Natural Beauty of Oman

Theme: Wadi Oasis,Desert, Coastal , History, Mountains, Culture

Duration: 9 DAYS TOUR

Tour Highlights: Muscat – Wadi bani Khalid – Wahiba Sands Desert- Qahid – Masirah – Nizwa – Al Hamra – Wadi Bani Auf – BaladSayt – Nakhal – Muscat City Tour.

check out some beautiful places of Oman!

ITINERARY:
DAY 1: ARRIVAL MUSCAT

You will arrive at the new well-designed Muscat International Airport which was awarded with the Best Airport in the Middle East 2019 Award, where you will find convenient and fast customs and arrivals procedures. Upon your arrival at the General arrival lounge you will be met by our friendly and efficient Sindbad Majan chauffeur who will assist you to the comforts of our vehicle to drive you to the hotel.

Overnight stay in Muscat.

DAY 2: WAHIBA SANDS DESERT

We depart early from Muscat heading towards the Sharqiya region to Wadi Ban Khalid, which is regarded by many as the biggest and most beautiful of all the Wadis in Oman. The wadi canyon is impressive, with its amazing steep walls and breathtaking crystal clear water pools. What will you choose to do in this wonderful location – swim, sunbathe, or picnic in the scenic Wadi canyons? It’s up to you.

Having had a relaxing time, we will head off in the late afternoon to our camp in the Wahiba Sands Desert, where it will be time for some adventure in the form of a sand dune drive through the desert in 4x4s. This will be followed by the chance to watch a stunning sunset from atop one of the big sand dunes. To round off our day in the desert, we’ll take dinner at our camp and enjoy a relaxing time around the romantic camp fire.

Overnight stay at desert camp.

DAY 3: CROSSING TO QAHID – MASIRAH

Following breakfast in our camp, we’ll take the 4 hour drive across the desert, bobbing up and down on the dunes on a spectacular journey over the sand.

Once in Qahid, we’ll drive onto Shannah, a route of amazing contrasts, with the deep azure of the Arabian Sea on one side, and desert dunes on the other.

We’ll find time for lunch before taking the 90-minute ferry crossing to Masirah Island, which is about 15km off the south east coast of Oman on the Arabian Peninsula. (Ferry journey weather / tide permitting.)

The island boasts miles of isolated sandy beaches and is popular with wind surfers and other nautical sports and activity lovers, as well as visitors from the animal kingdom, most notably the turtles who lay their eggs on the beaches. A wide selection of birds migrate here too, including egrets, curlews and flamingos.

We’ll arrive before sunset and have dinner at the Masirah Island Resort where we will stay for the night.

DAY 4 - MASIRAH ISLAND

Today’s a beach day where there will be plenty of time for you to explore the island’s beautiful beaches. Discover shipwrecks and skeletons and bones of all kinds of creatures who live in this wild place – dolphins, whales, turtles, birds and camels included. All meals for this beach day will be provided, including dinner at the Masirah Hotel where we’ll stay overnight.

DAY 5 - MASIRAH TO NIZWA

The day will begin with breakfast at our hotel ahead of catching the ferry back to the mainland.

Then we’ll drive from Shannahto Nizwa via Mahoot and Sinaw, where we’ll experience all the color and excitement of the SinawSouq (market). We’ll grab some lunch on the way and when we reach Nizwa, we’ll check into one of its nice hotels. There will be plenty of time left in the day for you to spend at your leisure.

DAY 6 - NIZWA

Another day, another spectacular market, this time the Nizwa Souq, one of the largest in Oman. We’ll get here early, as that’s the best time to get the pick of the deals as the vendors sell their goods from 5am to 10am daily. Choose from fresh fish, meat and vegetables to delightful and unique pottery, jewelry, handicrafts and souvenirs, all sold in authentic market halls the like of which you won’t see in many other places in the world. The Friday cattle market is not to be missed, as it’s a chance to see the locals in their element, selling goats, cattle, sheep and chickens in a circus-style open marketplace.

Next to the souq is the Nizwa Fortress, now a museum and a great place to take in the views of this spectacular ancient town and its surrounding mountain range. You’ll be able to explore the fortress, a military stronghold designed to repel the most fiercest of enemies in its day. It features towers, rooms and passages, along which many traps were laid to deter intruders who may have penetrated its defences. What a great example of architecture from the early Yaruba dynasty this is, a dynasty that was responsible for a range of economic and military achievements during the mid-17th Century.

