Oman

What we remember most fondly from the trip, along with the splendid scenery, are the very kind, hospitable and welcoming people.  Our guides were delightful and we met quite a few locals, who are quick to offer dates (the best we've ever tasted) and coffee.  Nearly everyone speaks English, as well as Arabic, since it's taught in school, so we were able to communicate easily. We were given so many gifts that we couldn't carry them all home.

Among the most memorable people experiences:  Rashid, our guide in Muscat and the Nizwa area, surprised us during our drive from Nizwa to Muscat by bringing us to lunch at his home.  His wife and daughters had prepared a veritable feast for us and we got to meet 2 of his grandchildren as well. It was a lovely afternoon. While hiking on Jebel Samhan in the Dhofar region in the south, we came across a group of guys camping.  They promptly asked us to sit down and offered us dates and coffee while we chatted.  They were grilling fish for lunch and invited us to join them, however as tempting as it looked, we had to move on with our itinerary.  While on the way to Wadi Al Shab, we stopped at a scenic spot where we encountered a man preparing to camp in the area.  He insisted on giving us a huge bottle of water even though we had some. It was such a kind and unexpected gesture, but very typical.  Last, and certainly not least, our guide in the Empty Quarter, Ali, was so much fun.  He shared all kinds of personal stories (for example, he had actually grown up in a cave in the mountains) and showed us his family home where he raises camels and cattle.  He had a hilarious way of calling to camels and they always responded. While watching the sunset from a high dune in the desert, we had a lot of laughs playing a game of tossing date pits to see who could throw them the farthest.

The north and south of Oman are very different in terms of scenery and some customs.  In the north everyone raises goats and they roam all around, while in the south camels are raised and seen wandering everywhere. Coconut and Date palm trees are found in the south but mostly only date palms in the north.  Everywhere it was very calm and peaceful and we saw very few other tourists outside of the hotels. We felt so relaxed and at ease.

The trip was arranged by Experience It Oman and we had a driver/guide most of the time.  It turns out that the roads are in great condition, traffic is light in most places and road signs are in English and Arabic, so you could drive yourself to the main attractions, at least in the north.  4wd is required to drive up to the Alila Jebel Akhdar, not because of the road condition but because it's so steep. There's a guard station on the road to make sure that drivers comply.  We flew from JFK with a connection in Doha Qatar via Qatar Airways and Oman Airways.

ITINERARY, HIGHLIGHTS & PHOTOS

MUSCAT

·         Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque - magnificent modern mosque with an enormous crystal chandelier and a hand-knotted rug in the prayer hall that took 4 years to create and covers 4,343 m² (46,750 sq ft)

·         Royal Oman Opera House - modern and opulent, rich with design details

·         National Museum - Omani historical, archaeological and cultural artifacts 

·         Waterfront Corniche of the Mutrah area, with visits to the fresh fish market and historic Mutrah Souq - charming port neighborhood with lively markets

·         Al Alam Palace, the official palace of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos (external view only)

·         Bait Al Zubair Museum - small but excellently curated collection focusing on cultural artifacts. Our favorite of the trip.

·         A delicious private dinner on the beach at The Chedi illuminated by torches and candles to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary.

·         We stayed in Muscat 3 times, at the start, middle and end of the trip. The first 2 times at The Chedi and at the end at the Al Bustan Palace.  Both were lovely hotels, the Chedi more simple elegance with an excellent beachside restaurant, and the Palace more grand with breathtaking sea views and lots of amenities.  While we typically prefer more intimate hotels, in this case we preferred the Al Bustan overall.

MUSANDAM PENINSULA - KHASAB

·         Spectacular scenery - mountains, sea and fjord-like inlets on the Strait of Hormuz in the far north. We flew there and back from Muscat.

·         Khasab Fort and Museum - small but charming collection of cultural artifacts

·         Full day private Dhow (traditional style boat) cruise - we snorkeled among tropical fish and spotted eagle rays, fished with a drop line (or attempted to) and watched dolphins racing alongside the boat and juvenile black-tipped reef sharks in the shallows.  Sumptuous lunch spread of local specialties.

·         Atana Musandam Resort - very nice hotel with loads of character and a good onsite restaurant with a friendly team

AL HAJAR MOUNTAINS - MISFAT AL-ABRYEEN, BIRKAT AL-MOUZ, NIZWA, JEBEL AKHDAR, IMTI VILLAGE

·         Oasis of Birkat Al Mouz, a unique and very pretty village nestled into a mountain face, interesting ancient irrigation system (falaj).

·         Bait Safah in Al Hamra - a living museum in a mud-brick Omani house full of traditional furnishings where locals demonstrate crafts such as soap-making, coffee grinding and how to make Omani flatbread in the traditional way.  We enjoyed this greatly.

·         Misfat Al-Abryeen - a charming mountain village with beautiful views and scenery.  We explored the town and overnighted in an old family-owned inn called Hissen Al-Misfah.  It was very basic but comfortable and a good way to experience a less touristy type of accommodation.  Locals frequent their small cafe and roof-top restaurant and we met a lovely family while having dinner there.

·         Jebel Akhdar - a mountain range with gorgeous canyon views.  We stayed 3 nights at the Alila Jebel Akhdar, our favorite hotel of the trip.  The property was stunning with expansive views, excellent amenities and a top notch restaurant. Its remote location on the mountain means that it takes time to get around, but it's very much worth it.  Hikes on trials within the property itself and to nearby local villages (some abandoned, some occupied) with scenic agricultural terraces were wonderful.

·         Wadi Ghul - the "Grand Canyon" of Oman.  Admittedly not as grand as the US Grand Canyon, but still a very beautiful place with no crowds.

·         Jabreen Castle - built in 1675 with beautiful architectural details it's famous for its colorful painted ceilings. An important seat of learning.

·         Nizwa Fort - Magnificent fort with many interesting exhibits.  We especially enjoyed a song, dance and sword play performance by guardsmen there.

·         Nizwa Goat Souk - this was a major highlight of the trip.  The goat market is held early on Friday mornings and is fascinating to watch as goats are paraded and sold in a circular space adjacent to the main souk. It was surprising to see elderly ladies grabbing the animals' genitalia to determine gender, which matters depending on your purpose for the goat (females for milk, meat and kids, males for sires).

·         Zukait Beehive Tombs - we stopped to see these enigmatic structures constructed on hills about 4-5000 years ago on our way back to Muscat.

·         Imti village - this was a big surprise and a total delight.  The village is being carefully restored and decorated with fanciful paintings on the street poles.  It's extremely charming and we had lots of opportunities to interact with the inhabitants. We found some men cooking up halvah in a huge copper pot. We got to try it and Rashid bought some to take home.  A local fellow decided to show us around town unprompted and he introduced us to various people along the way who also shared info about the town.  Their pride was evident and well justified.  We didn't encounter any other tourists while we were there. It's worth going out of your way to stop here.

MUSCAT - WADI AL-SHAB, DAYMANIYAT ISLANDS

·         We returned to Muscat and took 2 day trips to nearby attractions

·         Wadi Al-Shab - Magnificent gorge with crystal-clear pools of water and a cave with a waterfall. We drove to the area and then hiked through the canyon to the first pool.  We left our belongings on the rocks and swam from pool to pool until we reached a cave with a waterfall in it, hung out and swam back.  It was so beautiful!  This was unarguably the most crowded place we visited and still there weren't too many people. There are many wadis in this area but we only stopped at this one.

·         Fins Beach - a beautiful beach.  We spotted a fisherman using a drop line.

·         Bimmah Sinkhole - we weren't too impressed with this.

