Oman From sea to mountains

Oman is a wonderful place to travel. There are mountains and deserts, sea and gulf, salt marshes, fjords and wadis. Lovers of a quiet and comfortable pastime, be it on the beach or in the mountains, will appreciate the excellent hotel base, and fans of active recreation can travel around the entire country: from the harsh north to the tropical south.

Muscat
Most trips in the country begin in the capital. Calm, designed in a uniform style, Muscat differs from megacities in other countries.
Its iconic landmarks - the Sultan Qaboos Mosque and the Royal Opera House - are a triumph of oriental luxury in a modern, globalized world. The Muscat Gate, the Portuguese fortresses of Jalali and Mirani, which rise above the Gulf of Oman, are harsh and beautiful in their own way. And the Al-Ansab Nature Reserve in the center of the capital is home to 300 species of birds, including flamingos. Golfers will enjoy championship courses overlooking the Gulf and the Hajar Mountains. The links course at Al Mouj Golf (18 holes, par 72) designed by Greg Norman stretches 2km along the coast. Ghala Golf Club is located in a wadi and features the 19th hole, which offers panoramic views of the 9th, 15th and 18th holes.
Muscat has stunning sandy beaches. And a 40-minute yacht ride away are the protected Daymaniyat Islands, where you can swim with whale sharks and sea turtles.

Musandam
To the north of the capital, you will find the Musandam Peninsula. It is called “the Norway of the East” for its fjord-like bays. The peninsula is sparsely populated and there are few tourists, giving it a feeling of being at the end of the world. In Musandam, you can observe numerous schools of dolphins on a dhow cruise, and during diving you can see 900 species of fish, rays, manta rays and whale sharks. Visit the city of Khasab with a 17th-century Portuguese fortress. Go down the world's longest zipline over water: a 1,800 m long cable runs at an altitude of 220 m.
On the peninsula is the luxurious Six Senses Zighy Bay hotel with its own sandy beach, a cinema, a panoramic open-air restaurant and wellness programs to strengthen the immune system, improve brain function, fitness, detox, yoga, normalize weight and healthy sleep.
The hotel offers guests paragliding and ultralight flights 500 m above the sea, diving to coral reefs, master classes in cheese making at a local farm and 2-3-day dhow cruises.

Nizwa
There are about a thousand ancient fortresses in Oman. One of the largest and oldest is located in Nizwa, the former capital of the Sultanate. The fortress was built in the 17th century on the remains of fortifications from the 12th century.
Visit the Jabreen fortress from the same period, where the imam lived with his family, and the UNESCO-protected Bahla fortress, whose history began in the third millennium BC. Another World Heritage site is the irrigation systems of the 5th century.
Not far from Nizwa, in Manah, last year, with the support of the Sultan, the Oman Through the Ages Museum was opened. Its interactive exhibition spaces occupy 300,000 square meters, which is five times larger than the Louvre in Paris, and they present exhibits from hundreds of millions of years.
Also during the excursion to Nizwa, pay attention to Wadi Gul - the "Grand Canyon" of the Arabian Peninsula.

Jebel Akhdar
In the cool of the Jebel Akhdar Mountains, apricots and peaches ripen, pomegranates, grapes and walnuts grow. But for tourists, the main attraction is the Damask roses. Oman is one of the few places where they are grown. And these are not just flowers - they are the source of rose oil. The rose harvest, from March to mid-May, turns into a whole event. Farmers work until the heat early in the morning and closer to sunset. And for guests, various events are organized and visits to local distilleries, where you can watch the production of rose water. Also of interest in Jebel Akhdar are petroglyphs - images of people and animals, preserved since the 4th millennium BC, and centuries-old mountain villages, for example, Misfat al-Abreen. Here, at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level, stone houses are piled up among narrow streets, and nearby there are date palm groves and terraced orchards. Canals drilled into the rocks provide this oasis with water. Stay in one of the luxury hotels: Alila Jabal Akhdar with a via ferrata and a platform for observing the stars, or Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort, where you can dine on the terrace above the canyon, watching the sunset. It was this beauty that Princess Diana admired in 1986, long before the hotel itself opened.

Sur
The city of Sur on the coast of the Gulf of Oman is famous for its centuries-old traditions of dhow building. Already in the sixth century, local residents were actively engaged in maritime trade in precious stones, spices, and ivory with the countries of East Africa, India, and China. With the opening of the Suez Canal, Sur lost its former positions, but its shipbuilding traditions remained. Visit the Maritime Museum, which traces the history of shipbuilding and displays ship models, watch the craftsmen at work at the family shipyard, go to the lighthouse, and then head to the far east of the Arabian Peninsula, to Ras al-Hadd and Ras al-Jins, where there is a turtle sanctuary - thousands of green turtles come here to nest every year.
Returning back, halfway from Muscat to Sur, swim and refresh yourself in the Bimmah sinkhole - one of the most beautiful natural pools in the Middle East, as well as the popular Wadi Shab. Visit White Beach, one of the most picturesque beaches in Oman. At night, you can observe the glow of plankton (bioluminescence) off the coast.

Wahiba Desert
In this romantic place, you can meet the dawn in a hot air balloon, slide down 200-meter-high dunes on boards, visit Bedouin villages, watch a movie on a big screen in the open air, ride camels, dine by candlelight, spend the night in a luxury campsite, admiring the starry sky far from artificial light.
From here, head to Wadi Bani Khalid, the largest wadi in the country, on the territory of which there are bridges, picnic areas and a restaurant.
This corner of nature is created for hiking, swimming and relaxing in the shade of date palms.
Continue your tour to the Bar al-Hikman salt marsh, where you can birdwatch and relax on the beaches of the Arabian Sea.

Dhofar
The Dhofar region is located in the south of the country. Its capital, Salalah, is Oman’s second most popular tourist destination. With miles of white sand beaches, Salalah is known as the “Maldives of Oman.” It is a great place for swimming, relaxing in a secluded area, and going out to sea on a dhow. Humpback whales and dolphins can be spotted here throughout the year.
Visit the Al Baleed Archaeological Park with the ruins of a 12th-century trading port – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and the palace of Sultan Qaboos. In the Jebel Samhan Mountain Reserve, you can spot Arabian leopards and Arabian tahrs, both endangered, hyenas, gazelles, and goats.
Visit Wadi Darbat with its stunning cascading waterfalls and greenery that fills with juices during the rainy season, from June to September. The vast expanses of this wadi are home to South Arabian leopards and Arabian tahrs.
Dhofar is also famous for growing the most valuable frankincense on the planet.
The areas where the frankincense tree grows are protected by UNESCO. Thousands of years ago, caravans set out from here on a 2,000 km journey across the Arabian Desert to deliver this priceless commodity to Egypt, Babylon, Greece and Rome, and ships carried this treasure to China. The second-century port city of Samharam, which specialized in the frankincense trade, has been preserved here, and it was trade that made the locals the richest on the planet. In order to preserve perfume traditions, in 1983, by order of Sultan Qaboos, the Amouage perfume house was opened, the formulas of which are based on incense from the Dhofar region. These perfumes, as a symbol of Oman, are presented even at official receptions to heads of state. Today, Amouage is presented in leading shopping centers such as Harrods, Selfridges, Bloomingdale’s. The doors of this perfume house in Muscat are open to tourists to observe the creation of legendary compositions.