Top 5 Places to Visit in Oman

Wonderful Places in Oman

Camel treks, desert camping, and 4-wheel drive safaris through mighty canyons are just some of the adventures awaiting visitors to Oman. From frankincense plantations and atmospheric souks that speak of vanished centuries to gleaming modern cities and 5-star hotels fronting on to perfect beaches, Oman is everything you would want from Arabia.

Why do you must discover Oman

Oman is a place to feel safe and at ease. The Omanis are gracious hosts, and visitors will find traditional Arabian hospitality and Islamic culture at its very best.

Probably a mix of lust for adventure, attraction for warm destination and a dash of the last-minute decision. Ah, those random choices. To tell you the truth it doesn’t really matter. If you want to add Oman to your visit list in 2017, then you will find here the uncovered hidden treasures from the ancient era and will able to envelope yourself under the comfy blanket of Arabian stars while staying in this picturesque state of Arab World.What matters is that this journey was a true eye-opener and the start of several, never-ending road trips there.

Wadi Bani Khalid

Wadi Khalid

Wadi Bani Khalid is a fantastic canyoning destination. Wadi Bani Khalid is a wadi about 203 km from Muscat, Oman. It is the best-known wadi of the Sharqiyah region. Its stream maintains a constant flow of water throughout the year.  As a geographical area, Wadi Bani Khalid covers a broad swathe of lowland and mountains. Wadi Bani Khalid is the name of the wadi passing through a large area encompassing a couple of villages, and that is why there is a bit of confusion of where the wadi is. When we first made our way there, we ended up at Muqil, which has the great large swimming pool, picnic areas, and a small cave network. If you want to trek Wadi Bani Khalid, you need to go to the southern Wadi, Al Hayer, which is near Al Bida village.

Muqil .The touristic part of the canyon is not as stunning as Wadi Shab, but it is the only one accessible by car, family friendly and with facilities on site. It is perfect for spending a lazy day by turquoise water pools after an early morning turtle-watching in Ras Al Jinz. Recommended but if you only have the time to visit one wadi and are slightly fit, head to Wadi Shab instead or go canyoning.

Caves form some of the exciting features of this wadi. These include Kahf Maqal which is one of the Sultanate's underground chambers. However, reaching this cave takes a lot of effort and visitors should be prepared for the adventure. Springs of water are also common in this wadi. The springs of Ain Hamouda, Ain Al Sarooj, and Ain Dawes, among others, are a blessing to the eye as one venture along the wadis. The village of Badia is a well-known tourist stop in the valley. The wadi is approx. 270 km from Muscat.

Wahiba Sands

Wahiba Sands

Oman is mostly covered by deserts and the Wahiba sands desert is undoubtedly the most visited in Oman. A desert with sand dunes, up to 100 meters high and 170 km long, stretching south. There are several camps in the Wahiba Sands where it is possible to camp and experience the desert, do some camel riding, dune bashing, and relaxation. Seeing the sun setting in the Wahiba Sands is truly wonderful!

 Probably because of its location (day-trip from Muscat) and its many Desert Night Camps offering a wide range of activities. Spending a day dune-bashing and wild-camping in the Wahibas can be a fun experience. Although it is not my favorite desert in Oman, I would recommend it as it is on the way to other amazing places.

The Sharqiya Sands (formerly known as the Wahiba Sands, or Ramlat al-Wahab) is a region of desert in Oman. The region was named after the Bani Wahiba tribe.[4] The area is defined by a boundary of 180 kilometers (110 mi) north to south and 80 kilometers (50 mi) east to west, with an area of 12,500 square kilometers (4,800 qs mi). The desert has been of scientific interest since a 1986 expedition by the Royal Geographical Society documented the diversity of the terrain, flora and, fauna, noting 16,000 invertebrates as well as 200 species of other wildlife, including avifauna. They also documented 150 species of native flora.

