A graceful old capital, forts and a Green Mountain, an ocean of apricot dunes and turquoise wadi pools, Oman, the Arabia of the imagination, dignified and quietly spectacular.
Into Muscat, a low rise capital of white buildings between the mountains and the sea, where no building may rise above the minarets. After the flight we keep it easy, a first shuwa and dates, the Corniche at dusk, an early night.
The serene Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque with its vast single carpet and chandelier, the gleaming Royal Opera House, the Mutrah souk and Corniche, the Al Alam palace flanked by old Portuguese forts. A graceful, gentle introduction to Arabia.
A dhow out along the coast for dolphins and the hidden coves and snorkelling of Bandar Khayran, or the Daymaniyat islands' reefs; a seafood lunch by the water. Oman's coast is wild, clear and almost empty.
Inland to Nizwa, its great round fort and its Friday goat market, the old capital of Bahla and the castle of Jabrin; then up the switchbacks of Jebel Akhdar, the 'Green Mountain', to terraced villages of pomegranate and rose, perched on the canyon rim.
The rose water villages and the abandoned hanging terraces of the Saiq plateau, and a drive to the rim of Jebel Shams, Oman's 'Grand Canyon', a kilometre deep gorge. The cool, clear mountain air, a thousand metres above the heat. (overnight Jebel Akhdar)
Down from the mountains to the Wahiba Sands, an ocean of apricot dunes combed by the wind. A 4x4 over the crests, a visit to a Bedouin family, a camel at sunset, and a night in a desert camp under more stars than you have ever seen.
East to the emerald pools of Wadi Bani Khalid, a swim between the palms, and the dhow building town of Sur with its old lighthouse and lagoon. In season, the green turtles of Ras Al Jinz hauling up the beach to nest by night.
Wadi Shab, the loveliest of all, a walk and a swim through a string of turquoise pools to a hidden waterfall in a cave; the dramatic Bimmah sinkhole on the coast road. A last Omani sunset before turning back toward Muscat.
A last coastal breakfast before the drive back to Muscat for your flight (about two hours). Oman is the Gulf without the glitter, old, gracious and breathtaking, and it quietly becomes everyone's favourite corner of Arabia.
Three ways to do the same route: Comfort, Premium or Luxe. Breakfasts in. Mix tiers city by city if you like, it is your trip.
Priced to your dates, your hotel tier and how the two of you like to travel. Ask, the first answer usually lands within minutes.
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