A Glimpse of Oman – 4 Days Package

A multi day tour of Oman’s top destination cities and most popular attractions including hotel accommodation and desert excursion. Enjoy the vast range of variety offered by Oman’s landscapes through its Mountains, Wadis (Valleys), Deserts and Beaches. Also experience the rich cultural diversity as is witnessed in the old villages, farms, forts and tombs. This tour is primarily about visiting the must see places and also live the culture while on a short visit to Oman travel. The five cities covered are Nizwa, Al Hamra, Wahiba Sands, Sur and Muscat. Add to the charm of visiting these cities is the fact that there will be a handful of activities like swimming and hiking to dune bashing and camel riding to chose from. The best of tourism Oman and travel.

Day 1: Our guest will start the day with an early pick up from the hotel (Nizwa or Muscat based hotel), and heading right away to Nizwa Souk, which is a local old bazaar with all kinds of Omani goods and essentials that can only be found over here. Inside the allies of Nizwa market you can see the Omani Locals doing their daily life shopping routine. These old markets are divided into many sections like the herbs and spices section, vegetables and fruits section, handicrafts section etc, if it happens to be Friday then also you can witness the Friday Goat market – which is an auction style market for animals that only take place on Fridays. At a walking distance from the Souk there stands the Majestic Nizwa Fort, it is one of the biggest round structure Forts in the middle east that goes back to the 17th Century surrounded by an older castle built in the 10th Century. Here the visitors can learn about Oman history and why this fort is considered the most important national monument with 480 gun-ports and you can see different type of traps used to prevent enemies from getting into the main round tower.
From the fort our guests will proceed to Misfat Al Abryeen located at Al Hamra city. Misfat Al Abryeen is an old farming village hanging at the cliff of a mountain, the guest can admire its mud houses and narrow alleys leading to the oasis of farms and a lot of greenery and plantation. This village is a living marvel of how the earlier generations of Omani people used to work hard for survival and would settle down wherever there was an available water source. It is one of the few old villages that is still inhabited by the people. After Misfat Al Abryeen oasis, we will head towards Al Hamra Old town, which is an abandoned old town. Entering this place feels like traveling back in time and witnessing the structure of old Omani community. In this old town, there is Bait Al Safa museum which is a mud house converted into a museum to show the lifestyle of Omani people in the past, represented by different rooms in the house and the purpose of each room what it is used for also the components and essentials tools for every house like the kitchen which is considered the most important part of the house. Moreover, at this museum our guests can interact with Omani women, eat a fresh made Omani bread and also learn how they used to make some essentials like coffee, herbal oils etc, with primitive tools. But an Omani house visit is not complete without a taste of Omani hospitality, therefore guests will be offered complimentary dates and coffee which can be enjoyed while taking rest (guest room).

Day 2: For the second day of Oman touristry, we will start by picking you up from the hotel and then head out for Birkat Al Mouz village, a small town at the foot of Jabel Akhdar (Green Mountain), famous for it is banana farms and water channels. The water channels system in Oman is very old and goes back to 4000 BC and in use till today. Thus, the UNESCO has acknowledged five of them, locally known as Falaj, as a living heritage of man’s hard work and intelligence. In Birkat Al Mouz lays Falaj Al Khatmeen which is one of the five Falajes recognized by UNESCO, visitor can see and learn more about this old water system while looking around the farms. You will be amazed at how much greenery is hidden in the middle of the arid mountains.
Not far from Birkat Al Mouz stands the green mountain of Oman (Jabal Akhdar), the name doesn’t really do justice to the nature of this mountain, as it is more on the dry side but it is still the most vegetated mountain in Oman. It is famous for its fruits and roses plantation as the sides of the mountain is cut into steps for farming and that’s where it acquired the name Akhdar (Green). The access to the mountain is limited to 4WD cars only as it is a very steep road going up to the peak so not all tourists get the privilege to visit it. With us you will get to visit the terraces of farms and do some discovering around especially at wadi Bani Habib village.
From Jabel Akhdar we will take a two hour ride to wadi Bani Khalid which is a palm tree oasis in the middle of curvy dry mountain. Wadi Bani Khalid is spread out at the mountain canyon. Our guests will be amazed at to find many tiny water pools with streaming water and even some waterfalls. Also, there are caves under some of the pools and for those who would like to take refreshing dip in the water, then here is your chance.
Finally, and on a small ride but a complete contrast between endless water pools at Wadi Bani Khalid to endless sands dunes at the Wahiba Sands Desert where the real adventure of sand dunes bashing with 4WD will take place. Over here be ready for some adrenaline rush as our expert drivers will be more than happy to show their skills of going fast up to a hilly sand dune and then let the car slide down by itself on the sand. And going deep into the desert you will enjoy the feeling of being isolated from the world and watch a very quiet and beautiful sunset peacefully from the top of a dune with rays of light splashing on the yellow endless waves of sands. Our adventure of the day will end with a drop at a desert camp where you would be greeted by Bedouin style tents and a clear starry night.

