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.

source: Scott Jessop

I've dedicated an entire blog post to exploring the capital city Muscat where I also go into detail about Omani food, what to wear, currency, how to get there, and best time to go. Thus this post will focus on the rest of the country, starting with the three most beautiful castles. I shared the map above to show that I explored just the eastern corner of the country yet still saw so much! 

Above - Typical white houses we'd see everywhere. Below - This was a gate on the freeway we passed.

Jabreen Castle 

The castle was constructed in the 17th century and has beautifully adored rooms and elaborately painted ceilings. It’s one of the best preserved and whimsical castles in Oman. It was an important center for learning astrology, medicine, and Islamic law. The basement had a date store where they made syrup form the dates.

 

Bahla Fort 

The fort was built by the Banu Nebhan tribe between the 12th and 15th century. The Banu Nebhan tribe controlled the trade of frankincense at that time. It’s a UNESCO's World Heritage Site.

Nizwa castle 

The castle was built in the 17th century and was the administrative seat of authority for the presiding Imans. I found this to be one of the most impressive sights I've seen in the middle east! I caught a  Razha folklore performance that includes poetry with lyrics about the history of the land and uses sword skills.

Bimmah Sinkhole

A gorgeous deep turquoise swimming hole which is steps away from the waters of the Gulf of Oman. The sinkhole measures 40 meters wide and 20 meters deep and you have to walk down pretty steep stairs to get to it. With its clear turquoise waters, you can jump in and cool off but be careful of the pedicure fish that nibble!

Wadi Bani Khalid 

A little oasis in the desert of Oman! The wadi had the most emerald green water I’ve ever seen. We had to hike for 45 minutes through the picturesque scenery of a wadi to reach the natural canyon pools. I felt like I was Indiana Jones.

 me in red

Omani Desert Lodge Camp 

We spent the night in the desert but instead of camping they built these modern cabins that only had electricity at night.

 road sign

 

Our lodge camp in at the bottom of the sand dune in the distance 

Al Hamra 

Aflaj Irrigation Systems is a complex water network system made up of ancient channels that used gravity to carry the water from the source to farms and mosques since 500 AD that is still in use in Oman today.

Built into the mountainside of the Al Hamra region, this authentic Omani village is known for its unique residential architecture. The homes are constructed using rocks excavated from the mountain and plastered together with mud, making the structures look as though they are part of the mountain. Falaj network Oman's ancient water supply system.

above and below are close up and far away pic of the water irrigation systems.

Traditional doors and doorknobs

Restored Al Aqur wall in Nizwa

They restored the old wall around Al Shahba Fort and it opened on January 8, 2024. So I was lucky to be one of the first to get to walk it!  A half mile is now open and the wall runs across date palm orchards, old mud houses, and decorated with beautiful lighting and geometric design. It has a cafe and merchants selling goods outside.

At night we visited the Ras al-Jinz turtle sanctuary which is the nesting home of the endangered green turtle (Cheloniamydas). We followed a guide out to the beach to witness the nesting process of these creatures from a safe distance. We observe the turtles digging and covering their nests in the sand. I was surprised by how big the turtles were - 4 feet and 440 pounds!