Board your four-wheel drive and head for Ibra, where you stop for photos of the old mud-brick houses; on Wednesdays the town has a women's market.
The road to Wadi Bani Khalid then crosses the mountains, with wide views and small villages along the way, and winds down past a large, palm-fringed pool to a village. From there a short walk leads to the deep blue-green pools of the wadi, where you can swim. Wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes.
Then drive to the Wahiba Sands, the sea of sand. The Bedouin who live here still keep some of a nomadic way of life that is fast disappearing. Drive into dunes that can rise 100 metres or more, their colour shifting from orange to gold, and you may have the chance to meet a Bedouin family. Then drive back to Muscat.
