Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve

The rooms (tents) are very comfortable - except the pillow is too high and hard. The location is really nice: you can see the stars perfectly and the turtles laying eggs, even in low season. The guide for the turtle tour was really kind and knowledgeable. The main employee at the reception was very nice and helped us solve an issue with the agency’s reservation. Other employees were not as nice.

Seeing the turtles is a very cool and unique experience, however wouldn't recommend staying here and making it more of a day trip as the hotel is overpriced for what was offered. The turtle experience is overcrowded and invasive, there are 200 tourists surrounding the baby turtles, was a bit sad to be honest. The hotel is outdated and not modern. At the buffet restaurant we had to wait 30 minutes and were rushed to eat fast. We spent new years eve and there was no special celebration. In regards to the tents, it was a cool experience, good quality but the shower only had cold water and terrible water pressure (in other rooms there was hot water)

We had a luxury tent which was absolutely not worth the value. Rather stay in the main part of the hotel. Breakfast and dinner were good. The turtle center is nice; the museum would deserve a refresh and a bit more love. Few installations were out of order. The turtle night and morning visit is definitely worth.

The night turtle trip was lovely. They really take care of how tourists behave when watching. We saw one turtle laying eggs 👍 and the next searching for the right spot. We were divided into three or four groups. Otherwise, the service in the hotel and tents is nothing special. Also, the food is very basic. We slept in a tent with two beds. It's okay, spacey for a family with two children. The toilet is in the tent, okay. Spending one night is okay; otherwise, there is nothing to do.

We saw the turtles!! We did not stay at the reserve but went for the evening turtle tour. We went and booked as soon as we arrived in the area, they will then tell you to come at a certain time (we where told 8:30pm), we were also warned that you will arrive then but will have to wait until the turtles have been spotted, so we could have sat there between 8:30-11pm until they cancel the tour! You will then be allocated a group and go to the beach in your group of around 15 people. You get a coach down and meet your guide. We were lucky that we got called down at around 9pm (we managed to get into an earlier group than allocated). Our guide was very good giving information about the turtles. We saw 1 female turtle laying her eggs and then moving back to the sea and 1 baby (however it seems they put the baby turtles out for the tourists as there where a few of them in the top of a boat). Sadly a lot of tourists did not respect the rules and approached the turtles and used their flashes, however our guide did try and stop them from disrespecting the rules. Overall it was worth it as we saw the turtles but it is never guaranteed. They do offer that if you do not see the turtles you do not pay.

If You Love Nature, Avoid These Tours. Ras al Jinz Beach was the second-to-last stop on a journey through Oman filled with emotions and diverse landscapes. We spent a night in a nearby eco-resort with the goal of joining the official night tour organized by the nature reserve, aiming to witness—while fully respecting nature—the turtles laying their eggs. So, what was my experience, and how did I feel? One word sums it all up: discomfort. Discomfort from paying 12 OMR per person only to end up in a hotel lobby with no information, surrounded by 150 other people, most of whom were unaware of even the basic rules to follow once on the beach. Discomfort caused by the sheer number of visitors. Activities that bring people into contact with nature—especially in such a fragile environment—should have a strict limit on participant numbers. But money rules, and in this particular tour, both eyes are turned away as the doors open to hordes of tourists. After waiting for over an hour, we decided to cancel our visit and requested a refund, which was granted without any issues. Instead, we chose to return to Ras al Jinz Beach in the morning, after all the tours had ended. The discomfort was replaced by the enchantment of a deserted beach. There was absolutely no one around—not even the turtles—but that didn’t matter. Knowing that we had done nature a favor was enough for us. P.S.: In the morning, I found all sorts of things on the beach—a dead seagull, several dead fish washed up on the shore, around 40 light bulbs, bottles, and containers of all kinds. A nature reserve, especially in such a crucial place where every obstacle can mean life or death for a baby turtle, should at the very least have staff assigned to monitoring and cleaning the beach.

Amazing experience, came with our family (2 kids, a 3 year old and 1 year old) and we got to see everything we could have possibly asked to see: baby turtle emerging from their eggs, walking to the sea, mother turtles coming to the beach to lay eggs, watching the egg laying and covering process, all under the expert guidance or our guide who was very strict at enforcing where people walked and ensuring no flash photography or lighting was used. I have read the negative reviews, but I did not see anything remotely negative during our stay (2 nights in luxury tent). The accommodation was perfectly set amongst the mountains and the views at night will stay with me for life.

Complete chaos and misinformation. We were informed on the phone that we do not need to book, just come at 8:30. When we came , everything was sold out by big tours etc. We would have come earlier, but got misinformed. The man at reception was very unhelpful. Just don't bother.