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Our morning campside view.
Visit Oman
HighlightsWanderlists
View from the Dhow Cruise
A nighttime visit
Frankincense
Oman's many wadi pools
A desert experience not to be forgotten
Dusk in Muscat
Jabal Shams
Jumping for Joy in Oman
An Evening Visit 
Musandam Peninsula - A Day in a Dhow
Roles Reversed
The Corniche, Muscat
Omani Fisherman
Mosque Grand Chandelier
Oman's Balcony Walk
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A beautiful morning cruise around the port city of Muscat, a great city that we want to visit again!
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While camping cliffside on Jabal Shams, this Omani fellow stopped off, took a call, hung up his call, and came over sat at our campfire and tended to our fire. Hours later he had fed us, entertained us, and become a great companion although our Arabic is limited to four words and his English was not much better.
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Frankincense is made from special trees grown only in southern Oman and Northern Yemen-a coveted item traded around the world for centuries. This giant frankincense burner above an amusement park in Muscat is lit once a year and fragrants the entire city during their national holiday. You will smell frankincense burning everywhere you go in Muscat.
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Oman is a treasure which I am happy to say, is relatively unknown to the average tourist. It's sparse mountains are teeming with canyons (wadis) filled with refreshing emerald pools. Just be aware of any distant rain storms, they could quickly fill the wadi you're standing in with a fast running, and very dangerous river.
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The Nomadic Desert Camp in the Wahiba Sands was the highlight of our trip in Oman. This was a peaceful and authentic place, where we spent a memorable day and night of camping. The host and his family embody the well-known Omani hospitality. This is a small camp with only 22 huts spaced widely apart, so it doesn't feel crowded at all. We stayed in a rustic, but cozy barasti (palm-frond hut) with no electricity, but we didn't miss it one bit. It gets cold at night, but warm comforters keep you very comfortable. The open, shared facilities are extremely clean and serve to add the right feeling to the experience. Included in the very reasonable price is a guided caravan desert drive to experience a breathtaking sunset and a camel ride in the morning after breakfast. In the evening the excellent hosts served a wonderful dinner and later we watched the stars and enjoyed local music by the camp fire. Breakfast was fantastic as well with a variety of Arabic breads, coffee, eggs and fresh salads. Camels, sand dunes and a real desert experience provided a glimpse of Bedu life. A must visit if you are in the neighborhood!
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An Omani man relaxes on the corniche, enjoying some people watching at sunset. The streets start to fill with locals enjoying the cool breeze and watching the magical transformation of the corniche from day to night.
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Jabal Shams is Oman's Grand Canyon. It's one of the few places that I've visited that you camp on the side of a multi kilometer drop.
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This jump has become a regular thing for us. This time it is on the beach in Oman.
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While camping cliffside on Jabal Shams, this Omani fellow stopped off, took a call, hung up his call, and came over sat at our campfire and tended to our fire. Hours later he had fed us, entertained us, and become a great companion although our Arabic is limited to four words and his English was not much better.
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Oman is an amazing country, off the radar for most travelers and tourists. The Musandam Peninsula is separated from the rest of Oman by the United Arab Emirates. The peninsula lies across from Iran on the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian (Arabian) Gulf. There is a small airport in Khasab, but I traveled there via Dubai and spent a long weekend there. The highlight of the trip was a full-day trip in a traditional Omani dhow to see the spectacular “fjords of Musandam.” After watching dolphins, we anchored at famous Telegraph Island, where you can swim and snorkel. Telegraph Island is where the British laid an underwater cable in 1864 from India to Basra, for onward communication to London. It was a wonderful day! The trip was organized by Khasab Travel and Tours and we stayed at the Golden Tulip Resort. Like the rest of Oman, the Musandam Peninsula is a great place to go camping and hiking in the mountains.
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As a tourist you usually expect to be the one who is doing the photographing of interesting people. In this case, these local ladies were so interested in us that they asked to take the photos and to have their photos taken with us. Well, with only the ladies in the group so as not to offend their husbands who were sitting nearby watching the commotion.
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In December, we travelled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates followed by Muscat, Oman. While Dubai was flashy and "in your face" flaunting it's wealth, Oman is the opposite. It is gentle and easy going.... charming you with it's natural beauty and low rise whitewashed buildings and friendly Omanis. No high rises here as the Sultan of Oman believes one should show their "wealth" and give back by building a mosque. The Corniche (waterfront) is a breathtakingly beautiful stroll, especially at dusk when the locals come out to shop in the Muttrah souk or just relax and enjoy the cool gulf breezes as the sun melts into the horizon.
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This weathered Omani was selling his day's catch at the local fish market in Muscat. There was a bountiful array of fish available and the market was bustling with people bargaining and buying fresh fish for dinner.
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While working in Muscat we found time to visit the Grand Mosque. The scale of the mosque is so large that it is difficult to photograph. It is one of the largest chandeliers in the world. The craftsmanship that went into this structure is unbelievable. It is not to be missed if you are in Muscat.
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It's referred to as Oman's Grand Canyon - located on Jebel Shams (mountain of sun). The Balcony Walk is a well marked trail that runs the rim of the canyon. This 4 hour out and back hike will dish up some of the best views in Oman. You will pass by abandoned villages and find hidden waterfalls. Plus, I can guarantee you'll have a few daring goats following you along the way hoping you may drop a snack! The hike is moderate, and at times narrow if you are scared of heights like me - but it can be done in tennis shoes as there is no real scrambling required. The Jebel Shams mountain range is located in northeastern Oman north of Al Hamra town. It is the highest mountain of the country and part of Al Hajar Mountains range. As a side note - Oman has some of the most spectacular hiking you can do - and it's relatively unknown - a great country to get away and do a trekking holiday. It is possible to do this trek independently - or there are a number of companies that offer complete trekking holidays to the harder to get to places in Oman (of which there are many!) How to get there independently: The main road up the mountain finishes at the Jabal Shams Resort, from where a side track runs a couple of kilometres to a little 'village' of Khateem/Khatayam, where a few tiny houses cling to the edge of the canyon. More tour info (the one I used via Exodus): http://bit.ly/Y31qte