After Nizwa we will drive up the Jebel Shams Mountain, Oman’s tallest, standing at an impressive 3004 meters high. We’ll be stopping en route at the ancient village of Al Hamra, where an old, 7-bedroom village house has been restored and turned into a museum. An Omani guide will show us around, and reveal how the locals used to make coffee, oil and Omani bread. You’ll be able to buy some of the oil that the tour guides make themselves while working in the museum. After the brief tour, we’ll gather in the Majilis – which is an Omani living room – and enjoy Omani coffee or tea served with dates.

Next, we’ll continue our journey further up checking in at the Jebel Shams resort. You’ll have free time for the rest of the day, which you could spend leisurely wandering the variety of walking paths in the area, or exploring the 95 million year old Grand Canyon of Oman and enjoying yet more spectacular views of the Wadis and valleys below.

DAY 7 – WADI BAN AWF

They say what goes up must come down, and today after our time on the mountain, we’ll descend its eastern face and head into Wadi Bani Awf along one of the most exhilarating mountain roads in Oman, with off-roading and amazing views. When we reach Wadi Bani Awf in the valley, the road will take us past numerous villages on a 90-minute drive. We’ll be stopping en route at BaladSayt, a village that enjoys an outstanding location between the mountains of Ad Dakhiliyah and Al Batinah regions and is one of Wadi Bani Awf villages. The magnificence of this village lies in its agricultural terraces and mountainous location, and its rugged mountain roads attract many adventure tourism fans. BaladSayt is a fine example of traditional Omani villages.

Fort Nakhal is our next destination, built on a 200 metre high hill and dating from pre-Islamic times. As you would expect, the views from the fort are remarkable, and include an oasis. Inside the fort itself, there’s plenty to see too, including the women’s living room, the majilis, a prison, and several meeting rooms, courtyards and terraces.

Having worked up a thirst and hunger exploring the fort, we’ll take lunch in a traditional Omani restaurant, a real chance to taste national cuisine prepared by locals. Afterwards, it will be time for Al Thowarah, the hot springs of Nakhl which is next to a lush green oasis made all the more stunning by the mountain backdrop. Then it will be time to head back to Muscat where we will spend the night.

DAY 8 - MUSCAT

What better way to start your tour than with a visit to the stately Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. This magnificent example of Arabian architecture truly lives up to the grandeur of its name, and is a definite must-see for visitors to Oman.

This will be followed by a tour of the Royal Opera House Muscat, a venue that connects cultures and serves as a hub of peace and mutual understanding. Many famous opera singers have graced the stage here, including Placido Domingo, Renee Fleming, Anna Netrebko and Andrea Bocelli. During your visit, marvel at the craft that’s gone into the world’s second largest moving pipe organ, built by German company Klais which is based in Bonn.

From the opera house to the fish and vegetable markets in Muttrah, where you will have the opportunity to mingle with the crowds, and experience sights and sounds like no other. Among the many highlights here is the MuttrahSouq where the modern and traditional sit side-by-side in perfect harmony.

Following lunch, you will be driven past the Corniche to the capital area and onto the Sultan’s Palace – another great photo opportunity. The palace is flanked by the impressive 16^th Century Portuguese forts of Jalali and Mirani. Then it’s onto the Bait Al Zubair museum, home of one of the finest displays of Omani culture and history you’re ever likely to see. Afterwards, it will be cameras or smartphones at the ready as you take in the splendour of the Al Bustan Palace Hotel.

Our last stop on a fun and feature-packed first day will be the small port of Bandar Al Rawdha. Here you’ll board a boat for a different kind of sightseeing trip, an amazing opportunity to see the dolphins who visit the shores of Oman in large numbers. You can expect to see a wide range of difference species of dolphin, including:

Indian Ocean dolphins
Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins
Risso’s dolphins
Common Bottlenose dolphins
Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins
Rough-toothed dolphins
Pantropical spotted dolphins
Striped dolphins
Spinner dolphins
Long-Beaked Common dolphins

You will then be driven back to the hotel for the night.

PLEASE NOTE: To enter the Grand Mosque, women are required to wear attire that covers their arms and legs. Heads should also be covered with a scarf. Men can wear a normal shirt and trousers. All tattoos must be covered. Thank you.

DAY 9: MUSCAT DEPARTURE

After our last breakfast together and a transfer from the hotel to the airport, it will be time to say our goodbyes and for you to make your way home, taking with you, we hope, wonderful memories of Oman and your time on Sindbad Majan tour.