Al Wusta

Haima is the capital of Oman's Al Wusta Governorate and a small desert town that serves as the administrative and commercial centre of a vast, thinly populated interior region. It lies on the main Muscat–Salalah highway, making it an important stopover between northern and southern Oman.

The surrounding governorate is defined by open desert, coastal plains and protected areas, including the Al Wusta Wildlife Reserve, formerly the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, where Arabian oryx and gazelles live. Near Haima, caves, springs and desert landscapes shape the local character, while the coast around Duqm and Ras Madrakah offers beaches and dramatic headlands.

Duqm, the governorate's growing economic city on the Arabian Sea, has become the region's industrial and logistics focus, with a port, dry dock, special economic zone and newer hotels. Haima itself remains quieter, with basic services, petrol stations, local shops and a few simple places to stay, giving travellers a genuine Omani desert-town experience.

The region attracts both leisure and business visitors: leisure travellers come for desert drives, wildlife, beaches, rock formations and winter camping, while business travellers head mainly to Duqm's port and special economic zone. Distances are long and services are limited, so visitors should plan carefully, carry fuel and water, and use a reliable vehicle, especially for off-road areas.