OMAN · ARABIAN PENINSULA
Forts, wadis and the empty desert.
Muscat and the Hajar mountains, the Wahiba dunes, turquoise wadis, the Musandam fjords and the monsoon-green hills of Salalah. The whole Sultanate, one trip at a time.
Only in Oman
Three days you’ll only get in Oman.
Plenty of countries have a desert and a coastline. Swimming a turquoise wadi, sleeping out in the Sharqiya Sands and threading the Musandam fjords by dhow are Oman’s own. Build the trip around these three.
In the canyons
Swim a Turquoise Wadi
Oman's wadis are freshwater canyons cut into the desert mountains: jade pools you wade and swim between sheer walls, palm shade and, on the drive back, the cobalt Bimmah Sinkhole. Wadi Shab finishes at a waterfall you reach by swimming through a slot in the rock.
- 1 From Muscat: Wadi Shab & Bimmah Sinkhole Full-Day Tour
- 2 Oman’s Hidden Gems: Wadi Shab & Bimmah Sinkhole
- 3 Wadi Shab and Bimmah Sinkhole Group Full Day Tour
A night in the dunes
Sleep in the Sharqiya Sands
A 4x4 drops off the tarmac onto apricot dunes that roll for 180 kilometres. Carve the ridgelines, watch the light go flat and red, then dinner and a bed at a Bedouin camp under more stars than seems fair. Breakfast, then back up over the sand.
- 1 Muscat: Wahiba Desert and Wadi Bani Khalid Guided Group Tour
- 2 Muscat: Wadi Bani Khalid Oasis & Oman Desert Tour
- 3 Desert Safari Sharing Tours
The far north
Cruise the Musandam Fjords
They call Musandam the Norway of Arabia: bare rock walls drop straight into a still green sea, the peninsula cut off from the rest of Oman by the UAE. Sail out of Khasab on a wooden dhow, anchor off Telegraph Island, and the dolphins usually find you first.
- 1 Khasab: Half-Day Dhow Cruise, Dolphin Watching, & Snorkeling
- 2 Muscat: Omani Dhow Coastal and Sunset Cruise
- 3 Khasab: Half-Day Dhow Cruise with Dolphin Watching
Plan the trip
North or South?
Oman is really two trips. The north is forts, mountains, dunes and the Musandam fjords, at its best from October to April. The south is Salalah, a thousand kilometres away, where a summer monsoon turns Dhofar green while the rest of Arabia bakes. Most visitors pick one.
The North
Muscat, the mountains & the dunes
Base in Muscat for the Grand Mosque and Mutrah souq, then head inland: Nizwa's fort and Friday market, the terraced villages of Jebel Akhdar, a night in the Wahiba dunes and the wadis on the coast road home. Fly up to Khasab for the fjords. Best October to April.
Plan the north →The South
Salalah & the khareef coast
From late June the khareef monsoon pulls mist off the Arabian Sea and Dhofar turns improbably green: waterfalls at Wadi Darbat, frankincense trees on the hills, camels on the beaches and the long empty sands south of town. A different country, in a different season, to the north.
Plan Salalah →Start here
The day out everyone books.
If you’ve only got one free morning in Oman, make it this one. The most-booked day trip in the country.
The classics
Oman's Most Popular Tours
Desert safaris, dhow cruises, the Daymaniyat reef and the turquoise wadis. The trips travellers book first.
By region
Pick a region of Oman.
Each one is its own trip. Muscat for the mosque and the souqs. Nizwa for the forts. Wahiba for the dunes. Wadi Shab for the swimming. Musandam for the fjords. Salalah for the green.
The classic loop
The Grand Tour of Oman.
Most first trips to the north run the same loop out of Muscat and back, about a week with a hire car. Five stops, in order.
By experience
Or pick how you want to spend the day.
Desert safari if you want the dunes. A dhow if you want the fjords. Snorkelling the Daymaniyats, dolphin boats, wadi swims, fort tours and the rest.
On the water
The sea days.
Snorkel the Daymaniyat reef, run out to the Musandam fjords on a dhow, chase dolphins off Muscat or take the light on a sunset cruise. The three we’d get wet for first.
Forts & frankincense
The old Oman.
Nizwa’s round fort and Friday souq, the watchtowers strung across the interior, the Grand Mosque and the museums of Muscat. The history half of the trip, three to start with.
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