I start the Trip from Munich at Thursday morning at 11:40 h a.m. and I arrived at Muscat/Oman at 9:00 h p.m.
The plan was two Days East Coast, four Days Masirah Island, and the last evening the Mountains in the North, because my flight back home was Friday morning 2:10 h a.m.
When I arrived at Muscat Airport and looked out of the window of the Plane I had a Deja Vu. I saw water, all was full with water.(Oman 2013)
After buying the Visa, Custom and pick up the rental car I started the Trip at 10:00 h pm. I was going along the north coast to the east coast and then south. Water everywhere, the Center of the City Sur was totally under Water! Also the temperatures were low, 19 Degrees. I was driving around 3 hours than I stopped the first time and went into the field, a half hour later – nothing not a single Gecko. I drove down south, stopped, looked around nothing and so on. At 4:30 h am I jumped at the back seat and tried to find some sleep, that also doesn`t work, at 6: 30 h am I start driving around again, made some landscape pics and drove more south.
South of Al Ahskhara I tried my luck again, it was 9:30 h am and the Temperature was around 23 Degrees, full sun. I found:
Acanthodactylus schmidti
Acanthodactylus haasi (first time ever)
Pristurus cateri (strange to find them in Sand Dunes)
Pristurus rupestris
Pristurus minimus
Phrynocephalus arabicus (first time I found them in Oman)
On the way to the hotel I stopped at a Salt Lake to check the area. I thought it will maybe good for kobarensis Gecko. I stopped the car, walked around 20 meter and saw from the corner of my eye a motion. I turned slowly around and found the highlight of the Trip Varanus griseus (first time I pictured them)
I made a few in Situ pics and then the fun starts, the young beast thought it is faster than the old man, but fault! After 60 meter I got him!
Not a bad Start!
After Dinner I jumped in the car, start the engine and it starts to rain again! But I was just a small shower.
I drove fast back to Salt Lake for the kobarensis, stopped the car, walked 50 meter and run into a Echis carinatus. 15 Minutes later, I had the torch in my left hand, I walked slowly, because I don`t want to miss the little Gecko, a Echis passed me on the right side and crawl in front of me!
After pictured that one I left the place. I drove further south and stopped at a Dunes area. I found
Stenodactylus sharqiyahensis
Stenodactylus doriae
Lytorhynchus diadema (first time I found them in Oman)
back at the Hotel I found a few Hemidactylus robustus on the wall
12 Species – not bad for the first Day!
The next morning I walked over the Dunes to look for some Gasparetti Tracks, but I don`t found one.
I saw Phrynocephalus arabicus, A. schmidti, Pristurus minimus (more than I want to see) and again Pristurus cateri in the Sand.
In the Afternoon I drove down south (150 km) to look for khobarensis. The only Herp I found was a very strange looking Stenodactylus doriae.
On the way back, I stopped at the place where I found the diadema on the night before.
Parked the car and a minute later I stand in front of a Cerastes gasparetti! Gasparetti with Horns, I was such a long time searching for that! The Highlight of the Trip!
After an extreme Fotoshooting I drove to the place where I found Echis the night before.
Minutes later I got one, on the way back to the car one more.
What a great Day!!!
On Sunday morning I drove down south for the Ferry to Masirah island.
At Mainland, Shannah Port I found Acanthodactylus masirae and Pristurus minimus.
After a one hour Transfer I arrived at the island a started searching, I found Hemidactylus robustus, Pristurus minimus and Pristurus cateri. I was also looking for a place for the night adventure.
The Target of the night was the endemic gecko Hemidactylus masirahensis. I had no coordinates for them and not many ideas about the Habitat, but I found a Wadi that what I thought was good.
On the way to the Hotel I pictured an endangered Vulture.
I reached the Wadi when it was Dark, I jumped out of the Car (Now the report comes in unreal Dimensions, but it is all true!) Light up a cigarette, left hand torch, right hand camera, mouth cigarette, not smart, I looked for the next bigger stone to sit down and smoke the cigarette first, found a good stone, laid my camera on the ground and a Gecko jumped away from the stone – Hemidactylus masirahensis!!
Hard to get good pics from them.
I also found night active Day Geckos – Pristurus cateri! And a few Trachydactylus hajarensis.
On Monday morning I was cruising around to look for Uromastyx thomasi, but don`t found them. All I saw was Pristurus minimus, Pristurus cateri, Acanthodactylus masirae and one Messalina adramitana. In the afternoon I made more Vulture pics and flipped a Scincus mitranus.
Scincus Habitat
At night I visited two Wadis, in the first I found T. hajarensis and H. masirahensis and in the second nothing. Drove to the Costal area to look for other Geckos or Echis, but also nothing.
I start the Tuesday morning with some Vulture shots. Then I drove to an area, that I thought, looks good, but after 1 ½ hour I found nothing then P. minimus and P. carteri.
I was frustrated, during cruising around for some places I made a decision, I changed the plan and left the Island one Day earlier, that gives me the chance for the northern mountains on the mainland.
Later I found a place and that one was not bad. I flipped a lot of rubbish and found two Scincus mitranus, a lot of Hemidactylus robustus, four Echis carinatus and one hedgehog.
Scincus Habitat
Two Echis under a Board
Less motivated I drove at night to one of the Wadi on the east side. Found Trachydactylus hajarensis,
Hemidactylus masirahensis, Duttaphrynus dhufarensis and again, a lot of Pristurus cateri on the Roads.
Drove back to the costal side on the west to check the Echis place again, but no activity.
Wednesday morning I took the earliest ferry to left the Island, 9:00 h a.m. back on Mainland I drove to Sur in the North. I stopped from time to time went out of the car just to enjoy the Scenery and soak up as much sun as possible. A few km before I reached Sur, I searched in a Wadi, found nothing beside Acanthodactylus boskianus, no wonder, 36 Degrees Celsius. I made a short break at the Hotel and drove later to the Wadi Tiwi. I reached the Wadi with last Sunrays and saw that the Water is still there (Surprise, surprise). I found a good place for the night and a few Pristurus rupestris. An hour later I start, the first Herp, beside hundreds of Duttaphrynus arabicus, was a Hemidactylus hajerensis, followed by a Ptyodactylus orlovi, and then, the Target – Echis omanensis.
Back at the Hotel I found some Hemidactylus flaviviridis on the walls of the Hotel.
In the night from Wednesday to Thursday a Virus was fighting in my bowels. I found not much sleep.
Thursday morning, I was weak and lazy and drove to the Wadi Tiwi again, found only Duttaphrynus arabicus, Pristurus rupestris and Ptyodactylus orlovi. In the afternoon I checked two Wadis for the last night, but both were still fluted. There was no more Power in me to search for another one, so I spend my last evening at the airport. Not the best way to finish a Trip, but it is what it is.
I don`t know if this was one of my best Trips, but definitely the one with the most luck.
More pics https://www.flickr.com/photos/56611613@ ... 3741873964
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(I can't believe that I just wrote that 
