Oman is a country that is probably not on your list but Oman has incredible landscapes with an authentic Arabian experience. You get crystal-clear emerald waters with abundant marine life and empty beaches, vast golden sand dunes, lush oasis canyons, mosques, mud-brick villages, and desert castles. I went on a week-long trip to Oman and it exceeded all expectations. I started in Muscat, and went south to Ras al-Jinz, then west to Wahiba Sands, and then northwest to the desert castles of Nizwa. My trip was filled with challenging hikes, beaches, souqs, and forts.
Situated on the southeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman is one of the most ancient places on earth. Oman is relatively unknown maybe because it’s harder to get to with not a lot of direct flights and they haven’t really marketed itself well to the world. It doesn’t have the bling of Dubai, or the infrastructure of Qatar, and they’re never in the news for anything ever. It's like the world's most forgotten country, yet it is practically the safest place on Earth. Once you get to Oman you’ll find there doesn't seem to be a good public transit system to get to various sites which are a far drive from each other. If you want to head out to the desert or the mountains in you’ll need a 4×4 vehicle. However the infrastructure of the freeways is one of the best out there.