Ras Al Jinz Turtle Sanctuary

Located at the easternmost promontory of the Sultanate of Oman where the Gulf of Oman merges with the Arabian Sea, the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve is an internationally renowned marine sanctuary. This remote sandy shore is one of the most critical nesting sites in the Indian Ocean for the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Every year, an estimated 20,000 female turtles return to the exact beaches where they were born decades earlier to lay their eggs. Managed with strict ecotourism protocols, the reserve permits small, guided night and dawn excursions led by certified rangers. Visitors witness the miraculous ancient ritual of female turtles excavating deep pits in the sand, depositing up to 100 ping-pong-ball-sized eggs, and laboriously camouflaging the nest before crawling back into the surf. In the morning light, tiny hatchlings scramble down the sandbanks dodging predatory seagulls to begin their epic oceanic journeys.