Tourism Program
Trip Information
Day 1: MUSCAT
Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay.
Day 2: MUSCAT
Breakfast and departure for a visit to the city: the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, modern and elegant, famous for the beautiful Persian carpet and the incredible chandelier. Continue to Shatti al Qurum the beautiful seafront of Muscat up to the Opera House. External photo stop (optional internal visit if allowed. Entrance to be paid on site). Free lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Bait al Zubair Museum, an ethnological museum that will allow you to understand the history, habits and customs of Oman. Then visit the Sultan’s Palace (external); of the Jalali and Mirani Forts (external) and the Muttrah souq with the myriad of narrow streets and shops. Return to the hotel, free dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: MUSCAT / WADI BANI AWF / SNAKE GORGE / CROSS WEST HAJAR / JABRIN / NIZWA
Breakfast and departure for the Batinah region, passing Nakhal we will deviate inland towards Wadi Bani Awf and the off-road crossing of the Western Hajar chain, admiring extraordinary views of imposing mountains and wide valleys. Stop at the Snake Gorge which winds between dizzying walls and at the village of Bilad Sayt with the typical geometric cultivations. You will reach an altitude of 2000 m. to descend towards Al Hamra and then Jabrin where we will visit the castle, considered the most refined in Oman. Free lunch. Departure for Nizwa. Arrival and visit to the ancient capital of the Imamate of Oman in the 9th century, with the imposing Fort (photo-stop outside) and the set of souqs where you can buy silver jewellery, terracotta, spices, rose water, dates. Hotel accommodation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: NIZWA / MANAH / WADI BANI KHALID / SHARQIYA SANDS
Breakfast and departure for Manah to visit Harat al Bilad, an extraordinary village with houses over 900 years old, wells and mosques with wonderful “mihrabs”. Continue to Wadi Bani Khalid, to visit the beautiful oasis-wadi crossed by a perennial watercourse that forms canyons and lakes bordered by palm trees. Free lunch. Departure for Al Wasil and then the Wahiba desert. Arrival and settlement in permanent camp. In the afternoon, an exciting excursion among the dunes to admire their soft shapes shaped by the wind. The excursion will end on a dune waiting for the sunset with its incredible colors. Return to camp, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: SHARQIYA SANDS / JALAN BANI BU ALI / WOODLAND / SUR
Breakfast and departure southwards towards Al Kamil and then Jalan Bani Bu Ali. Stop to visit the Samooda Fort, an example of an unrenovated fort with a particular charm, dating back 400 years ago. Then visit the nearby Samooda Mosque (external), known as the 52-dome Mosque for its unique architectural form. We will continue along an exciting off-road itinerary to cross the “Woodland” desert, with light sands and a real forest of Prosopis Cineraria inside, a symbolic plant against desertification. We will reach the coast of the Arabian Sea to continue north towards Al Askhara. Free lunch. Traveling along the coast always northwards you will visit the cliffs at Al Khabba. Continuation and arrival in Sur, hotel accommodation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: SUR / GULF OF OMAN / BIMAN SINKHOLE / WADI ARBEEN / MUSCAT
Breakfast and visit to Sur, once a thriving commercial port for trade with India and particularly Africa. Visit to Ajyah, an ancient settlement of the city and the shipyards where the “dhows”, typical Arab boats, are built, still by hand using traditional methods. Departure along the coast of the Gulf of Oman, with beautiful sea and mountain landscapes. Arrival at the so-called Biman Sinkhole, a geological formation consisting of a crater in the ground with emerald waters at the bottom. Free lunch. Departure for Muscat, deviating inland along the beautiful Wadi Arbeen, a wadi that winds between rocky walls and is crossed by perennial water forming lakes and waterfalls. Arrival in Muscat, hotel accommodation, free dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7: MUSCAT
Breakfast and final transfer to the airport.