Overview
Our longest self-drive, for travellers who want to see it all. Two weeks of mountains, desert, wadis, forts and coast: the sights of Muscat, the coast road to Sur and the turtles of Ras Al Jinz, the Wahiba Sands, the villages of Jabal Akhdar, the forts around Nizwa, the Grand Canyon and the Balcony Walk on Jabal Shams, and time to relax in Muscat at the end.
Highlights
- Your own rental 4x4 and route plan
- Turtle watching at Ras Al Jinz
- A night in the Wahiba Sands
- Jabal Akhdar’s villages and terraces
- Nizwa, Jabreen, Bahla and Misfat
- Two nights on Jabal Shams and the Balcony Walk
Day by day
On arrival in Muscat, pick up your rental 4x4 and drive to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to settle in.
Explore Muscat by car. Start at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque with its vast carpet and marble halls, then visit Bait Al Zubair, a museum of Omani costume, arms and crafts. Drive by the Royal Opera House, pause for photos at Al Alam Palace, and end with Mutrah Souq and an evening walk on the Corniche.
Follow the coast to the turquoise water of the Bimah Sinkhole, then Wadi Shab, where a short boat crossing and a walk lead to green pools and a waterfall hidden in a cave. In Sur, see the dhow yards and the lighthouse. Spend the night at the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve; with a ranger after dark, watch green turtles laying their eggs or, later in the season, hatchlings racing to the waves.
Drive inland to Wadi Bani Khalid for a swim in its green pools under the palms. Continue to the Wahiba Sands for dune driving, the desert sunset and a night at a desert camp.
Leave the desert for the mountains. Stop at the ancient beehive tombs of Zukait on a ridge above the Samail Gap, then wander the crumbling mud-brick lanes and falaj gardens of Birkat Al Mouz. Drive up through Wadi Bani Habib to the terraced orchards of Jabal Akhdar and, in the afternoon, walk the path linking three old villages above Wadi Muaydin.
A day around Nizwa. Visit Nizwa Fort, whose tower and exhibitions tell the town’s story, browse the souq for silver, pottery and dates, and spend time at the Oman Across Ages Museum, which follows the country from its earliest civilisations to today.
Begin at Jabreen Castle with its painted ceilings and hidden stairways, then the vast mud-brick walls of Bahla Fort, listed by UNESCO. In Al Hamra, visit Bait Al Safah to see traditional crafts and cooking, and end the day in Misfat Al Abriyeen, watching the sunset over its terraces and palms.
Go underground at Al Hoota Cave to see its stalactites, stalagmites and subterranean lake, then drive up to Jabal Shams, the highest mountain in Oman, for the views over the Grand Canyon.
Spend the day on the Balcony Walk, the famous path along the wall of the Grand Canyon to the abandoned village of Sab Bani Khamis, with views at every step.
Drive down one of Oman’s most beautiful mountain roads, stopping in Al Hamra among its old houses and palm groves, and in the hidden valley of Bilad Sayt with its terraced fields. Then drive back to Muscat.
Spend the day as you like, then drive to Marina Bandar Al Rowdha in the late afternoon and sail at sunset on a wooden dhow, with Al Alam Palace and the old forts on the shore.
A day at leisure: walk the Corniche, shop in Mutrah Souq, visit the gardens of the Royal Opera House or relax on Qurum Beach.
After a last breakfast, drive to the airport in Muscat and hand back your 4x4.
What’s included
Included
- Rental 4x4 for the whole trip, with collision damage waiver (CDW) insurance
- GPS or a detailed route map
- 24-hour local helpline
- 300 km a day included
Not included
- Flights
- Accommodation (we can book it for you)
- Fuel
- Meals
- Entrance fees and optional activities
- Extra kilometres
- Insurance beyond the standard rental cover
- Traffic fines and damage not covered by the insurance