The largest governorate in the Sultanate of Oman, Dhofar houses a large cenote which is known by the name ‘Tawi Atair’. The locals previously believed the sinkhole was created by a meteorite, however, the sinkhole was created through karst processes.
The famous sinkhole
Found among the Qara mountains, Tawi Atair is a rather remarkable limestone formation. The depth of this sinkhole is similar to that of a 60-floor building, it’s an impressive structure with vertical walls. Approximately 58.4 km from central Salalah, this cenote can be reached in less than an hour from Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara.
Reaching the site
There are two main routes which you can take in order to get to the destination; one is to take the mountain route after Taqa and the other option is the route from the Anti-Gravity point. It’s best if you double check with any Salalah Hotels that you are staying at for the quickest way to get there.
Unique Species of fish
A new species of fish was discovered in the lake of the sinkhole. The new type of fish was found in 1980 and was named after the individual that made the discovery; a researcher is well known for exploring the Arabian caves, Andy Dunsire.
Well of birds
The Tawi Atair sinkhole is also known as the ‘well of birds’; for obvious reasons, there are numerous birds living in this sinkhole. It’s an unusual sight in Oman for a large number of singing birds to be found in one place.
Roland Lefevre is a travel writer who specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe. Google+