Oman

The tour first takes you to Nizwa, the old capital of Oman. The Nizwa Souq is among the largest of its kind in the country. A wide variety of vendors offer their goods in the streets of the souk from 05:00 am to about 10:00 am each morning. Here you can find fish, meat, vegetables, pottery, jewellery, handicrafts and souvenirs which are sold in authentic old market halls that few places can boast. Especially interesting is the Friday cattle market when the locals from the nearby Villages come to sell their donkeys, goats, cattle, sheep and chickens in a circus style open marketplace.

Next to the Souq is Nizwa Fortress. The fort is a museum today and offers splendid views of this ancient town and the surrounding mountains. You can walk around in this impressive fortress and visit its many rooms, passages and towers. The fort is an architectural testimony to the economic and military achievements of the early Yaruba dynasty from the mid-17th century. It was a military stronghold designed to withstand even the strongest of attacks at the time. Even along the corridors, many traps were laid to deter any intruders that might have penetrated the defences.

Then we will bring you to Birkat Al Mauz, at the foot of Jebel Akhdar, with its old Village ruins and Banana and Date plantations. From there we drive up to Jebel Akhdar. This mountain is also known as the Green Mountain because of its many fruit plantations and the rose gardens (rose blooming season is may-sep). It offers some nice walks with fantastic valley views and some Wadis and abandoned romantic villages to visit. In the late afternoon, we bring you back to Muscat.

We will drive first to Nizwa, the old capital city of Oman. Our first stop is the famous Nizwa Souq. It is among the largest of its kind in Oman. A wide variety of vendors offer their goods in the streets of the souk from 05:00 am to about 10:00 am each morning. Here you can find fish, meat, vegetables, pottery, jewellery, handicrafts and souvenirs which are sold in authentic old market halls that few places can boast. Especially interesting is the Friday cattle market, when the locals from the nearby Villages come to sell their donkeys, goats, cattle, sheep and chickens in a circus style open market place.

Next to the Souq is Nizwa Fortress. The fort is a museum today and offers splendid views of this ancient town and the surrounding mountains. You can walk around in this impressive fortress and visit its many rooms, passages and towers.The fort is an architectural testimony to the economic and military achievements of the early Yaruba dynasty from the mid-17th century. It was a military stronghold designed to withstand even the strongest of attacks at the time. Even along the corridors, many traps were laid to deter any intruders that might have penetrated the defences.

Then we drive towards the Jebel Shams Mountain. After a short drive through the ancient village of Al Hamra, we drive up the Mountain to the stunning Grand Canyon of Oman in 2000 m. You can spend the afternoon walking around this famous Grand Canyon. There are many different walking paths to choose from easy and short to difficult and long. The Grand Canyon offers spectacular views over the surrounding valleys and Wadis below. In the late afternoon we drive back to Muscat.

This tour takes you first to Nizwa, the old capital of Oman. The Nizwa Souq is among the largest of its kind in the country. A wide variety of vendors offer their goods in the streets of the souk from 05:00 am to about 10:00 am each morning. Here you can find fish, meat, vegetables, pottery, jewellery, handicrafts and souvenirs which are sold in authentic old market halls that few places can boast. Especially interesting is the Friday cattle market, when the locals from the nearby villages come to sell their donkeys, goats, cattle, sheep and chickens in a circus style open market place.

Next to the Souq is Nizwa Fortress. The fort is a museum today and offers splendid views of this ancient town and the surrounding mountains. You can walk around in this impressive fortress and visit its many rooms, passages and towers. The fort is an architectural testimony to the economic and military achievements of the early Yaruba dynasty from the mid-17th century. It was a military stronghold designed to withstand even the strongest of attacks at the time. Even along the corridors, many traps were laid to deter any intruders that might have penetrated the defences.

Then we drive to Al Hamra, and into the old part of the village, to visit a cute little museum housed in one of the old restored houses within the village. Local Omani woman will show you around a traditional 7 bedroom house. They will also demonstrate how they used to make coffee, food and pottery in the old days. After the small tour you will be lead into a Majilis (Omani living room) to have Omani coffee/tea and dates.

Then we move on towards Misfath al Abreen. This picturesque village lies on a steep slope at the foot of Jebel Shams, a few kilometres from the village of Al Hamra and consists of old homes and narrow streets. It has a large Falaj system which supplies water for many orchards, date palms and vegetables. It is worth to spend at least 1 ½ hours walking around the village. There are marked footpaths through the village and surrounding area. In the late afternoon we drive back to Muscat.

We depart early from Muscat heading towards the Sharqiya region. On the way, we make a short photo stop at the quaint little village of Fanja, before we continue our journey to Wadi Bani Khalid. This is one of the biggest and most beautiful wadis that Oman is famous for. The wadi canyon is impressive, with its amazing steep walls and breathtaking crystal clear water pools it is awesome to look at on its own. However one can also enjoy a swim in the relaxing cool freshwater pool or just sunbathing. The wadi is so grand that you can even have the chance to walk deeper right into the wadi itself or maybe visit its hidden caves. In the afternoon, we head out to the famous Wahiba Sands Desert, where you drive offroad and see stretches after stretches of pure sand and endless towering sand dunes.

Here you will get to appreciate and experience the real feel and magic of the Omani desert. We have the chance to visit a traditional Beduin house where we can try Omani coffee and dates (depending on availability). After this desert adventure, we drive back to Muscat.

This tour is among our best selling trips in Oman. We depart Muscat in the morning and drive along the coast towards the city of Sur. After 90 minutes we reach the Wadi Shab entrance. From there we take a short boat ride across the small Wadi lake. The we walk into spectacular the Wadi Canyon along steep cliffs, rocks, pools and fruit plantations. After approx. 45 minutes we will reach the famous pools. Here we change into swim wear, leave our belongings behind, and start swimming and walking into a smaller canyon. After swimming/walking through the water, we come to the last pool. Here the water is deep and we have to swim to cross it. At then end there is a small gap in the wall in which we will swim through into a fantastic cave with a waterfall inside. This is the highlight of the trip. After that we swim back and relax in the sun and eat some snacks. Then we walk back to the car. On the way back to Muscat, if there is time, we can pass by at the Bamah Sinkhole Lake Park for a photo stop.

If you don’t want to swim, you can stay near the first pools where the water is shallow. Bring sun protection, hat, good walking shoes, swim wear (if you like) and snacks. You need to be in average good shape.