Oman Discovery

Arrive in Muscat and meet your local guide, your host for the stay. Most of the first day is free to relax after the flight before you board a traditional dhow boat for a two-hour cruise as the sun sets over the Arabian Sea.

Explore the different aspects of this capital city stretched out along the coast, from well-known sights such as the impressive Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque – a marvellous feat of modern Islamic architecture – to the souqs and seaside promenade of Mutrah. Your guide is your key to discovering the tastiest food, experiencing the warm hospitality of the locals over Arabic coffee and dates and learning about the area’s enduring blend of modernity and tradition.

At your beachside hotel, there will be plenty of time to relax too.

After breakfast, your guide will meet you to begin the road journey along the coast, south towards Ras Al Jinz, the most easterly point of the Arabian Peninsula.  En route, the striking Bimmah Sinkhole, the deep gorges of Wadi Tiwi or the similarly rocky landscape and pools of Wadi Shab are great places to explore or even go for a swim. Towards the end of today’s journey, you could opt to visit Sur where traditional artisans can be seen working in the old Dhow Yard.  On arrival at Raz Al Jinz, settle into your accommodation and relax.

This area is an important nesting place for a variety of turtles, including the endangered green and hawksbill species. In the evening, pay a visit to the interactive museum to learn about the life of the species and their place in local mythology. Then head to the beach with rangers to seek out the nesting turtles for yourselves.

It is worth rising early today to revisit the turtle nesting beach. There are fewer visitors to the reserve than in the evening, and you might be lucky enough to spot the hatchlings making their way to the sea.

After breakfast, you’ll begin the journey with your guide onwards to the desert. The coastal road is a little longer than the inland route, but it is very picturesque, passing remote villages and beaches along the way to Al Ashkharah. As you head inland, your guide will deflate the tyres ready to dune bash your way into the mesmerising Wahiba Sands. Check in to your desert camp, and marvel at the scenery around you. The sight of the sun dipping below the horizon as you sit high up in the dunes is something to behold.

Spend a full day and two nights in the area, enjoying the magic of the desert and the surrounding region.

Depart the desert and begin your journey into the mountains taking time to stop and explore Ibra – one of the oldest cities in the country, once an important hub on the trading route between Oman and Zanzibar. There is evidence of the town’s glory days in the old quarter’s stately mud-brick mansions, mosques and watchtowers. Arrive in Nizwa around lunchtime and check in to your hotel.

Nizwa is a charming place brimming with history, culture and traditional industries. The bustling souq, one of the oldest marketplaces in Oman, invites you to indulge yourself in a spot of shopping and the views from the tower of the 17th-century fort are not to be missed.

During your stay, getting high up into the mountains themselves is an absolute must. The air purity and sense of peace, as well as the dramatic scenery, make for a magical experience.  Take in the awe-inspiring gorges and canyons along with intricate villages and striking sights such as the Snake Canyon. For those who like a challenge, there are great hiking trails that take you splashing through streams, climbing up slopes and clambering over large boulders.