Immersion In Culture Oman

Arrive at Muscat airport, meet and assist by our representative and transfer to Muscat hotel. Later in the afternoon, you will be met at the hotel for a ‘Muscat by Night’ tour. Start your drive from the hotel to the residential area of Qurum and then through the mountain road towards the old town of Muscat passing through the corniche. Later you drive through the busy streets of Ruwi then drive by the beautiful Mohamed Al Ameen Mosque, which illuminates the Muscat skyline in the evening.

The Tour ends at Rozna restaurant, where you will enjoy Authentic Omani Traditional food. After dinner return to hotel.

Overnight at Muscat Hotel.

After breakfast check out from the hotel and depart to Jebel Akhder. Your first stop will be at the Grand Mosque, the most exquisite Mosque in Oman. The developed part of the site, Including the fully consolidated areas and landscaping, covers 416,000 square metres. The Mosque complex (covering 40,000 square metres) is constructed on a raised podium in keeping with the tradition of Omani mosques that were built elevated from street level. It can accommodate up to 20,000 worshippers and consists of a main prayer hall, ladies prayer hall, covered passageways, a meeting hall, and library which contains around 20,000 books. A major feature of the main prayer hall is the hand-made Persian carpet consisting of 1,700 million knots, weighing 21 tones and made in a single piece measuring 70 x 60 metres. From design stage it took 4 years to complete and 600 female weavers from province of Khurasan in Iran were involved.

Note: Ladies visiting the mosque are required to cover their head with scarf and do not wear shorts, beachwear or sleeveless outfits as they are to be fully covered. 

Men are required to wear long trousers. No shorts are allowed. 

You will have photo stops at the residence of his Majesty Sultan Haitham, the Al Alam Palace, which is flanked by the 16th century Portuguese forts Mirani and Jalali. You will be strolling through Muttrah Souq, where you will be bargaining for handicrafts and silver items. Visit The Sidab Women's Group, one of the unique models in empowering women through establishing a project that benefits the participants. It is an environment-friendly project that is based on the manufacturing of environmentally friendly bags that replace plastic bags. We learn about the center and enjoy some Omani coffee and dates. Later visit Bait Al Zubair Museum then you will be given time to stroll through the famous Mutrah Souq. Return to hotel. 

Overnight in Muscat Hotel.

After breakfast, check-out from the hotel. You start your fascinating roundtrip with the first leg taking you in south eastern direction along the coast to Sur. The road leads through scenic countryside and rugged mountains. Stop at the limestone Sinkhole in Bimah and then continue to Fins. Enjoy the white sandy beach at Fins proceed to visit Wadi Tiwi, an oasis well known for its lemon and date plantations. Then proceed to the coastal town of Sur which was renowned in former times for its shipyard, where the dhows, the traditional wooden Omani boats were built. Pause for lunch at Mariam’s house. A teacher by profession, Mariam loves to speak about her country, she speaks about the status of Women in their society. Spend some time at Mariam’s house and know more about the tradition of her town. Later continue to Ras Al Jinz and check in at Turtle Beach Resort. After an early dinner at the hotel, you will visit the turtle sanctuary at Ras Al Jinz. 

Overnight stay at Turtle Beach Resort / Ras Al Jinz Turtle Resort 

Breakfast at resort. This morning, proceed to Wadi Bani Khalid – an oasis spot in the middle of the barren and dry mountains. The afternoon is reserved for your desert experience. You drive into the Wahiba Sands, a vast mass of undulating red and white sea of sand. After some exciting sand dune driving with your experienced driver, visit the home of a Bedouin Family in the desert where you will have a traditional Omani lunch. You will experience the real, traditional Arabic hospitality. Later arrive and check-in at the desert camp. Enjoy a BBQ dinner with Omani music and a dance show (seasonal). 

Overnight stay at Sama Al Wasil / Desert Rose Camp.

After breakfast, check-out and proceed to the village of Ibra for a special shopping experience. Once a week this Souq (on Wednesdays), opposite the main market, attracts women-only buyers and sellers from all over the region, selling a variety of handicrafts such as baskets, woven cushions and camel bags. Men are usually not welcome, and photographs are prohibited here in the only Souq in the country dedicated to female shoppers. Later drive onwards to visit Bahla, the mystical village, known for Arabian potteries. Visit one of the pottery making units. {Closed on public holidays and Fridays}. You also visit the majestic Bahla Fort, recently opened to public after a long restoration. There after proceed to visit Jabrin castle built in 17th century, with magnificent plasterwork, wooden carvings; painted ceiling makes this castle amazingly different. Then proceed to Nizwa and check in at a local & traditional style Inn. 

Overnight at Antique Inn or similar.

0630 hrs: Visit Nizwa Souq. The main highlight in the Souq is the Cattle Auction that takes place every Friday. The Auction is the traditional way of selling the cattle like sheep, goats, cows, and camels. These are brought by their owners from nearby villages. This is what cannot be missed out if you are in Nizwa on Friday. Return to your hotel for breakfast. After breakfast check out from the hotel and continue the visit. Visit Nizwa Fort built in 17th Century. Check-out and Continue to Jebel Shams situated at an altitude of 3000 meters above sea level. Enjoy the view of Grand Canyon. Later drive back and visit Visit Al Hamra & Misfah, to see one of the oldest villages of this region. En route, you also stop for photo stop at Wadi Ghul– the farming village in the mountains. The traditional mud houses at Al Hamra dated back from 400 years are still occupied. Check in at Heritage home in Misfah, where these old traditional homes have been converted to comfortable guesthouses with an Omani touch. Dinner at the Heritage home.  

Overnight at Misfah Hospitality Inn or Similar.

Breakfast at Heritage home. We drive through the spectacular Wadi Bani Auf. The route down Wadi Bani Auf is one of the Arabia’s great 4WD adventures and includes a visit to the village of Bilad Sait, a remote fortress village in the heart of the mountain range. These living landscapes are better than spectacular. Continue your drive to the remote village of Wakan, set inside Wadi Mistal. A mild off-road drive will take us to the entrance of the village from where one can explore the various terrace plantations and farms of the village. Hike up to the mountain peak to get the view of the village. 

Overnight at Wakan Guest House.

Breakfast at Guest House. Later check out and drive to Nakhal which has a 350 years old magnificent fort and is dramatically located at the top of rocky mountain cliff. The area is surrounded with date plantations. The narrow road through the town winds up to the Hot Springs of Ayn Al Thuwarah, which is a popular picnic spot. After spending some time at Nakhal drive to Muscat. Arrive Muscat and check in at Muscat hotel.

Overnight stay at Muscat Hotel.

Morning at leisure. We drive to Amouage Perfume Factory Amouage’s first fragrance was created as "the most valuable perfume in the world". For the creation of Amouage the ingredients were indeed chosen from the richest and finest. It took over one hundred natural oils and essences to compose this unique perfume. Explanation about the tradition & culture of Oman in relationship to the perfume making, profile and sampling of the complete range of perfumes, bath & home fragrance, visit to the production area to see the making of the products, distribution of customer leaflet with all the product details. Later drive to a local house for some Omani home-cooked lunch. Drop off at Muscat International Airport to board your flight back home.