Highlights of Oman

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

Duration:9 Nights – 10 DAYS TOUR

Tour Highlights: Muscat – Nakhal – BaladSayt – Jebel Shams – Al Hamra – Bahla – Nizwa – Jebel Akhdar – Wadi bani Khalid – Sur – Ras Al Hadd – Wadi Shab – Quriyat.

check out some beautiful places of Oman!

ITINERARY:
DAY 1: ARRIVAL MUSCAT

You will arrive at the new well-designed Muscat International Airportwhich was awarded with the Best Airport in the Middle East 2019 Award,where you will find convenient and fastcustoms 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: 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 3: NAKHAL FORT-HOT SPRINGS-WADI BANI AWF –JEBEL SHAMS

Today we will start our journey by heading west first, passing through the beautiful small city of Barka to our first destination Nakhal Fort, 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.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.

This will be followed by an exciting drive heading 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. 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.

Next, we’ll continue our journey up the Jebel Shams Mountain, checking in at Jebel Shams resort where we will have our dinner and stay overnight. 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.

Overnight stay at Jebel Shams.

DAY 4: JEBEL SHAMS -AL HAMRA -BAHLA FORT- NIZWA

We will start the day with an exciting drive down 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 will head to Al Hoota Cave, one of the world’s largest cave systems extending underground for 5km. It’s one of Oman’s biggest tourist attractions with 860metres accessible to visitors and culminating at the Cave Lake.

The journey continues then to Bahla Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, this is one of Oman’s oldest still-standing fortresses. It’s triangular-shaped, with walls that stretch for 12km around Bahla old town. To give you an idea of the size and scale of this fortress, there are no less than 132 watchtowers with guardrooms. You can also explore the town on your visit. Be sure to take photos of the amazing palm trees and beautiful mountains.

Then we will continue to Jabrin Castle which was formerly a presidential palace. This castle with elaborate wood carvings, beautiful ceiling paintings and stucco work was designed in 1670 by Bilarab bin Sultan bin Saif during the Yaruba dynasty. The castle benefited from a major renovation in 1984, and now you have the chance to step inside and see original furnishings and utensils, and taste period castle living, Oman-style.

Overnight stay at Nizwa.

DAY 5: NIZWA - BIRKAT AL MAUZ-JABEL AKHDAR

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 Fort, 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-17^th Century.

You’ll then visit Birkat al Mauz, a simply stunning oasis overlooked by the cliffs of the impressive Jebel Akhdar mountain and widely famous for its irrigation system “Falaj Al Khatmayn”. In July 2006 UNESCO included Falaj Al Khatmayn in the World Heritage List to express the international standing of this unique water system that represents a cultural legacy created by the Omanis over 2,000 years ago, being the oldest irrigation structure in the region. The “Falaj” system is still the major source of irrigation in the Sultanate and a water source that can be relied on in most Omani cities and villages. It is rare to find anything like these falajs elsewhere in the world.

Falaj Al Khatmayn is fed by Wadi Al Muaydin and flows plentifully during heavy rainfall. Its overall length is about 2,450 metres. It is characterized by its acute precision in the distribution of Falaj water and continuous flow throughout the year. What distinguishes this Falaj is that its course runs through Bayt ArRudaydah, one of the famous castles in Oman, built in the 17^th century with Falaj Al Khatmayn. Another great photo opportunity here, before we explore the ancient village on foot and take in the glory of the large banana and date plantations.

This will be followed by a drive up the mountain road, with stop-offs along the way to enjoy simply incredible views. Journey’s end will be the plateau of the Jebel Akhdar Mountain. From here, you’ll soon see why the mountain is so named. Akhdar is Arabic for ‘green’ and from this plateau you will get a panoramic view of the lush fruit and vegetable gardens that cover the terraces that are built on the side of the mountain.If you happen to be visiting in March, April or May, you are in for a real treat as the terraces in the villages of Al Ain, Al Shiraijah and Al Aqur will be awash with the pinks of the native roses in bloom, and the mountain air will be filled with the aroma of rose water from local distilleries.

