Reasons to Visit Oman
With all of these mountains, wadis and desert dunes, it is probably apparent that a saloon car isn't going to suffice for many of the journeys you take in Oman! A 4WD, piloted by a skilled local, is very often required and adds to the sense of adventure.
Oman's miles of coastline are a veritable haven of white-sand beaches and secluded coves. Whether you choose to stay in a downtown Muscat hotel where the beach is wide and open, or to head to somewhere like Musandam, where your hotel is likely to be the only thing for miles around, Oman's beaches are one of her major attractions.
The Wahiba Sands are easily accessible from Muscat and provide an insight into desert life. The tall dunes hide small Bedouin encampments, and a surprising array of wildlife. For the truly adventurous, the legendary sands of the Rub' al Khali, or Empty Quarter, beckon in the south of the country.
Although a clichéd phrase, much of Oman is relatively untouched by Western influences, and when you stand at Nizwa market watching the locals haggle over livestock, or admire the way fields have been terraced into impossibly steep mountainsides, you're appreciating a more traditional lifestyle.
The Hajar Mountains have kept the interior of Oman isolated for millennia , and the remote villages steeply terraced into the mountainsides seem little changed in that time. In Salalah the mountains have captured the moisture in the ocean air, allowing the liquid gold of frankincense to be grown on their slopes.
Cutting through heavily folded rock, with pretty streams and swaying palms nestled in their beds, the wadis of Oman are a major attraction, from the gentle and peaceful Wadi Bani Khalid through to the drama of Wadi Gul, with its 1 kilometre sheer sides.
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North Africa & the Middle East
The Sahab Hotel is a perfect base for excursions near Nizwa and in the Jebel Akhdar. All of its rooms have a private patio or terrace, many of which offering views of the mountains.
The Sahab Hotel was built using local materials, helping it to blend in with its mountain surroundings. Located on the Saiq Plateau, it is perched above a valley, with views to a small village called Al-Aqur. Its twenty-seven rooms are subtly decorated and all have a private patio or terrace, many of which look towards the mountains. The hotel's central features are its pool and jacuzzi, which are surrounded by well tended gardens full of native plants and fossils dating back millions of years. The hotel has a good restaurant and is a perfect base for your excursions near Nizwa and in the Jebel Akhdar.
Isolated by the Hajar Mountains from the coast and the outside influences brought to the coastal cities through trade and conquest, Nizwa developed as a bastion of conservatism.
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Nizwa
Further reading:Tours in OmanWhen to GoHighlightsItinerary IdeasPlaces to GoThings to DoAccommodationAbout OmanCountry Guides
Other countries in North Africa & the Middle East:EgyptIranJordanLebanonLibyaMoroccoSyriaTunisia
