Overnight Mark is setting a camera trap to see the wildlife that comes near to the team camp. Despite last night sandstorm, the camera has picked up several different animals in its lens.

The wind and driving sand have been the big factors of todays journey, so this update comes from the shelter of one of the expedition Land Rovers. One of which was provided by an expedition sponsor and the other is Mark’s own beloved 110 Defender.

Today Mark walked with expedition photographer Ana-Maria Pavalache and he describes how they were introduced, what inspires him about her incredible photography and the way she is able to capture desert stories through her lens.

Looking ahead, tonight the team are camped about 10 kms from Jalan Bani Buali which they will visit tomorrow before heading further inland.

Expedition website: The Jewel of Arabia Expedition

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The Jewel of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

Welcome to the start of The Jewel of Arabia Expedition. With the Indian ocean lapping at their feet, Mark and the team have gathered on the very beach that Bertram Thomas landed on at the start of his expedition.

After a busy day of logistics and packing yesterday, today is the day the team start their journey, and Mark talks to us just as the sun rises about what lies ahead. Already Oman’s beautiful biodiversity is on display with birdlife surrounding them.

After 8 hours of travelling, they arrive at a small Bedouin community. It has been a tough first day navigating watercourses, keeping camels out of quicksand and getting spiked by what Thomas described as jungles of Acacia trees.

Expedition website: The Jewel of Arabia Expedition

The Jewel of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

Like many explorers Bertram Thomas OBE fell in love with Arabia and its great empty spaces. Awarded the Livingstone Medal by The Royal Scottish Geographical Society and the Founders Medal by the Royal Geographical Society he was the desert explorer that nobody had really heard about.

In 1928 Thomas travelled south down the coast of Oman along a route that joined up sites of rich biodiversity and the unique flora and fauna of this Arab nation. Thomas built a relationship with the people and communities he passed through.

In this podcast you will hear how, using Thomas’s original diary as their guide and inspiration, Mark Evans and his team will retrace this route. They’ll explore the rich biodiversity and beauty of Oman, and the people working to protect it.

Like Thomas before them, The Jewel of Arabia Expedition will form relationships and tell the stories of the people they meet. The people who are navigating Oman into a greener and more sustainable future in the face of the climate emergency.

Leaving on 6th January from Ras al Hadd, join the Jewel of Arabia Expedition around the campfire for daily podcast updates and follow them in the footsteps of Bertram Thomas.

Expedition website: The Jewel of Arabia Expedition

The Jewel of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

Join expedition leader, Mark Evans at the Royal Geographical Society in London for the launch of The Jewel of Arabia Expedition.

In the presence of, and hearing from expedition co- patrons His Royal Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham, and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales this 30-day journey on foot, by camel and 4x4 retracing the 1928 journey of British Explorer Bertram Thomas will celebrate Oman’s rich biodiversity and shine a spotlight on young Omani’s working in the green arena.

Starting on 6th January 2025 you can join the expedition team as they set off near Ras al Hadd, the Eastern most point of the arab speaking world and share their journey traveling down the coast to the southern city of Salalah through this podcast which tells stories of people, place, and culture and innovation in this unique country.

Find out more by visiting the Expedition website: The Jewel of Arabia Expedition

The Jewel of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

On an extended journey in a remote location food becomes an increasingly important part of each day; for Bertram Thomas in 1928 this included fish-eyes, dates, dried shark, flour and locusts. In this podcast we learn from Omani food expert Dina Macki about the key influences on Oman cuisine today, how that might change as we head southward along the coast of Oman, and, if given the chance, what Omani dish Dina would serve up for our VIP expeditions Patrons!

Expedition website: The Jewel of Arabia Expedition

The Jewel of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

A conversation with long-time friend of Oman, the inspirational Nigel Winser. In the mid-1980s, as deputy director of The Royal Geographical Society in London Nigel led The Wahiba Sands Project, a multiyear multidisciplinary study of what are today known as the Sharqiyah Sands in Oman.

Expedition website: The Jewel of Arabia Expedition

The Jewel of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

Oman is unique in so many ways. Several decades of research have shown that there is something very different about Oman’s humpback whales, in that they do not migrate from cool to warm waters each year, but instead remain in the Arabian sea where the monsoon moves the cooler waters to them for several months each year. Oman’s coastline was once home to great numbers of whales; records show that in the 1960’s Soviet Whalers killed at least 242 animals, but what is their status today? Executive Director of The Environment Society of Oman, and a recent recipient of National Geographic’s Wayfinder Award, Suaad Al Harthy tells us the story ….

Expedition website: The Jewel of Arabia Expedition

Visit the Environment Society of Oman

The Jewel of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

Taimur Al Said, wildlife biologist in Oman’s Environment Authority just loves what he does. Armed with a Masters Degree from Durham University, Taimur is Oman’s expert on the endangered Nubian Ibex and likes nothing more than getting down and dusty in the desert, putting out camera traps and radio collars that enable him to monitor the behaviour of this incredible animal from a distance.

Expedition website: The Jewel of Arabia Expedition

The Jewel of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio