As extreme heat pummels the Arabian Peninsula, tourists from across the region have been flocking to the southern Omani city of Salalah for the annual Khareef festival, which celebrates Salalah’s unique climate. While temperatures elsewhere in the region have averaged 104° Fahrenheit (40° Celsius), visitors to Salalah have been able to enjoy a balmy average of just 77° F (25° C).
Khareef, which means “autumn” in Arabic, refers to monsoon season in Oman, which occurs between late June and early September, the height of summer for most other areas.
Compared to the potentially devastating monsoon seasons in East Asia, the Khareef season is mild, with pleasantly cool and breezy weather with fog and light rain, leading to an outburst of lush greenery.
Anwar al-Habsi, sales manager of the Salalah Garden Hotel and a native of the Omani capital Muscat, about 500 miles northwest of Salalah, told The Media Line that Salalah hotels burst with visitors during Khareef. Omanis from further north, including from Muscat, tend to head south to “escape the heat in summer,” he said.
Last year, nearly 813,000 tourists visited Salalah during the Khareef season, 6% more than 2021’s 767,000 visitors.