Dhofar (Oman) August & October 2025

August 2025

Ah Dhofar….the place that does not give up its treasures easily. I returned to Oman early so that before I started work I could drive down to the country’s wildlife hotspot once more. This time at the peak of the monsoon or khareef season. I was curious if the humid conditions would make the herpetofauna easier to find like in many parts of the tropics, in short, this didn’t really turn out to be the case. Once more I had to work hard, harder and then harder still to find the animals that I wanted to see. Another obstacle that I knew that I would have to contend with at this time of year was the tourist numbers. Large parts of the Arabian peninsula descend on Dhofar at this time of year for a cooler climate, and congested roads leading to waterfalls and other scenic areas were a daily problem. However, I came prepared and made sure that I visited quieter places without tarmac roads where humanity was less prominent.

Another problem was the biting insects. Mosquito numbers were not too bad and manageable but the tiny midges which leave itchy sores all over the areas which they bite were a real nightmare. They did not care about any form of spray, or even deet. All that being said, the coastal areas were mostly dry and did not have hardly any biting insects so these could be explored a lot more easily and turned out to be the areas where I had the most success.

Mammals stole the show again, like they did in October 2024, well one species in particular! While hiking at night I saw a porcupine run out of a small cave and up a hillside. Moments later, I spotted two Honey badgers (Mellivora capensis) venturing out of the cave and I was able to watch (and film) them for several minutes. Other encounters with this species were usually very brief as they crossed or ran alongside the road. Despite seeing several Arabian wolves (Canis lupus arabs) they were always too quick for a photo. The occasional Common genet (Genetta genetta) did allow for a photo to be taken on a couple of occasions, as did two individuals of the Arabian wildcat (Felis lybica lybica).

When I first arrived the heavy rains brought out a breeding spectacle of Dhofar toads (Firouzophrynus dhufarensis) close to the touristy waterfalls and inevitably there were large numbers of road casualties. Males seemed to turn a yellowish colour while breeding, something that I had not seen before. When the rain stopped, the usual geckos, skinks and Bent’s spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx benti) were out in good numbers as well as the omnipresent Oriental garden lizard (Calotes versicolor). Frustratingly, I couldn’t find any Anderson’s rock agamas (Acanthocerus adramitanus) this time around. In the places I saw them previously it was too cold and wet. My favourites, the Arabian chameleon (Chamaeleo arabicus) were not as commonly seen as in October, but still I found a few during the daytime and others sleeping in trees at night.

Contrary to my expectations the humid conditions did not seem to improve my observations of snakes. In rainy weather I didn’t find any active snake, day or night. It was only in the drier conditions and drier areas where I finally found some interesting species. On my first evening in a dry coastal habitat I found one of my main targets, a Thomas’s banded racer (Platyceps thomasi) which I had not seen previously. This small snake is only found in Dhofar in Oman and the nearby coastal areas of S-E Yemen. Two snakes that I found most evenings were Anderson’s burrowing asp (Atractaspis andersonii) and Schokari sand racer (Psammophis schokari), the latter often sleeping in spiky bushes. All of the six burrowing asps that I saw were hunting in dry coastal habitats, 5 of those in an area almost devoid of vegetation and cover. As well as numerous sloughed skins, I found two Arabian cat snakes (Telescopus dhara), one tiny juvenile climbing on a steep cliff and an adult that had just fed on a chameleon that had just been hit by a car. Two large sloughs of Arabian cobra (Naja arabica) let me know that I was in the right place, but again this snake eluded me.

I had to wait until the final evening of the trip for my favourite snake encounter. We had driven deep into a remote wadi and hiked for another hour after leaving our car as far as we could take it. This was the nicest habitat that we saw on the trip and as night fell we could hear wolves calling all around. Soon after we started our hike back to the car in the dark I stumbled across a large female Puff adder (Bitis arietans) slowly moving across the rocky ground. A fantastic way to end this short trip! I was especially pleased to see this species after having a less fortunate encounter with one back in December when I was too late to a stop a local from attacking and mortally wounding the snake.

Don’t forget to check out the video below of some of these species seen on the trip.

I’ll be back…

Dhofar looking typically green at this time of year.

Thomas’s banded racer (Platyceps thomasi)

Anderson’s burrowing asp ( Atractaspis andersonii) was one of the most common snakes found on the trip (6 individuals)

Carter’s semaphore gecko (Pristurus carteri)

Female Puff adder (Bitis arietans), a last minute highlight!

October 2025

In October I then returned to Dhofar for 6 days during the half term holidays. This time I focussed my efforts in areas that I had not visited before which had a mixed result. Better for snakes, but less good for mammals compared to previous visits.

While driving down to Salalah I stopped for a few hours after dark in the inland desert to search for the rare Burton’s carpet viper (Echis coloratus) but instead I found an Arabian horned viper (Cerastes gasperettii) as well as a trio of geckos. Speaking of geckos, once in Dhofar I finally dedicated some time to search for the endemic Ghost gecko (Hemidactylus lemurinus) on a famous coastal rock, finding several individuals, one of which was the ‘ghost’ form.

The weather was hot and dry even though the rains had only stopped a few weeks previously. Fortunately, when driving west towards Yemen you climb to a considerable altitude which brought the temperatures down nicely. Although without the luxuries of areas closer to Salalah, the western parts of Dhofar where more wild and although the occasional checkpoint slows you down, it’s an amazing area to explore. In terms of snakes, I did better with Puff adders (Bitis arietans) at this time of the year. I found four living individuals as well as numerous others dead on the road. One live animal that we found on the road had to be relocated once the police and camel farmer turned up.