Day 3: Our desert experience won’t be complete without a camel ride; thus, our guest will get an exclusive opportunity to visit a real Bedouins house and observe their life style, speak to them and even experience their way of transportation, which is riding camels and getting some pictures with this beautiful animal.
After finishing from the desert our next destination will be Sur city, which is a coastal city famous for it is long history of dhow making, sailing and fishing. The guest can visit the dhow factory where they still make them in the traditional way as was done hundreds of years ago. Also, the Minaret (Light House) of Al Ayjah is not to be missed as it played an important role in the past on guiding the ships to the port of Sur.
At the edge of Sur city is the ancient city of Qalhat with Bibi Maryam Mausoleum, which was added to the UNESCO world heritage recently on June 2018. Qalhat is one of the most ancient cities with a size of 35 hectares and was the old Capital of Oman. The city used to serve as a harbor for ships trading between Oman, India, Yemen and Persia. The city was rumored to have been destroyed by an earthquake and not to mention that the city was a victim of fights for domination and power by Omanis, Persians and Portuguese. What remains of the city is a massive square building called Bibi Maryam facing Oman’s blue sea with a backdrop of dry mountains.
From Qalhat, you will be driven through a very beautiful highway that goes beside beaches turquoise in color to Bimmah Sinkhole. It’s a Mother Nature miracle, a water lake 600 meter away from the sea. Thus, the water is somewhere in the middle between sweet and salty in taste. An attraction out of this world to the point that legends has it, that it was formed by a star falling to the land! Over here you can swim and enjoy relaxing & quite afternoon. From there we will come to an end of sightseeing for this day and you will be driven back to Muscat and dropped at the hotel.

Day 4: Our guest’s final day of Oman tourism package will start with the most visited attraction in Oman exploration. The glorious Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque which is one of the biggest and most glamorous mosques in the entire world, well known for its beautiful gardens, fine marble, sprawling praying space with a one-piece carpet and 8.5 tons chandelier with a 600 thousand crystals that complements the sprawling size of the massive praying hall. Over here you can feel the ambiance of this place and the room which stretch around the yards of the mosque. It is also a good opportunity to learn some facts about Islam.
Our second stop will be Muscat Royal Opera House, one of the most fascinating structures dotting Oman where the finest decorations and grand decor can be seen. Over here you will learn about the secrets of this opera house and why it is so special. Then we will proceed to Muttrah fish market where you will find locals bid over fishes which are the catch of the day. From there, it is a short walking distance through the beautiful Cornish of Muttrah ‘which overlooks the harbor with big cruise ships and huge yachts are parked’ you will be taken to the Mutrah old souk (AKA the dark market). The dark market has acquired its name from the past because of the tiny alleys and the low roof which covers them, thus allowing no light to reach inside. At this old Omani bazaar, you can learn and see the confluence of Omani community and the influence of trading history on this community. You will also get to know why Oman used to be one of the most strategically located country for trade between the east and the west and the subsequent effect it had on Oman’s history and wealth.
Just 5 minutes’ drive from Muttrah Market and through the historical gates leading to Old Muscat (the political centre of Oman in the past) our guest will reach the Al Alam Royal Palace which used to be the Sultan’s residential and the country running hall with golden and turquoise painted colours. You can feel the resplendence of the Palace which serves as a place for welcoming world leaders now. Opposite to the palace is the National Museum of Oman and also nearby is Bait Al Zubair Museum, where our guests will conclude their trip by summing up all of the 4 days of touring and stitching together the experience of enjoying and living Oman’s geographical, cultural and historical beauty and absorbing this fascinating country’s richness and be able to appreciate why it is a very unique country which every tourist shall consider visiting. Contact us for other tourism Oman packages.

Things to consider:

• Be aware that this tour is very concentrated about 10 hours/day from hotel pick up to hotel drop. If you wish to go at a slower pace then there is an option of deleting one attraction/day or add one more day to the entire trip period.
• Carry on a good and comfortable walking shoes plus a winter jacket might be handy for the mountains. Also a one piece swimming suit is recommended for women if they wish to do some swimming. Strictly obey the dressing code loose long trousers or long skirts, t-shirt for ladies and men.
• Accommodations for the three nights while touring is included. If the guest wish to add the night prior to the tour or after then this could also be included for an additional rate.

Accommodations: