't know what is 3yoon in English).
that there are 750 different types of plants, 53 are unique to Dhofar. It also descripes that different caves that are there. I already have the first book, actually, I might consider buying the second one too:rolleyes:

And here below is the latest book on Dhofar,




[As you know, in 2002 we proudly presented our first publication of photographs entitled “Oman, My Beautiful Country” by Mohammad Al Zubair. We would like to inform you that our next publication will be launched soon, entitled “Landscapes of Dhofar”. This is the second of this series by Mohammad Al Zubair, featuring his photographs, that will highlight this part of the Sultanate in more detail.



Dhofar, Oman’s southernmost region is a land of frankincense and antiquity. It is the largest and most diverse of the Sultanates administrative regions. It is a place of distinctive natural beauty and climatic contrasts unknown in the rest of Arabia.



Bait Al Zubair will exhibit photographs by Mohammad Al Zubair illustrating the Dhofari Landscape, at the Khareef Festival in Salalah, and all are welcome to visit.



More details to follow….]

I HAVE BEEN TO SALALAH ONCE AND IT'S NICE PLACE BUT THE PROBLEM IS THE ROAD VERY FAR AND I BELIEVE MOST OMANI'S GOING BY ROAD. ANYWAY AS OTHERS SAID IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A SHORT VACATION IN SALALAH FOR APPRX. ONE WEEK.

One thing that makes Muscat better then Salalah is that its closer to Dubai

Originally posted by SoMe1
One thing that makes Muscat better then Salalah is that its closer to Dubai

yah very true but we're closer to Yemen.

wait a minute!! who the hell would wanna go Yemen :confused:

some1, so the suggestion is to move salalah to sohar? :gap:

:sweat: 6awarna! Arabian itnakit!! :sweat:

La bass Salalah is a nice place, i will tell ya all about it when im back :D

well i have been to Salalah a couple of times and think that it is a nice change from Muscat but it is not something i look forward to doing..there are indeed intresting places but that is about it and yes the weather can be nice too.

salalah must be heaven on earth and if you are not intrested in salalah you just dont know anything about it and you are extremely shallow! SALALAH IS WHAT MAKES OMAN!

way to go :color: AGIOLAX:wink:

Well then, Agi ... Switz might be heavens itself then ... and oh yeah, the other wonderful places too.

Wake up ... Salalah is a beautiful place, but tourism wise 'trash' because the government has no clue as to make it a tourist attraction!

nice to see the Salalah ladies "Agiolax" and "Bint Salalah" raising the flag for the south.