Five reasons to visit Oman as soon as possible
From world-class hiking to Bronze Age tombs, from the weekly goat souk at Nizwa to beaches where sea turtles spawn, unspoilt Oman on the Arabian peninsula is much more than just its capital, Muscat
Although it’s fast becoming a hub for Asia-Europe flights, few tourists venture from Oman’s modern capital, Muscat. It’s just desert, right? Try again: a vast mountain landscape containing an irresistible canyon, excellent hiking and unbeatable stargazing, with mud-built villages and prehistoric sites – all these make a trip around Oman a hugely varied journey. There are labyrinthine forts at Nizwa, Jabreen and Bahla, while farther south are shifting sands containing luxury desert camps, and glistening Indian Ocean beaches visited more by giant turtles than by tourists.
Hike the ‘other Grand Canyon’ at Jebel Shams
Tourists flock to Arizona to gape at the Grand Canyon, but Jebel Shams is almost as impressive – and much easier to enjoy. Although the drive up from Al Hamra is best done in a 4WD, Al Khitaym on the 1,900m plateau of Jebel Shams – the Mountain of the Sun – is where to start an easy and eye-popping eight-mile trek. Clinging onto the sides of the canyon, the three-hour Balcony Walk, officially known as hiking route W6, gives regular views of the intricate canyon walls, as well as of a one-mile drop.
A gateway to the magnificent Hajar mountains, Nizwa is Oman’s oldest city, and was once its capital. It’s a hugely evocative town, built around a 17th-century fort with an imposing tower. However, the main event is Nizwa’s weekly goat souk, held on Friday mornings from 7am. Witnessing the parading of Oman’s best-loved animal, the bargaining and the bickering, gives a glimpse at a way of life suspended in time. OK, so some deals are done on smartphones these days, but there’s an air of the ancient here. The parade of the goats is around a bandstand, which is a great place to station yourself if taking photos, which no-one minds. Most tourists arrive too late; it’s all over by 8am, so come early. Afterwards – whether you bought yourself a goat or not – you can wander through the rest of the souk, which sells everything from fresh fish and coffee pots to cashew nuts and locally grown dates, the latter an Omani obsession.
An easy 30-minute drive along paved roads off highway 21 between Bahla and Ibri, these 5,000-year-old burial tombs in the Hajar mountains require some careful searching on foot. Situated near the village of Qubur Juhhal, a short walk across a couple of dry riverbeds and along a falaj (an Omani irrigation channel) leads to a small ridge dotted with about 30 Bronze Age burial tombs almost in a line. A sister site to the more famous Bat and Al-Khutm archaeological sites, but more impressive (and less visited), Al-Ayn has the greatest number of standing necropolises, the best of which look like classic beehives. Some are double-walled and in immaculate condition, while others lie in ruins, and all against the splendid backdrop of the razor-like Jebel Misht ridge. The 22km drive to or from Bat passes by hundreds of ridges and hills, each home to tombs, but the hidden, deserted Al Ayn is where to head if you want prehistoric Oman all to yourself.
