Expedition
A 30-day journey on foot, by camel and 4x4 through the Sultanate of Oman
Image copyright: Environment Society of Oman, Arjun S Unnithan
Bertram Thomas
Desert Explorer 1892 - 1950
Born in Pill, near Bristol in the UK, Bertram Thomas was a great desert explorer, author and field scientist. He was appointed as Finance Minister and Wazir to Sultan Taimour Al Said, Sultan of Muscat and Oman (Oman) from 1925-32, and during this time he made a number of journeys into the desert, becoming the first European to cross the great Rub’ Al Khali (Empty Quarter) in 1930-1, a journey that saw him make front page news around the world, and receive many medals. TE Lawrence wrote the foreword to Thomas’s subsequent book, Arabia Felix, and many of the specimens Thomas collected on his journeys are held today at the Natural History Museum in London. A more detailed article on Thomas, written by Jo Woolf, writer in residence at The Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 2016 can be found here.
Our Journey
Image copyright: Royal Geographical Society
The Jewel of Arabia Expedition will follow the route of a journey undertaken in 1928 by Thomas along the coast of Oman. It was on this journey that Thomas developed a system of moving in relays; on reaching the edge of tribal areas he would have to negotiate fresh guides and camels to continue, a system that was to prove successful in his later crossing of the great Rub Al Khali. On foot, by camel and 4×4 we will follow in Thomas’s footsteps, using the notes from his 1928 diary to guide us. His 1928 route connects or passes close to many of Oman’s biodiversity hotspots, enabling us to discover and share stories by image, podcast and social media of innovation and inspiration, of people doing fascinating work in amazing places to help shape a sustainable future for Oman.
Team
Dhikra Al Mawali
Dhikra Al Mawali
Dhikra is a senior instructor at Outward Bound Oman. Born in Barka, and with an academic background in engineering, Dhikra has been delivering courses for more than six years, and has personally led more than 100 multiday outdoor courses for young people in Oman, focusing on personal and professional development with an emphasis on communication, teamwork, and conservation.
As Dhikra has gained more experience she has increasingly delivered tailored programmes for mid-management and senior leadership teams to enhance leadership and team-building skills, fostering innovation and adaptability. As part of COP 26 she helped design and deliver multi day Climate Solutions courses to more than 500 Omani young people to develop their awareness of the challenges and solutions connected to climate change.
As a female pursuing a career in outdoor learning and education in Oman, Dhikra is a true societal changemaker, and said ‘The Jewel of Arabia project provides the opportunity for me to temporarily step away from my full-time job and immerse myself in the world of sustainability and biodiversity, so enabling me to acquire the knowledge to share my experience not just with youth, but to train my fellow trainers to multiply the impact of my experience, and encourage young people to be more aware of the importance of a sustainable future.’
Nigel Harling
Nigel has a background in emergency planning, risk management and logistics and has a real passion for adventure and exploring remote and wild areas of the world. He has been a Police Officer for 30 years in Cumbria in the UK, where he also runs a sheep farm in the fells, and is heavily involved in Mountain Rescue. Nigel sits on regional and national boards with an expertise in Helicopter Rescue, and represents England and Wales at the International Commission for Alpine Rescue.
He has led and participated on many youth and independent climbing and skiing expeditions to mountain and polar environments – including Svalbard, Greenland, Alaska, Yukon, Africa and the Himalaya. He has also sea Kayaked around Svalbard, and along the coast of Oman.
Nigel founded and ran an aid charity bringing over 1000 Ukrainian refugees back to the UK, and taking aid to the East; this has now turned into a pizza company in Ukraine that has served over 1.5 million pizzas to displaced refugees in 2 years!
Amour Al Wahibi
Amour bin Ali Bin Majed Al Wahibi, aged 52, is from Bidiya, a Bedouin community on the northern edge of the Sharqiya Sands in Oman. As a father of ten, Amour lives in the sands with his family, a few camels, and goats, embracing the traditional Bedouin lifestyle. Deeply connected to the desert, Amour is an adventurous spirit who guides countless visitors through the shifting dunes of the Sharqiya Sands each winter. Known for his expertise in camel-based expeditions, he has led journeys across the vast Empty Quarter and the Sharqiya Sands.
