Travel Guide Îles Al-Hallaniyat

Around 20 km off the coast, the Al-Hallaniyat are an archipelago of five islands, the largest of which (15 km long by 8 km wide) is inhabited by a handful of fishermen. The area is renowned for its seabed, and is home to pods of dolphins, as well as whales and sperm whales, which calve in these protected, food-rich areas. It is also a sanctuary for several species of seabirds and migratory birds (cormorants, gulls, masked boobies), as well as a few varieties of sea turtle. Topographically, the islands are rocky and dominated by cliffs that can reach over 600 m in height. Unfortunately, access is complicated and requires several permits from the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of the Environment. The area has been classified as a nature reserve and is strictly protected. There is no infrastructure apart from the school, clinic, airstrip, desalination plant and freezing unit. These buildings were developed under the aegis of the late Sultan Qaboos to improve the basic daily life of the islanders - a few hundred brave sardinians who speak Shehri, the language of the true Dhofarians. For the record, between 1854 and 1967, this mini-archipelago was British, administered by the Crown to whom it brought no profit, and who returned it to the Sultan despite Yemeni claims.