White beaches
Empty and quiet.
Cappo80 — CC0 · Marlon Cureg — CC BY 2.0 · Marlon Cureg — CC BY 2.0 · Marlon Cureg — CC BY 2.0 · https://www.flickr.com/photos/pukomuko/ — CC BY 2.0
Masirah is an island off the east coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, the country's largest island and one of the wilayats of Ash Sharqiyah South, about 56 km from the mainland port of Shannah and 265 km southwest of Sur in a straight line. The island is 95 km long north to south and 12 to 14 km wide, covering about 649 square kilometres, with about 12,000 people in 12 villages, mostly in the north; the principal village is Ras Hilf. Its economy rests on fishing and traditional textile making, and it was once known for shipbuilding. The island is wild and quiet: rocky hills on its east side, a wide sandy plain in the west, and long white sand coasts broken by black rocks and small bays of turquoise water. Wooden fishing boats rest on the beaches, and camels roam the hills. Visitors arrive by ferry from Shannah or by plane, drive the coastal road around the island, and swim, fish and watch birds on empty beaches. Some visitors kitesurf off its shores, and services are limited outside Ras Hilf.
Empty and quiet.
On the sand.
Off the beaches.
Masirah Island, Ash Sharqiyah South, Oman
By ferry from Shannah or by plane.
Two or three.