Amour and expedition leader Mark Evans have shared many memorable journeys, including an 80-day expedition from Salalah to Muscat, several UNESCO-supported peacebuilding projects, and, in 2016, a 49-day crossing of the Empty Quarter from Salalah in Oman to Doha in Qatar. This journey recreated the historic 1930-31 crossing by British explorer Bertram Thomas. Amour’s deep knowledge of the desert and his passion for sharing it with others make him an invaluable guide and companion in Oman’s most rugged landscapes.
Ana-Maria Pavalache
Ana-Maria Pavalache
Expedition Photographer
Currently based in the Swiss Alps, Ana-Maria is an outdoor photographer and International Mountain Leader who actively engages in social and environmental projects. Her passion for wilderness drives her to explore the world’s most isolated communities, being involved in conservation initiatives.
Whether it’s trekking in Ladakh, exploring glaciers in the Karakoram range, and working with wildlife in Tajikistan, Ana immerses in nature to foster a deep understanding of our place in the world and explore the complexities of human experience through visual storytelling.
Her latest project was the traverse of Saudi Arabia following the route taken by Harry St John Philby 106 years ago, as a member and photographer of the Heart of Arabia Expedition.
Ibrahim Al Hasni
Originally from Barka, Ibrahim Mohammed Al Hasni works as a senior instructor at Outward Bound Oman, leading multiday mountain and desert courses and mini expeditions to inspire and nurture the national talent of Oman, courses that range from basic life skill courses for school students to more focused courses to increase the employability of unemployed job seekers.
As he gained more experience, in recent years Ibrahim has delivered outcome driven courses for corporate groups, as well as courses for young people experiencing autism, downs syndrome and drug related issues. This has now accumulated into an impressive 350 days spent outdoors, and saw Ibrahim selected to travel to Scotland for two weeks training and observation at Outward Bound UK. As part of his ongoing professional development on the Jewel of Arabia expedition Ibrahim will be playing a key role in navigation, risk assessment and group and logistical management, developing new skills that will be transferred back into his work at Outward Bound once the expedition has been completed.
Mark Evans MBE
Mark Evans MBE
Expedition Leader
Mark has lived in Arabia for more than 25 years, and is now based in Beauly, Scotland.
In 2012 Mark was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty The Queen for his work using challenging outdoor journeys for personal development and learning, and In 2023 he was awarded the Medal of Honour by The Sultan of Oman for his work establishing Outward Bound in the Sultanate.
In 2016 Mark travelled with two Omanis to become the first people in 85 years to retrace the first crossing of the largest sand desert on earth-the Rub Al Khali, a 49-day journey on foot and by camel from Salalah to Doha, and in 2024 he completed his latest expedition, a 28-day east west crossing of Saudi Arabia in the 1917 footsteps of explorer Harry St John Philby.
You can contact Mark on LinkedIn.
Expedition on Film - Arabia Untamed
Over the past couple of years BAFTA nominated and Oscar shortlisted producer director Mike Slee has been working with producers Maisa Al Hooti & Anel Rademeyer from Oman in Focus and Julian Oliver from Conscious Create to develop a major new hybrid adventure series. Their teams have been scouring the Arabian Peninsula in search of stories for this inspiring new 3-part film project starring Arabia’s deserts, coastlands and mountains.
ARABIA UNTAMED features locations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman and brings together history, exploration, science, wildlife and conservation. Each film explores the past through rare archive and bold expeditions, captures the present with contemporary adventurers, ecologists and unique wildlife, finally glimpsing the future through conservation projects and the work of young environmentalists.
We are thrilled that Mike and his crew will be spending time with us as we travel along the coastline of Oman, and look forward to seeing what will, by the looks of the short teaser below, be something fantastic.
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