·         Daymaniyat Islands - we chartered a boat service to snorkel and explore one of the islands for half a day. The crew and facilities were exceptional. We saw loads of sea turtles as well as colorful tropical fish.  The most unusual thing we saw was a ball of turtles in a feeding frenzy.  On land we spotted Ospreys in a nest and some handsome shore birds.  It was a relaxing and enjoyable excursion, and you can join a group tour to the islands if you prefer. Between mid-September - October whale sharks can be seen here.

SALALAH & THE SOUTH

·         Al Baleed Archaeological Park - antiquities, national and local history and artifacts.

·         Lagoon with flamingoes, ducks, ibises, herons and many kinds of wading birds - on our way to the hotel along the beach after visiting Al Baleed, we spotted a lagoon teeming with wildlife so our guide made an unscheduled stop so we could see all of the beautiful birds.

·         Anantara Al Baleed - cushy resort on a long soft sand beach.  Lovely facilities, stunning sea views and good restaurants with very helpful and congenial teams. We spent 4 nights here, 2 before going to the Empty Quarter and 2 afterwards.

·         Eastern Dhofar region

o    Wadi Darbat - scenic valley with waterholes (where camels like to bathe) and rock formations.  In the wet season there are waterfalls.  We were there in the dry season and surprised to see a waterfall, even if it was a bit meager.

o    Mirbat - serene seaside town, wonderful views of the town and the Arabian Sea from towering cliffs nearby

o    Jebel Samhan - towering mountain with an extensive nature preserve.  We hiked around a bit and had coffee and conversation with some campers.

o    Sumhuram - ancient port city founded in the 5th - 4th C BC. Renowned as the home of the Queen of Sheba, it was the center of the lucrative frankincense trade

·         The Empty Quarter aka Rub' Al Khali - enormous remote section of the Arabian Desert that extends into Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen

o    Hud Hud Travels operated our camping excursion into The Empty Quarter.  They erected beautiful traditional camelhair tents for sleeping, bathroom (with bucket shower) and lounge and the camp staff was set up on the other side of a tall sand dune to give us privacy. We used some solar powered lights as well as candles and oil lamps. The chef was an artist and the meals were incredible.  The owner was with the team, so we got to know him a bit. He actually descends from royalty.  Our guide, Ali, picked us up in Salalah, drove us to the camp and back, and took us on excursions in the desert. He was among the best guides we've ever had.  This was an exceptional experience and another major highlight.  Hud Hud does a wide array of excursions including camping on beaches and in the northern deserts.  We spent 2 glorious nights in the camp, though most of their excursions are for longer time periods.

o    Frankincense trees - Ali took us to an area where Frankincense trees grow and told us stories about his father taking the family there to camp.  We were so excited to see the trees and to smell and touch the sticky, fragrant sap.  Ali pulled out his khanjar (curved knife) and scraped frankincense from the trees, explaining which types are more valuable and how it's used. 

o    Sand dunes - the fanciful ways that the wind sculpts the dunes are amazing! We bashed around the dunes in the SUV and also clambered up the high ones for awe-inspiring views, especially at sunrise and sunset.  It's pretty special being the only humans as far as the eye can see.

o    Night sky - as you can imagine, without light or air pollution plus low humidity at this time of year, the sky at night is a revelation with clear views of the Milky Way and the constellations.

·         Western Dhofar Region

o    Mughsail Beach - beautiful white sand beach with cliffs and blowholes.  Had a delicious lunch at Kalif-Al-Marinif, an open-air restaurant overlooking the beach. 

o    Wadi Aful - scenic river valley with massive Baobab and some Frankincense trees

o    Sha'at - high cliffs down to sea.  Nice walk around the clifftops for fabulous views.

o    Al Sadaya - narrow winding road down to a lovely boulder-strewn beach.  Walking around we came upon a family of handsome Arabian Partridges.

MUSCAT

·         After all of the touring it was fun to just kick back, relax and enjoy the beach and amenities at the Al Bustan Palace hotel for a couple of nights before our long flights home.