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Why Travel To Oman?

Why Travel to Oman?

If you want to see a traditional Gulf country this is the one. Untainted by overdevelopement or money madness and ruled by an unusually sensible and respected Sultan [Qaboos], this kingdom offers great beaches, rocky mountains, a classic desert, forts and friendly, tolerant locals.And it's safe! British ex-SAS units still rumble around the rocks, looking for trouble but rarely finding it.
Downside:- If you're looking for wacky, wild Arabia, you're in the wrong place! Go next door to Yemen.- Sand is in short supply, rocks aren't. Rocks like marbles, rocks like houses, rocks around the clock.- The architectural sights are forts, forts and fortresses.- Outside hotels cuisine is limited, as is boozing.- Small budget travellers may have a tough time.

Oman's main attractions:

***Muscat. A small, tidy, unspoilt city with a calm atmosphere, some good museums, forts, public buildings, a traditional covered souk [market] and some hideous sculptures that lurch, perch and pour over rocky outcrops.

***Nizwa. A pleasant town with aging mud houses, a superb fortress, and a new antique souk. This is a good base to explore Jebel Akhdar mountains, wadis and Jabrin Fort.

***Wadi Bani Awf. A gorgeous [dried] river bed that can be driven [4WD] or walked [or ridden if you can get a horse]. 20/30km long it skirts pretty villages [esp. Bilad Sayt], pools and waterfalls. Terrific views. Camping sites available.

**Jebel Akhdar. A rocky mountain range with great views - including the 'Grand Canyon' of Oman, and plenty of climbing opportunities.

*Jabrin Fort. The best fort in a country famous for them.

**Sur. A couple of forts, some excellent beaches and an interesting dhow [traditional sailing ship] building yard. 3 or 4 hours from Muscat.
*Sohar. Home of Sinbad and an exceptional white fort.

***Wahiba Sands. A very accessible, traditionally rolling-dune desert, unlike most of this rocky country. Great for contemplation and chilling, though over chilled at night.
** Ras el Jinz. Various kinds of turtle nest here, and a ranger escorts travellers for night visits. Has a camping ground near the beach. Get a permit!

***Salalah. A totally different feel to Muscat, Salalah is a humid southern town of empty beaches and full coconut groves, squeezed onto a narrow, green coastal strip below a high plateau. Excellent for beach activities [particularly at Mughsail] or archeological expeditions, tho' a looong drive or short flight from Muscat. n.b. the 'lost city' of Ubar is disappointing and should stay lost, but 'Job's Tomb' - on a hilltop overlooking Salalah - is well worth a little travel. Wet June-Sept.

***Musandam Peninsula. Also known as the 'Norway of Arabia', this collection of barren rocky fjords and fertile valleys penetrates the Arabian Gulf at the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. Musandam is separated from most of Oman by the United Arab Emirates, but is, nevertheless, a magnificent diversion if you have the time or money. You can drive there across UAE

Geography & history of Oman

Oman, officially Sultanate of Oman, formerly Muscat and Oman, independent sultanate (1995 est. pop. 2,125,000), 82,000 sq mi (212,380 sq km), SE Arabian peninsula, bounded by the Gulf of Oman (E), the Arabian Sea (S), Yemen and Saudi Arabia (W), and the United Arab Emirates (N), which separate the main portion of the country from an exclave that juts into the Strait of Hormuz. The capital is Muscat. Oman comprises a coastal plain and an interior region of hills and desert. Dates, limes, nuts, and vegetables are cultivated in the north and livestock are raised in the southwest, but the major product is oil. Natural gas production and copper mining were developed in the early 1980s to diversify the economy. The population is predominantly Muslim Arab, with Pakistani, Indian, and Zanzibari minorities.
History
Occupied by Portugal in 1508 and Turkey in 1659, Oman came under Ahmad ibn Said of Yemen, founder of the present royal line, in 1741. It has had close ties with Britain since the 19th cent. Qabus bin Said overthrew the strict regime of his father, Sultan Said bin Timur, in 1970, instituted a program of liberalization and modernization, and put down (1975) leftist guerrilla forces operating in Dhofar prov., in the south.

In 1980 the U.S. obtained the use of ports and airfields in Oman in exchange for economic and military aid. In 1981 Oman joined other Arab Persian Gulf nations in founding the Gulf Cooperation Council. The country opened its bases to international coalition forces against Iraq in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and to U.S. forces mounting strikes against Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden in 2001. In 1996 the sultan announced a new basic law that provided for a legislature with limited powers and guaranteed basic civil liberties for Omani citizens. In 2003 the lower house of the advisory council was freely elected for the first time.

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