Wadi Shab

Besides its immense deserts, Oman is also famous for its wadis (canyons). Wadi Shab is a beautiful place to visit in Oman and a perfect for a day-trip to escape from the chaotic atmosphere of Muscat. Easy to access, it will take you only one hour to walk up to the first turquoise water pools. Do swim till the end of the last pool as a surprise awaits you. I won’t spoil it…

The desert was formed during the Quaternary period as a result of the forces of southwest blowing monsoon and the northern shamal trade wind, coming in from the east. Based on the types of dunes found in the area, it is divided into the high, or upper, Wahiba and low Wahiba.

The upper area contains mega-ridge sand systems on a north-south line that are believed to have been formed by the monsoon. The dunes of the north, formed at some point after the last regional glaciation, measure up to 100 meters (330 ft) high, with peaks accumulating in the areas just beyond the strongest wind speeds, where declining velocity wind-deposited sand. The north and west boundaries of the desert are delineated by the fluvial systems Wadi Batha and Wadi Andam.

Beneath the surface, sands are an older layer of cemented carbonate sand. Alluvium deposits believed to have originated from the Wadi Batha during the Paleolithic era have been disclosed in the central desert 200 meters (660 ft) beneath the interdune surface. Wind erosion is believed to have contributed to the existence of a nearly level plain in the southwest.

Dhofar

Dohfar Region

Salalah is known as the "perfume capital of Arabia" and "the altar capital of Oman." The city is a tourism destination due to the natural attractions of the nearby mountains and the magnificent frankincense trees lining mountain wadi courses. The countryside is green, and you can find the herds of cattle there. The beautiful beaches and coastline are also major attractions for scuba diving and bird watching.

Salalah is a city of antiquity, contains ruins of the fortified town Sumharam

Famous for its peculiar and refreshing summer monsoon, contrasting with the Arabian Peninsula scorching heat, Salalah is the capital and seat of the governor of Dhofar the southern province of Oman. Salalah is the second largest city in the Sultanate of Oman and the biggest town in the Dhofar Provence and was its largest capital. The Sultan traditionally lives in Salalah rather than in Muscat.

Dhofar province is one of a kind. Isolated by a thousand kilometers from Muscat, it has its history, traditions, and culture. Dhofar is also renowned for Frankincense, an aromatic resin which was traded on the Arabian Peninsula for more than 5000 years.

If you are planning a holiday in Oman-What to do in Oman and searching for what to See in Salalah Oman ,This Tour allows You to discover the City of Salalah one of Salalah Attraction. Head to Al Baleed Museum where you will enjoy a guided tour of its display on archaeology, history, and heritage from the Dhofar Region.

Bimmah Sinkhole

Bimmah Sinkhole

Is a water-filled depression, structurally a sinkhole, in the limestone of eastern Muscat Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman.

On the way to Sur and Ras Al Jinz (turtle watching), this sinkhole is a curiosity worth stopping by. Expect many tourists and absolutely nothing around it. It is possible to swim in the sinkhole water but beware of the many paparazzi around the water pool. Totally worth seeing as it is truly spectacular but do not plan to spend more than an hour there.

 A lake of turquoise waters, it is 50 m by 70 m wide and approximately 20 m deep. It is only about 600 m away from the sea, between the coastal towns of Ḑibab and Bimmah. The sinkhole was formed by a collapse of the surface layer due to the dissolution of the underlying limestone.However, locals believe that a meteorite created it, ‘Hawaiyat Najm,' which translates to ‘The Falling Star in Arabic, and hence the name.

To preserve, protect the sinkhole, the local municipality developed a park, Hawiyat Najm Park (Haweat Najm Park), around it, along with a stairway leading down to the lake.

The original cavern formed in the limestone of the About formation which lies below the more massive Seeb formation. When the cavern grew too large the rocks of the Seeb collapsed into it forming a sinkhole. It formed too close to the sea because of the increased subterranean water flow that occurred down-gradient.