Turtle watching at Ras al Jinz: tours, times and seasons

At Ras al Jinz, a fishing village on the eastern shore of the Arabian Peninsula, green turtles come ashore to lay their eggs in the sand. The beach is part of a nature reserve, and it is the only place in Oman where the public can legally watch turtles, with a guide. You need to book your tour, arrive on time and follow a few strict rules, starting with no flash and no headlights.

The reserve at a glance

• Established by royal decree in 1996, the reserve opened a visitor centre in 2008 that combines an interactive museum with research laboratories.
• Managed by Omran, the Oman Tourism Development Company, the state-owned tourism developer, working with the Ministry of Environment.
• The green turtle, an endangered species, is the star: according to the reserve, the Ras al Jinz beach is probably the most important nesting site for the species in the Indian Ocean.
• Four species of sea turtle nest in Oman: green, olive ridley, loggerhead and hawksbill, the last of them critically endangered.

The reserve also holds an archaeological site: the remains of settlements more than 4,300 years old, where pottery from the Indus Valley and bitumen from Mesopotamia have been found, evidence of very early maritime trade.

Guided tours

Times are local; Oman is 4 hours ahead of London in winter and 3 hours ahead in summer. The reserve notes that times may change with the season and asks visitors to reconfirm before arriving.

The reserve's guides, who are committed to turtle conservation, lead groups onto the beach to watch the animals at close range without disturbing them. Depending on the season, you may see nesting or hatching.

Prices

Prices for non-resident visitors, per person:

Both the evening and dawn tours are included in the room rate for guests staying at the reserve.

When to go

Turtles can be seen all year round, though not in the same numbers:

• Nesting is heaviest from June to October and lighter from November to May, according to a study by Sultan Qaboos University published in 2003.
• Hatchlings are mainly seen from May to September, according to the reserve, which recommends summer for watching them.
• The heat stays moderate on the Ras al Hadd coast, according to the reserve, which quotes 25 to 36°C in summer. In Sur, the nearest town, average highs range from 26°C in January to 40°C in June.

For European travellers, two windows stand out. September and October still offer plenty of nesting, the last hatchlings and the start of the tourist season. November to April brings the most pleasant weather for the rest of the trip, but fewer turtles each night. Our page on the Ras al Jinz turtles follows the calendar.

Rules on the beach

The reserve works to limit threats caused by people. In particular, it asks for:

• no flash photography: the reserve counts artificial light among the threats to turtles;
• no car headlights turned towards the beach;
• no litter: plastic bags and bottles, cans, fishing lines and ropes are among the dangers;
• following the guide's instructions.

Natural threats are beyond the reserve's control: birds, crabs and fish take some of the hatchlings, foxes dig up eggs, and sharks sometimes attack adult turtles.

Getting there and staying overnight

Ras al Jinz is about 270 km and 3 h 40 by road from Muscat airport, and 45 km, or around fifty minutes, from Sur. With tours at 9 pm or 5 am, a day trip from Muscat is not realistic: stay overnight in Sur or at the reserve.

Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve has air-conditioned rooms and comfortable tents on a rise near the beach, from about €230 a night for two with breakfast, local taxes may apply. Staying at the reserve saves you a night drive and gives access to both the evening and dawn tours. The reserve also offers other activities, in limited numbers and bookable through the reserve: stargazing, mountain walks, dolphin watching, diving, visits to an Omani home, cooking lessons, sunrise yoga and archery.

On the way, you can visit Ras al Hadd Castle, a 16th-century fort 35 km from Sur, and Al Sunaysilah Fort in Sur itself. Wadi Shab and Bimmah Sinkhole lie on the coast road from Muscat: see our Sur and Ras al Jinz page and our guide to wadis, swimming and flash floods. If you are driving, avoid the roads at night outside towns because of animals on the road: our guide to driving in Oman explains why.