Jewels of Oman

Arrive at Muscat International Airport. Immigration and customs are quick and simple. In the arrivals hall, your Travel Store driver meets you and takes you to your hotel. Overnight in Muscat.

After breakfast, meet your guide for a tour of Muscat. Start at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in Oman, known for its chandeliers, fine craftsmanship and the single hand-woven carpet that covers the prayer hall. Visitors are welcome Saturday to Thursday, 8:00 to 11:00, except on holidays. Women need to cover their hair, arms and legs; men should wear long trousers.

In the old town, visit Bait Al Zubair, a private museum with a fine collection on traditional Omani life. Stop for photos at Al Alam Palace, flanked by the Portuguese forts of Al Jalali and Al Mirani, then drive along the Corniche to Mutrah Souq, one of the oldest souqs in Oman, its narrow lanes scented with frankincense and sandalwood. Then back to your hotel; the rest of the day is free.

At about 8:00, your guide and driver meet you at your hotel. Begin at the busy fish market in Barka, then drive inland to Nakhal Fort, once held by the imams of the Bani Kharous and the Ya'aruba dynasty. Restored and furnished with traditional furniture, crafts and old objects, it has finely carved ceilings, doors and windows, and the roof looks out over the whole valley. Below the fort, the old village leads to the warm springs of Ayn Al Thowarah at the end of the oasis, where you can sit by the shallow water among date palms under steep peaks.

Continue to Al Hazm Fort for a visit, then drive to Musannah for the night.

After breakfast, check out and drive to Rustaq to visit its old fort and the hot spring of Ain Al Kasfa, whose sulphur-rich water is said to ease aches and pains.

Then comes Wadi Bani Awf, one of the most rewarding off-road drives in Oman: a graded track through the mountains, often with water in the wadi. Stop above Bilad Sayt, a village set among green terraces. Continue to Al Hamra, an old village of mud-brick houses at the foot of the mountains, for a short stop. Then continue up to Hail Al Shas for dinner and the night.

After breakfast, visit Misfat, a mountain village that seems carved out of the rock, its houses clinging to the cliffs as they have for centuries. Leave the car at the entrance and walk through the lanes to the falaj and the pools still used for washing.

Drive on through Al Hamra to Jabal Shams. Jabal Shams, the 'Mountain of the Sun', is the highest peak in Oman at 3,009 metres; its old name is Jabal Al Qanah. Villagers here weave heavy woollen rugs in bright colours. Walk to the rim of the canyon known as the Grand Canyon of Oman.

Back in Al Hamra, visit Bait Al Safah, an old house turned into a museum of Omani village life. Then drive to Nizwa and check in at your hotel; the rest of the day is free.

Start the day in Nizwa. Visit Nizwa Fort, built in the 17th century by Imam Sultan bin Saif Al Ya'rubi to guard the route to the interior. Its huge round tower dominates the town, which grew up around it. A narrow, twisting staircase, barred by heavy wooden doors studded with metal, leads to the top and a view over the whole oasis. Then walk through Nizwa Souq, known for hand-carved khanjars (Omani daggers) and silver jewellery.

Drive towards Jabreen, stopping on the way for photos of Bahla Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Jabreen Castle, built in the late 17th century, became a centre of Omani learning and is often called the finest castle in the country. Walk through the wali's rooms, the women's quarters, the kitchen and the majlis, under ceilings painted with Islamic motifs, and climb to the roof for the view.

Drive back to Muscat, where we drop you at the airport, or at a hotel if you are staying on.