Night with the Turtles

We pick you up from your hotel at about 8:30 and drive towards Sur. The first stop is the Bimah Sinkhole in Hawiyat Najm Park, a natural limestone sinkhole filled with clear water, where you can swim.

Continue to Wadi Shab, Arabic for 'ravine between cliffs'. Green pools and plenty of shade make it a good place for a picnic; a cold picnic lunch can be arranged at extra cost. Walk as far into the wadi as you like, then drive on through Sur to Ras Al Jinz.

Check in at the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve. At about 21:00, meet in the lobby and go out with the reserve's rangers to watch green turtles come ashore to nest. Overnight at the reserve.

Breakfast at the reserve, then take the quiet coast road towards Aseelah, with desert on one side and sea on the other. Continue to Jalan Bani Bu Ali to visit the old Al Hamouda Fort.

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. A café by the pools serves lunch and juices (at your own cost).

In the afternoon, drive on to the Wahiba Sands. Your driver takes you across the dunes to the desert camp for dinner and the night.

Breakfast at the camp. At about 8:30, meet your guide at the camp reception and drive out of the desert to Ibra, where you stop for photos of the old mud-brick houses; on Wednesdays the town has a women's market.

Continue to the oasis town of 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. On Fridays there is a lively goat and cattle auction.

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. Then drive back to your hotel in Muscat.