Month: August 2026

One of my favorite places to visit in Oman is the Jebel Akhdar mountainous area. I have written about it several times already, so forgive me for adding one more to that number. This mountain region provides a good way to escape the summer heat, so it is not surprising that it is a popular destination. There are historical villages and their cultivated terraces, where the traditional harvests follow the rhythm of the seasons. The most famous one is the Damask rose in the Spring, but this time I visited during the pomegranate season, which lasts from August to September.  

The famous trail that connects the three villages along the hanging terraces is best walked early morning or late afternoon, to avoid the time of the day with the highest temperature. Even though it is cooler up here in the mountains, at more than 2000m above sea level, it will still reach 30 Centigrade easily. The Jebel Akhdar pomegranates are well known for their large size and sweet flavor, so I was keen to look for them as I walked along the path. I saw many trees with abundant fruits but not yet sporting the conspicuous red color; seems I visited a bit too early in the season, which gives me an excuse to go back in a couple of weeks or so. 

One of the mornings during my visit, I was out before dawn in a viewpoint overlooking the villages and terraces. The scene in front of me was beautiful, and the tranquility was absolute, with no other soul in sight. Gradually, the first light of the day started to illuminate the landscape in golden tones, slowly progressing downwards into the deep valley. I wanted to record this vast scenery with my camera, so I made a series of images that I later assembled as panoramas. In the future, they will remind me of this unique experience of the sunrise in Jebel Akhdar.

One of the most traditional markets in Oman occurs every Friday morning in Nizwa. Even before the first light of dawn announces the beginning of a new day, many vehicles start to fill the car park near the souk; on Friday mornings, all the buzz is about the famous “goat market”. In a dedicated enclosure, the animals are auctioned in a traditional market, where sellers and buyers close the deals in a lively way. I visited one Friday morning in early August, arriving before 6 am. This allowed me to walk around the souk for some time, becoming familiar with the ongoing activities.  

Even this early, the place quickly becomes very busy, and there is some anticipation in the air. In a nearby square, there was already an ongoing market for fruits and vegetables: dates, prickly pears, mangoes, papayas, were just some of the varieties available.  

After taking some photos of the fruit market, I returned to the goat market, because the action was about to start. The enclosure consists of a circular path, where the sellers parade the animals; the potential buyers are located both in the central and outer parts. Each seller keeps the goats in a pen, waiting for their turn to go. I chose a location in the front row and got ready for the action to start. Once it starts, the whole process goes at a fast pace. For this type of event, I prefer the flexibility of a zoom lens; hence, I mounted the Fujinon 16-50 f/2.8 – f/4.8 on a Fujifilm X-T5 camera.  

This market provides a unique opportunity to experience a genuine Omani tradition, in a beautiful town. Besides the souk, Nizwa offers much more to see and visit: the impressive fort, the surrounding oasis and plantations, or walking along restored walls in the old town. 

Summer in Oman is synonym of high temperature and in some regions high humidity too. One of the places where it is possible to escape the heat is the Eastern coast, where the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve is located. Thanks to the strong monsoon winds coming from the Indian ocean that prevail during the summer, the temperature is a few good degrees lower than the usual. Summer is also the best time of the year to see several species of turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs; every night, hundreds of these majestic animals arrive at these beaches after crossing the ocean, returning to the coast where they were born.

I visited the reserve last year (see link below), and returned this year too, to see them again. I previously wrote about this experience, so this time I will jump straight into the photos.

Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve – PauloBizarroPHOTOBLOG

For this trip, I took my Fujifilm X-E5 camera and Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 lens. I knew they would be adequate to photograph during the two guided visits (one at night, the other at dawn). All visits in the reserve are supervised by experienced guides, so not to disturb the turtles.

At night, red lamps are used, which result in unpleasant light; therefore, I converted the images into black and white. It is truly impressive to see these gentle giants arriving on the beach, climbing up the sand, and digging their nests to lay hundreds of eggs. After these exhausting efforts, they return to the sea; after a couple of months, the babies will hatch and make their first journey into the ocean. After around 25 years, the females will return to these shores to continue this cycle of life. It is both a wonderful and humbling experience.