Salalah is a city that does not match anyone's picture of Arabia. It lies on a green coastal plain in Dhofar, in the south of Oman, backed by a ridge of mountains that catch the monsoon. From about June to September the clouds roll in, the khareef begins, and the hills turn the colour of an Irish valley, with drizzle, mist and waterfalls, and Gulf visitors drive down in their thousands to enjoy the cool. The rest of the year the plain is hot, but the coconut palms, banana plantations and the sea breeze keep it gentle, and the mountains stay dry and brown.
Dhofar was the source of frankincense, the resin from a small thorny tree that grows on the arid slopes inland, and for thousands of years it was carried by camel and ship to Egypt, Rome and India. The ruins of Al Baleed, an old port by the sea, and the harbour at Khor Rori are part of the World Heritage listing for the Land of Frankincense. In the souq you can buy the resin and a little burner and smell the city's old trade at first hand. The sultan who ruled Oman for half a century, Qaboos, was born in Salalah, which gives the town a special weight in the country.
The riding is a pleasure with a few cautions. West of town the coast road leads to Mughsail, about forty-five kilometres, where white sand meets black cliffs and blowholes shoot spray high on a rough sea, and the road beyond climbs a dramatic escarpment to the Yemeni border region. East toward Mirbat the road runs through low hills and fishing villages. Camels wander across the road at will, often in the dusk and in the mist of the khareef, when visibility can drop to a few metres, so slow down. Summer afternoons outside the monsoon are fiercely hot, and the best riding is early or late.
Salalah is big enough for every kind of fuel, food and repair, and stations are frequent along the main roads. The seafood is good and fresh, and a glass of fresh coconut water from a roadside stall is a local pleasure. Speed cameras are common, and Omani police are firm about limits.