Jebel Samhan

Jebel Samhan rises east of Salalah to around 1,800 metres and ends abruptly on its seaward side in an escarpment that drops close to a kilometre in a single sweep to the coastal plain, which makes the viewpoint at the rim one of the most dramatic in Arabia when cloud is not sitting on it. The plateau is a nature reserve established for the Arabian leopard, of which the population here is among the last viable ones anywhere, monitored by camera trap and effectively never seen by visitors; Nubian ibex, striped hyena and Arabian wolf also occur. A sealed road reaches the main viewpoint. Access into the core reserve is restricted and needs permission.

What you actually see

• The escarpment - the near-vertical kilometre drop to the coastal plain.
• The plateau - the bare limestone tableland behind the rim.
• The reserve - the protected leopard habitat, seen but not entered.
• Coastal views - the plain and the sea from the viewpoint.

When to go

October to April for clear air and the view; during the khareef from late June to September the escarpment is usually buried in cloud, though the hills below turn green. Mornings are clearest.

Honest expectations

Leopards are effectively never seen; the reserve status is the point, not a viewing opportunity. The rim is unfenced with a lethal drop. Cloud removes the view for long periods. Core reserve access requires permission that is rarely given.

Nearby

Mirbat lies below on the coast; Tawi Atayr is west.