Middle East · Oman
Nine days on full board with an Italian-speaking guide: Muscat, the oases of Nakhal, Wadi Shab, the turtles of Ras al Jinz, a night in the Sharqiya desert, Jabrin, Bahla, Nizwa and Jebel Shams.
Quick facts
Indicative price from
€2,299
per person
This itinerary is a starting point: we'll adapt it with you in your tailor-made proposal.
Request informationThe complete tour of Oman, with an Italian-speaking guide and full board. Muscat, with the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the Muttrah souq and Al Alam palace, the Nakhal oasis with its springs and the Amouage perfume factory.
Along the coast, the Bimah sinkhole, Wadi Shab, Sur with its dhow yard and, in the evening, the beach at Ras al Jinz, where green turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. Then Wadi Bani Khalid and a night in a desert camp among the Sharqiya dunes, with a barbecue dinner.
The interior: Ibra, Jabrin castle, the walls of Bahla and Nizwa, with its fort and its souq of khanjar daggers, before heading up to Jebel Shams by 4x4.
9 days in the programme
Departure from Italy on a scheduled flight to Muscat. Depending on the airline you arrive the same day or the following morning: meals and the night on board or at the hotel, depending on flight times.
Arrival in Muscat and transfer to the hotel. The capital stretches for tens of kilometres between the Hajar Mountains and the Gulf of Oman, with low white houses, few tall buildings and well-kept gardens. The rest of the day is free. One idea: the long Qurum beach for a walk at sunset, or a visit to the Royal Opera House, opened in 2011 (tickets bought separately). Oman is three hours ahead of Italy in winter, two in summer.
A full-board day with an Italian-speaking guide. It starts with the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, opened in 2001: the prayer hall has one of the largest handmade carpets in the world and a huge crystal chandelier. Then Barka, with its lively fish market, and the Nakhal oasis, among palm groves watered by the falaj, the ancient water channels, and the Ain Thawarah hot springs. Lunch at a restaurant and, in the afternoon, the Amouage perfume factory. Return to Muscat.
A morning in the Muttrah souq, among frankincense, silver and fabrics, and a photo stop at Al Alam palace, between the Portuguese forts of Mirani and Jalali. Then south along the coast: the Bimah sinkhole, filled with turquoise water a short distance from the sea, and Wadi Shab, a gorge of rock and palms with natural pools. Lunch at a restaurant and, in Sur, the yard where dhows, the traditional wooden boats, are built. Check-in at a resort in Ras al Khabbah. In the evening, a guided excursion to Ras al Jinz to see green turtles, in season. Full board.
Departure for Wadi Bani Khalid, an oasis in the mountains where clear green water stays all year round among rocks and palms: there is time for a swim. Lunch at a restaurant. In the afternoon you head by 4x4 into the Sharqiya desert, also known as the Wahiba Sands, crossing golden and reddish dunes to the desert camp. After sunset over the dunes, a barbecue dinner under the stars and a night in the desert. Full board.
Dawn among the dunes and Omani coffee, kahwa, flavoured with cardamom. Then the traditional market of Ibra and Birkat Al Mouz, at the foot of the mountains, with its palm groves and the Al Khatmeen falaj, one of the irrigation channels listed by UNESCO. Lunch at a restaurant. In the afternoon, Jabrin castle, from the 17th century, known for its painted wooden ceilings, and a photo stop in Bahla, with its fort and 12-kilometre wall, a UNESCO site. Arrival in Nizwa. Full board.
A morning at Nizwa fort, with its great 17th-century round tower, and in the souq, known for its silver and its khanjars, the curved daggers that are a symbol of Oman. Then by 4x4 up Jebel Shams, the country's highest mountain, to the edge of Wadi Ghul, the canyon known as the Grand Canyon of Oman. Down to Al Hamra, a village of multi-storey mud houses among palm groves, and the Bait Al Safah living museum, where local women make coffee and bread the old way. Lunch at a restaurant and return to Muscat in the evening. Full board.
Breakfast at the hotel and a free morning until the transfer to the airport. One idea: the National Museum of Oman, opposite Al Alam palace, to go through the country's history, or some last shopping, such as frankincense, dates and rose water. If the flight leaves late, there is also time for a last stroll along the Muttrah Corniche, the seafront with its white houses and the boats in the harbour. Transfer to the airport in time for the flight home.
Arrival in Italy and end of the trip.