Whatever time of year you visit, the 90-minute walk we take next will give you the opportunity to enjoy breath-taking scenery as we trek along the edge of the mountain and through villages, to a place where we can show you some truly spectacular sights over a deep valley rich with garden plantations. You will definitely want your cameras and smartphones to capture this and share with jealous friends and family back home.

Then it will be a rare opportunity for you to visit a genuine Omani family and watch them conduct their daily business of traditionally distilling rose water and frankincense oil. The family will talk us through the whole process from harvesting to distillation, before we say our goodbyes and continue our walk into one of the Wadis, where will we conclude the day’s activities with a visit to an abandoned village.

The night will be spent in one of the Jebel Akhdar nice Hotels.

DAY 6:
WADI BANI KHALID- WAHIBA SANDS

After breakfast it will be a long nice drive down Jebel Akhdar and across Al Shurqiyah Governorate to Wadi Ban Khalid, which is regarded by many as the biggest and most beautiful of all the Wadis in Oman. 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 7: WAHIBA SANDS -SUR – RAS AL HADD

After breakfast in the desert camp, we will head to the city of Sur, where the main attractions include old fortresses and the famous Dhow factory where you can watch traditional wooden Dhows being built.

Following a delicious lunch, we will drive south along the beautiful coast to the beachside village of Ras Al Hadd. You’ll have free time to spend exploring the village or relaxing on the beach (or maybe even a bit of both). It’s all in readiness for what surely will be the highlight of the day – our visit to the Turtle Sanctuary at Ras Al Jinz.

Here, you will receive a guided tour of the beach at night under the stars. It’s the best time of day to view Oman’s much treasured sea turtles stumbling onto the beach from the sea to dig holes in the sand and lay their eggs. You might even get lucky and see the amazing experience of baby turtles hatching from the eggs.

At the tour’s end, we will head back to the Ras al Hadd hotel for the night.

DAY 8: RAS AL HADD -SUR - QALAHAT-WADI TAWI

We will Start the tours of the day by leaving Ras Al Hadd towards Al Ayja Village in Sur.This costal city with its beautiful corniche, two forts, souqs and excellent beaches nearby, is generally included on our tour. Then the journey will continue to Qalhatwhich once served as an important stop in the wider Indian Ocean trade network. In the 14th and 15th centuries it had great strategic significance in the Kingdom of Hormuz, and was Oman’s first capital city.The ruins of the ancient city can still be seen, located just next to the highway connecting Muscat and Sur on a hill overlooking palm trees and what would have been the town.

We will then continue to enter Wadi Tiwi with its green pools and lush plantations. It is another spectacularly deep and narrow gorge carved out of the mountains, running between towering cliffs right down to the sea. You will definitely notice that this wadi is truly beautiful with the lush plantations giving it a different (certainly greener) feel than many other wadis.

At the tour’s end, we will head to Wadi Shab resort for the night.

DAY 9: WADI SHAB-BIMMA SINKHOLE- QURIYAT- MUSCAT

After our breakfast in the resort we will drive towards Wadi Shab. This is an enormous canyon gorge lined with beautiful palm trees and spectacular natural views of the power of water coming down from the mountains. After a 45-minute hike through canyon Wadi, we’ll arrive at a series of crystal clear water pools. You are welcome to swim in the warm waters of these connected pools, which will lead you into an opening among the enormous rocks through which you can swim into a crevice cave with its own small waterfall. Marvel at how the sunlight filters in from the outside and turns the water a stunning turquoise blue, while one side of the cave has water tumbling down from the wadi beyond.

Then we will continue towards the white Beach of Fins, which offers up another great opportunity for photos. There will be another stop-off on our journey towards Muscat, an opportunity for you to view the incredible Bimah Sinkhole, a huge crater close to the sea with a small lake at its base. It’s believed to have been created when a meteor hit the Earth.

Next we will proceed to Muscat via Quriyat and check into the hotel of your choice.

Overnight stay at Muscat.

DAY 10: 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.