OMAN A Journey to Aromatic Arabia
DAY 01: ARRIVE MUSCAT Arrive Muscat, Oman s capital city known as Arabia's jewel. Muscat has all the intrigue and magic you could ever imagine of a city on the Arabian Sea. Green gardens and blue ocean against dramatic, stark, stony mountains make the city sparkle. We are met upon arrival at the airport and transferred to the guest house. Evening visit to the Muttrah Souq, an exotic market precinct right on the harbour and just a short walk from our accommodation. Overnight Muscat. DAY 02: MUSCAT After breakfast we visit Oman s Grand Mosque, completed in 2002. It is home to one of the largest Swarovski Crystal Chandeliers in the world and the world s largest one-piece hand stitched Persian carpet. The whole structure reveals rapturous homages to several architectural styles across the Islamic world. We then visit the House of Amouage, a perfumery that creates some of the most expensive fragrances in the world using only the finest ingredients, including frankincense and myrrh. It is the only Arab perfume to be accepted into the European perfume market where it is embraced even by the French! On our way through to Nizwa we will visit Falaj Daris, the largest single falaj (irrigation channel) in Oman and provides the surrounding countryside with water for the abundant agriculture. Lunch at a local restaurant in Nizwa.
We travel to the nearby village of Misfah where we settle into a private home converted into guest accommodation. Overnight Misfah. DAY 03 This morning we drive to the mysterious town of Bahla, the home of myths and legends that have carried through the centuries. Many Omanis remain superstitious when speaking of Bahla. The little town is as famous for its pottery as it is for jinn (genies). The old Bahla fort with its 12 km wall is the oldest fort in Oman, built in pre-islamic times. Listed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage monuments, the fort is now undergoing reconstruction. A short distance beyond Bahla lies the Castle of Jabreen. This grand three-storey building was built during Al Ya'ruba dynasty of the mid 1600's. It is a fine example of Islamic architecture with beautiful wooden inscriptions and paintings on the ceilings. We will also visit the 400-year-old village of Al Hamra and the mountainside village of Misfah Al Abreen. Lunch in a local restaurant before returning to Misfah for overnight. DAY 04 Today we drive to the old oasis city of Nizwa, Oman s capital in the 6th and 7th centuries. Upon arrival we visit the old central souq that includes treasure troves of silver, spices, incense and locally made clay burners, honey, vegetables, fresh meat and fish. Nizwa has long been an important crossroads at the base of the Western Hajar Mountains connecting Muscat, Buraimi, and the lower reaches of Dhofar in the south. Nizwa fort, completed in the 1650s, was the seat of power during the rule of the Al Ya'ruba dynasty and is Oman's most visited National monument.
Lunch in a local restaurant in Nizwa. Before returning to Misfah for overnight. DAY 05 Today we bid farewell to Misfah and take a landcruiser to Jebel Akhdar ("Green Mountains"), one of the most verdant and spectacular regions of Oman to visit the fascinating village gardens of Wadi Bani Habib, Saiq and Al Ayn, where farmers grow fruit and nuts. Overnight Jebel Akdhar in a guest house DAY 06 After a leisurely breakfast, we continue on to the great Wahiba Sands where dunes 200 km long and 100 km wide run south from the Eastern Hajar Mountains to the Arabian Sea. The dunes are 100-150 metres high in shades of orange through to amber. Bedouin camps are dotted along the tracks and trails and there are sporadic stands of single-species woodlands. Where the sands meet the ocean there are outcrops of beautiful aolianite (sand compressed into rock) then the beaches mellow into soft shades of yellows and whites. Our first destination is Wadi Bani Khalid, an oasis in the middle of the barren and dry mountains and one of the most beautiful wadis in Oman. We will stop here for lunch at a local restaurant. Time permitting we will visit Al Akdar, the home of Omanis pit weavers who design elegant textiles from their looms dug into the ground, or to visit the Bedouin souq in Sinaw. Overnight in a desert camp.
DAY 07 Leaving the desert we return to the coast to reach the beaches of R'as Al Hadd and R'as Al Junayz where every year about 30,000 turtles come to lay their eggs. Overnight in R as Al Hadd. DAY 08 We have a short drive to the coastal town of Sur, an ancient port and seafaring town which once played a major part in the trade between Oman, East Africa and India. Sur started its trading activities with the African coast as early as the 6th century. A walk through its labyrinth of streets reveals many fine old houses with carved doors and arabesque windows. It is the presumed home town of Sindbad the Sailor. Separated from Sur by the bay is the village of Al Ayja, well fortified by watchtowers and forts. On the sheltered lagoon is the traditional Dhow Building Yard where craftsmen still build dhows following traditional designs without the aid of drawings. We head back to Muscat via the limestone Sinkhole in Bimah and Fins Beach, then Wadi Shab where lush villages grow dates, lemon, and mango plantations.
