10 Days Muscat and Salalah, Ultimate Tour

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   Tag 1

   Muscat to Ras Al Hadd via Wadi Shab

   In the morning, leave Muscat for Sur along the coastal road, passing Quriyat, a small coastal fishing village. Stop for photos at the Bimah Sinkhole.

   Continue along the white sandy beach of Fins, which invites you for a relaxing swim.

   A graded track leads to Wadi Shab, one of Oman's most spectacular wadis, with fresh water most of the year, banana plantations and rocky paths.

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   You can swim from pool to pool through its warm water.

   Continue to Sur and Ras Al Hadd, where you stay the night.

   After dinner, drive to the Ras Al Jinz turtle sanctuary, a protected green turtle nesting reserve. Watch sea turtles nest and lay eggs on the beach, and you may see baby turtles hatching.

   Overnight in Ras Al Hadd. Lunch and dinner are optional.

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   Tag 2

   Wadi Bani Khaled and the Wahiba Sands

   After breakfast, continue to Wadi Bani Khaled, one of the biggest and most beautiful wadis in Oman, and enjoy a refreshing swim in its cool water.

   Drive on to the Wahiba Sands to feel the magic of a true desert, a sea of constantly shifting sands, and drive through the dunes.

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   Visit a local Bedouin family in their home for a close-up view of their way of life, and share coffee and dates with them.

   Enjoy a campfire and dinner, and spend the night in the desert.

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   Tag 3

   Nizwa Souq and Jabrin

   After breakfast, drive to Nizwa, the capital of the interior and the birthplace of Islam in Oman.

   Nizwa Souq is known for its Friday cattle auction, hand-carved khanjars (daggers) and ornamental silver jewellery.

   Visit Jabrin, the finest of Oman's castles, built in the late 17th century.

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   It became a seat of Omani learning, and its painted ceilings and woodcarvings show Omani craft at its highest.

   Overnight in Nizwa. Lunch and dinner are optional.

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   Misfat Al Abrien, Jebel Shams and Wadi Ghul

   Take a winding road up into the hills to Misfat Al Abrien, a remote mountain village where time has stood still.

   Drive up into the mountains of Jebel Shams and the deep ravines of Wadi Ghul, through rugged, untamed country with tiny settlements here and there. At 3,000 m, Jebel Shams is the highest mountain in Oman.

   Dinner and overnight at Jebel Shams.

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   Billad Sayt, Wadi Bani Awf, Nakhl and Al Sawadi

   After breakfast, leave Jebel Shams and Nizwa for Billad Sayt, a picturesque mountain village where time seems to have stood still. The village on top of the cliff is a spectacular sight from the terraced farms below, which provide for the people who live there.

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   Continue along the loop to Wadi Bani Awf and climb up the mountain. At one point you can see the gorge below, which looks like a snake, and those who wish can trek into it. There are several small pools here for bathing.

   Drive along the Batinah to the date palm grove of Nakhl, to see the natural hot spring and the 350-year-old Nakhl Fort.

   From Nakhl, drive to Al Sawadi, where you spend the night. Lunch and dinner are optional.

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   Tag 6

   Muscat

   After breakfast, leave Nakhl and return to Muscat.

   Start at the Grand Mosque, the Mosque of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said. Look inside while your guide points out its highlights, its history and some facts about Islam.

   Next, visit Muttrah Souq, known locally as Al Dhalam Souq, one of the oldest souqs in the Arab world.

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   Merchants sell fish, frankincense, perfume oil, garments, daggers, gold, silver, spices and Omani pots.

   In the old town, pass Al Alam Palace, the palace of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, and the twin forts of Mirani and Jalali.

   Your last stop is Al Zubair Museum, with a wealth of information on the country's culture, history and heritage.

   Overnight at a hotel in Muscat. Lunch and dinner are optional.

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   Tag 7

   Fly to Salalah

   After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the 1-hour flight to Salalah.

   Spend the rest of the day at leisure, relaxing on the beach.

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   Tag 8

   Full-day tour of Salalah East and West

   Today is a full-day tour of Salalah East (Taqah, Sumhuram, Wadi Dirbat and Ain Razat) and Salalah West (frankincense trees, Mughsayl and Nabi Ayub). Start in the Wilayat of Taqah, whose countryside keeps its original character, with large mountain areas untouched by people.

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   Next is Sumhuram, in Taqah, 30 km from Salalah. This ancient port city reigned 2,000 years ago as the guardian of the perfume paradise, and its ruins stand on a fortified hill beside Khor Rori Creek.

   Continue to Wadi Dirbat, with its wide variety of plants, trees, birds and flowers. See the longest cave in the world, and views of the Dhofar coastline and the Indian Ocean from Jebel Samhan. There are several shallow caves in the limestone hills on the northern side of the spring and pool.

   Ain Razat is the most important spring in Dhofar and was once one of Salalah's main water sources. Its water flows along a falaj all year, most strongly during the Kharif, for 7 km to Al Maamurah Palace, the Sultan's residence in Salalah. After Ain Razat, stop for lunch before heading west of Salalah.

   Visit Mughsayl, a popular beach west of Salalah, to see its blowholes, where waves force air and water up through the rock like a strong fountain. Nearby you can see frankincense trees: Dhofar has known frankincense since ancient times, and it brought the region great wealth when it was worth more than gold.

   The last stop is the grave of Nabi Ayub (the prophet Job), inside a mosque. Then drive back to Salalah.

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   Tag 9

   Full day in the Rub Al Khali desert

   Spend a full day in the Rub Al Khali desert, the Empty Quarter.

   The Empty Quarter is the second largest desert in the world. It covers the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula and reaches from Oman into Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the western UAE, with sand dunes up to 300 m high.

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   Legend tells of the Atlantis of the Sands, a lost city in the southern Arabian desert, destroyed by a natural disaster or as a punishment from God, as mentioned in the Quran.

   Many expeditions have searched for it, and NASA has taken photos. Traces of a city were found, but no one is sure it is Iram of the Pillars, the lost city of the Quran. The site has many names: Ubar, Wabar and Iram.

   Lunch and dinner are optional.

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    Tag 10

    Salalah city tour and flight to Muscat

    After breakfast, take an orientation tour of Salalah, with visits to the Frankincense Souq and Al Baleed Museum.

    Transfer to the airport for your flight back to Muscat. Lunch is optional.

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