From spectacular mountains, wind-blown deserts and a pristine coastline, Oman is the obvious choice for those seeking out the modern face of Arabia while still sensing its ancient soul.
We took Ittin Road to spend the night next to one of the most visited springs flowing from Salalah’s foothills. Ain Garziz often has a generous flow of water collecting at the bottom of the knotted cliffs. However, it’s an exciting site with stunted fig trees and limestone...
Wadi Nahiz is about 31 km drive from Dhareez Beach in Salalah. It remains off the radar for most of the tourists, and that was why we decided to explore the valley. There is a steep descent for about a 10-minute drive from the top to the bottom of the valley. We parked 200 meters behind...
Salalah, the capital of the Dhofar region, is a colorful, subtropical city that owes much of its character to Oman’s former territories in East Africa. Our first stop was the newly completed Sultan Qaboos Mosque. This single-dome mosque with two minarets was a gift from His Majesty...
We drove through the dramatic Al-Hajar Mountains Range from Nizwa to Jabal Akhdar, located on the Sayyaq Plateau. It is the highest mountain range within the eastern Arabian Peninsula, above 2,000 meters in elevation. Al-Ḥajar reaches its most significant height at Mount Shams (2,980...
Just a few kilometers out of Nizwa, you can do an easy and short off-roading side trip that offers some imposing cliffs, much dust, and the chance to explore the ruins of Tanuf village. We drove around a dusty winding track dotted with acacia trees while goats roam amongst the rocks. Wadi...
The historic town of Nizwa, with its giant fort and high-walled souq, lies on a plain surrounded by a thick palm oasis and some of Oman’s highest mountains. It was the seat of factional imams until the 1950s. Nizwa, or the ‘Pearl of Islam’ as it’s sometimes called, is still a conservative...
From Misfat, we drove down the steep hill to the 400-year-old town of Al Hamra, located on the southern slopes of the Hajar Mountains. This venerable village, one of the oldest in Oman, was settled in the late 17th century by the Al Abri tribes during the rule of Imam Saif bin Sultan, the...
We drove up a 6-kilometer-long sneaky road from Al Hamra to a unique mountainous village located 1,000 m above sea level on the mountain foothills of the Hajar Mountains. We parked near the campground before the village and walked around ancient stone buildings, half buried in a thick...
We arrived in Bahla late in the afternoon and parked just in the middle of town next to one of the oldest fortresses in the country, the 13th-century Bahla Fort. It is located 40 km away from Nizwa in the Hajar Mountains. It was built by the Bani Nebhan tribe, who dominated the area from...
Today, we drove to a highly atmospheric site of “beehive tombs” in Al Ayn village. This string of tombs is arranged along a low, russet-colored ridge against Jebel Misht that towers behind. Little is known about the tombs except that they were constructed between 2000 and 3000...