Wadi Shab is one of the most beautiful wadis and its clear deep blue water pools gives us an opportunity to take a refreshing dip. Overnight Muscat. DAY 09 This morning we fly to Salalah, Oman's southernmost city, most famous for its Frankincense trade, ancient rock inscriptions, pre-islamic coins, and early Chinese Pottery. It has a subtle African flavour not found elsewhere in Oman and is steeped in myths and legends that date back to biblical times. In the surrounding countryside on the flanks of the mountains grow the Boswellia sacra better known for the sap it produces: Frankincense. It is most likely that the Frankincense carried by the Magi to present to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem came from Oman since the Boswellia sacra tree grows nowhere else in the world. Overnight Salalah. DAY 10 Today we visit Taqah, 36kms from Salalah - a picturesque and quaint village with a fort dating back several hundred years. Evidence provided by excavations at Khor Rori creek, the site of the ruined city of Samhuram, capital of ancient Arabia's frankincense trade and reputed to be where the legendary Queen of
Sheba had a palace, show an ancient city with trade links by sea to Far Eastern destinations and even with distant Greece. Continue on to Mirbat, the ancient capital of Dhofar, was an important town as early as the 9th century for its trade in frankincense, horses and slaves. Some of its old houses are famous for their woodcarving. One of Dhofar's best known historic sites is Bin Ali's Tomb, the twin domed structure being a fine example of medieval architecture. We reach Ain Razat to take a picnic lunch in this lovely location of natural springs, hills, gardens and streams. Nearby is the equally beautiful Ain Sahanawt. Rising high above the coast is the Jebel Samhan plateau, the highest point in Dhofar at 1800m. Here we find the hanging valley of Wadi Dirbat, at its most impressive in full flood. Further into the mountains is Tawi Attir (the hole of the birds), a natural sinkhole over 100m wide and 250m deep. Nestled in a hidden valley is the Baobab Forest with huge bulbous trees, one tree over 2000 years old and 30 feet in diameter at its base. Return to Salalah for overnight. DAY 11 We head north of Salalah to the region known as the Nejd - a barren desolate area that is actually the southern fringe of the R'ub Al Khali (Empty Quarter). 175 km north of Salalah is the remote village of Shisr. In the early 90s, with the help of satellite imagery from the space shuttle, explorers found what they believe to be the lost city of Ubar. T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) called Ubar the "Atlantis of the sands". It was once considered to be the trading centre for frankincense before it was buried in the rising dunes. We have a picnic lunch here.
Returning to Salalah, we take dinner for dinner at Baalbeck, a small Lebanese family restaurant near the main market. Overnight Salalah. DAY 12 Salalah is an important archaeological and historical site. Our half-day tour today commences at the archaeological site of Al-Balid. We then drive to Shanfari Mosque (outside visit only), before continuing to the Al Husn souq, which offers frankincense, as well as textiles, gold and silver. Then we visit the site of the 14 footprints of the Prophet Saleh's sacred camel, before driving past Al Husn Palace, the summer residence of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. After lunch we drive to Jebel Qara to visit the tomb of Prophet Ayoub, (Job of the Old Testament), then on to Mughsail. Salalah has many beautiful beaches and Mughsail is one of the most popular of these because of the "Blow Holes" in the rocky shelf close to the shore. If we are in luck we will see it do it s thing. Overnight Salalah. DAY 13 Return flight to Muscat. Lunch today with an Omani family. Evening visit to Bait Barranda (Muscat Municipality museum), and free time in the Muttrah Souq. Overnight Muscat.
DAY 14: MUSCAT This morning we will visit the Sidab Women's Group (sustainable handicrafts project), and the Beit Zubair private museum. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon we take 2 hour cruise along the spectacular coastline to Sifa, passing Al Bustan, Diving Centre, and Shangri La, with our return trip at sunset. Farewell dinner in the rooftop restaurant of Marina Hotel on the Corniche. Overnight Muscat. DAY 15: TOUR ENDS Transfer to the airport for onward journey. TOUR COST: Includes all accommodation, breakfast daily, some meals, all excursions, entrance fees, English speaking guide to accompany the group for the duration of the tour, transport by minibus/ landcruisers, and internal flights. Note international airfare, insurance and visa costs are not included. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *