Khareef DhofarMonsoon miracle

Observer

4 days ago

Salalah: When in Dhofar Governorate, the first thing you notice is the mist. It doesn't fall — it floats, moves and curls into your hair. It's not just the air that's cooler; it's the spirit.
The monsoon, known here as khareef, has returned. And with it, Dhofar is not simply hosting a festival — it is becoming one.
This is Khareef Dhofar Season 2025, not in the abstract, but as it breathes and dances through the mountains, cities, and minds of everyone who enters its reach.
Every road into Salalah tells a story. And this week, those roads are full. Car after car flows from the north, the east, the borders. Families from Muscat. Adventurers from Riyadh. Young dreamers from Dubai. At petrol stations and roadside cafés, you hear the same buzz: 'Did you see the drone show?' 'Is the Glow Forest open tonight?' 'Let's drive to Al Mughsail before the rain'. Al Mughsail Beach, kissed by the Indian Ocean, is not just a postcard. It's a feeling — where blowholes roar with theatrical fury and children scream in delight. There, on Salalah's west coast, the monsoon isn't something you observe. It's something you survive, enjoy and remember.
Back in the city's heart, Ittin Square has transformed into a visual opera. Fireworks rise without smoke, drones paint galaxies in the sky and the Crow Show, famous from America's Got Talent, delivers spectacle with soul. But that's only the opening act.
The European Carnival spills onto the grounds — costumed dancers and stilted characters posing for selfies one minute and waltzing past families the next. On another corner, International Folklore Performances bring rhythms from Africa, Asia and Europe to the monsoon stage. Each act is applause — worthy. But it's the little gasp from a child, the laughter in the crowd, that seals the moment.
If you want to trace the wonder's roots, follow the children. At Awqad Park, the Kiddy Time zone is pulsing with life. Not chaos — joy. Inside The Enchanted Forest, kids paint with mud and neon, draw constellations in Luminous Jungle and learn Omani myths through puppet shows. Today's Jungle Carnival and Princess and the Dwarfs Parade reimagine fairy tales through forest ecology and cultural fun. 'My son didn't want to leave', said a visitor from Saudi Arabia. 'He asked if Salalah has a school that runs all year like this'. But this isn't just for children. Wadi Darbat is a silent cathedral of green. Boats glide like whispers beneath overhanging trees. The Boat Adventure isn't fast. That's the point. You hear your breath again. You listen to birds and forget your inbox.
Climb a little higher and Dhofar's highlands stretch out beneath you, a sea of emerald and fog. The Mountain Climbing Adventures are more than trails — they're rites of presence. You begin in ambition. You end in stillness.
Back in Salalah Public Park, there's movement of another kind. Joggers loop the Health Garden, children play football under the drizzle, grandparents stretch on inclusive fitness equipment. Here, health isn't forced — it's embedded. Oman Vision 2040 is not a slogan. It's in the layout, in the people.
And just when you think you've seen it all, The Modern Frontage at Ittin Plain opens another portal: 14 countries, 14 stories. Each pavilion is a passport stamp. There's a Live Music Pathway, the Kids' World Village and the radiant Luminous Float Carnival that turns monsoon nights into glowing dreams. 'It's like Expo, but with rain and real joy', said a tourist from the UAE. And it's true. But the soul of this season is old. The Return of the Past area offers no neon — just authenticity. A clay oven. A folk poem. A flame lit not for spectacle but for memory. At the Village Theatre, Al Bar'ah dancers stamp out rhythms older than maps. You don't just watch—you inherit. 'Every wilayat has its own story', said an Omani visitor from Al Dakhiliyah. 'But here, Dhofar gathers them like rain gathers in a wadi'. In Taqah, Mirbat and Sadah, the story continues. Each Wilayat Day unveils another layer of Oman — its music, textiles, flavours and oral traditions. It's not performance—it's living proof.
And if your heartbeat still needs raising, try the Salalah International Cycling Tour, the Traditional Shooting Championship, the Drag Race Championship, or the Salalah Marathon — where athletes race the rain itself.
All of this — the wonder, the flow, the crowds, the quiet — is held together by vision and care. Behind the scenes, the Khareef Dhofar Main Committee, Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Dhofar Municipality and public safety teams orchestrate not just logistics, but memory.