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Arrive in Muscat. Strung below craggy mountains, the Omani capital of Muscat is one of the Middle East’s oldest and most picturesque cities. Between it’ s corniches and a modern quarter are Portuguese-built forts, blue-domed mosques, royal palaces and souks, all heavy with the sense of a lost Arabia.
Pass through immigration and customs. Our Chauffer will meet you outside the Airport (Landside) and escort you to the vehicle parked outside.
Overnight stay in Muscat.
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Day2
Explore Muscat City (4hrs.)
Breakfast at the hotel.
The tour begins with a visit to the majestic Sultan Qaboos Gran d Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the entire Middle East. One of the main features of this massive sandstone mosque which can accommodate more than 7000 people at a time, is the prayer carpet which covers the floor of the main prayer hall. It is the second-largest single-piece carpet in the world. Then proceed to visit the Bait Zubair Museum which exhibits the wealth of Oman’s Cultural history. The museum has an extensive collection of ancient weapons, including khanj ar, household equipment, and costumes. Later you will drive along the picturesque Corniche to Old Muscat. You will have photo stops at the residence of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, the Al Alam Palace, which is fringed by the 16th-century Portuguese forts Mirani and Jalali. Before returning, you will get a chance to meander through the famous Mutrah Souq, the long-running, old-f ashioned bazaar featuring household goods, clothing, spices, antiques & more.
Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque Dress code: A dress code is applicable to visiting Grand Mosque. Ladies should wear full sleeves Shirt & the head should be covered with a scarf. Men can wear half sleeve shirts. And both Ladies and Men should wear full pants (not allowed to wear shorts).
Opening timings: Saturday – Thursday from 0800-1100hrs
Overnight stay in Muscat.
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Day3
Muscat – Misfah – Al Hamra – Bahla – Nizwa
Breakfast at the hotel & drive to Nizwa.
We first visit Misfah, a pretty village with stone houses, precariously clinging to the side of a huge mountain cliff. The village is laden with date, lemon and banan a groves. We visit the village of Al Hamra, famous for their old multi-storied mud houses surrounded by a vast expanse of lush green date plantations. Later Drive to Jabal Shams which is the highest peak in the Gulf region. Enjoy breath taking view of the deep canyon.
A visit to Jabrin castle enables the visitor to recapture the at mosphere of medieval Oman. The 17th century fort is one of Oman’s finest castles and has some exquisite hand-painted ceilings. (The Jabrin castle has two floors of steps to climb in order to view all the rooms and the terrace). Islamic inscriptions combine with secret hiding. After tour, drive to Nizwa.
Overnight stay at Nizwa.
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Day4
Nizwa – Sinaw – Wahiba Sands
Breakfast at the hotel.
8.30 Check out and Drive to Wahiba Sands. First we visit Sinaw Souq which features different areas for women and men, which are designated by a sign, but the action often spills out on to the streets, with sellers who missed out on a prime spot under the covered area opting to set up shop and display their wares along the pavement.
We will visit Wadi Bani Khalid, this is considered one of the most beautiful wadi’s in Oman. The drive to Wadi Bani Khalid is through the Eastern Hajar Mountains, which offers a panoramic view of landscape below. We pass many pretty villages embedded in the mountains. Here the road winds down to the wadi alongside a large, shallow pool fringed with vegetation and ends at a village. We park our vehicles at this point and continue on a short trek to the deep blue pools of the wadi. Enjoy a swim in this glorious grace of nature.
Desert Safari over golden sand dunes and visit to a Bedouin family. Anybody who chooses to live in the environment of Wahiba Sands must be resilient to tolerate it’ s potentially harsh climate and Bedouins are just like that. There are over 3000 Bedouins of varying tribal origins who live here amongst the woodland on the fringes of the sands.
Sunset on nearby sand dunes.
Overnight stay in Desert Camp.
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Day5
Wadi Shab – Sur – Muscat
Breakfast at the camp – Check Out
Depart from camp and drive to Muscat via scenic coastal route. First a stop at the ruins of Bibi Miriam's Tomb which can be seen at the village of Qalhat on coastal road to Muscat. Our next stop is Wadi Shab. Inside you will have to walk along palm groves, on rugged rocky cliffs and swim through some pools to get to the main attraction, which is a submerged cave with waterfalls. It will take you about 30-45 minutes’ walk to get to the cave. To enter it you have to swim through a hole between the mountains.
Later visit Bimah Sinkhole, a spectacular limestone crater with blue green water at the bottom. On clear sunny days while driving along the coast one might chance to see sharks in the deep blue water or fleet footed Gazelle sprint across the landscape.
Overnight stay in Muscat.
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Breakfast at Hotel. Check out from hotel (Standard Check out ti me 1200 Hrs).
Transfer to Muscat International Airport to board your flight back home.