Muscat
This large and attractive park boasts a lake and shade for picnics. A fun park called Marah Land sits alongside, inviting families to make a day of it.
Must-see attractions in Oman
Oman
The ruined tomb of Bibi Miriam is about all that remains of the 2nd-century settlement of Qalhat, one of the most ancient sites in Oman. There’s not much…
Khasab
Buried in the heart of town (brown signs show the way), this small fortified house sports two cannons at the doorway, a renovated well in the courtyard…
Dhofar
Identified in 1997, this 90 million cu metre–sinkhole is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Elliptical in shape, it has a depth of 250m and is…
Oman
This fertile wadi, accessible only by 4WD, offers one of the easiest off-road experiences of the region and an intimate view of life under the date palms…
Masirah Island
Jebel Humr (274m) is the highest point of Masirah’s hilly backbone and a climb up this flat-topped mountain is recommended for the wonderful view of the…
Nizwa
Nizwa was once a major centre for Islamic scholarship, and two aged mosques, among the oldest in the world, have survived since the early 7th century…
Oman
These hot springs attract visitors who believe the water issuing from under the ground at Al Kasfah has therapeutic properties. As a result, the…
Oman
The fish market, built in the shape of a dhow (traditional wooden fishing vessel), punctuates the northern end of the Corniche. It's fun to visit early in…
Hajar Mountains
This traditional mountain village is something of a landmark along the remote off-road route from Wadi Bani Awf to Sharfat Al Alamayn. With the most…
Oman
This aged lighthouse is a prominent landmark in Ayjah, including for the goats who for some reason like to congregate under the three-storey stone tower…
Masirah Island
Little is known about the history of Masirah island, except that it was once inhabited by Bahriya tribespeople, shipwrecked from Salalah. They were wiped…
Dhofar
Botanists may be surprised to find a small stand of baobab trees gracing the thickets just above the Salalah Plain. These magnificent giants, their trunks…
Oman
An integral part of the landscape of Ayjah, and visible from the corniche in Sur, these three small round towers made of sandstone once guided dhows to…
Oman
At the first bend in the road that leads through Wadi Bani Kharus from the village of Al Awabi, there's a great slab of smooth pale-grey rock on the…
Jebel Harim
A set of ancient inscribed gravestones marks the junction between Rawdah Bowl and the Omani portion of Wadi Bih. Fashioned either from luminous yellow…
Hajar Mountains
While Al Ayn has the best preserved beehive tombs, the largest concentration of these structures is to be found in Wadi Hajir, between Al Ayn and the…
Northern Coast
This viewpoint (yet to be properly developed) on the road between Al Bustan and Bandar Jissah offers a fine panoramic vista of the chocolate-coloured…
Dhofar
Tiny compared with its more bountiful neighbours, this spring collects in a small well in the middle of a rural road at the northern rim of the plain. Of…
Dhofar
The town’s main fort is now derelict despite being the site of the well-documented Battle of Mirbat. Nine soldiers kept 300 insurgents from taking Mirbat…
Hajar Mountains
Opposite Bahla Fort, on the other side of Nizwa–Bahla Rd, rows of low-rise, arched buildings hide the entrance to a tiny traditional souq. A giant tree…
Northern Coast
This stout building, beside Qurayat's main vegetable and meat souq, looms unexpectedly into view alongside the narrow main road through town. Recently…
Dhofar
Below the village of Ayoon there are some natural pools surrounded by tall stands of reeds and other vegetation. The pools are accessed along a 3km off…
Oman
Enclosing a tidy acreage of the Batinah Plain, this enormous fortress has three circular towers and an unusual rectangular fourth tower. As with many of…
Oman
Brown signs lead off old Hwy 23 to this fortified mud-brick mansion house. Built possibly around 300 years ago, and now buried in the Ibra suburbs on the…
Dhofar
Of passing interest in the town of Mirbat is the old quarter, where some merchant houses still stand proud along the beach front. Some are still lived in,…
Hajar Mountains
The market opposite Hela Castle sells barasti – plaited palm fronds traditionally used for roofing and fencing – while just along the road, a lively souq…
Masirah Island
The small town of Hilf, a 3km string of jetties, shops and fish factories in the northwest of Masirah, is home to most of the island's tiny population…
Oman
Functioning less as a sight in its own right, picturesque though it may be, this fort as an excellent landmark for the slightly obscure entrance into Wadi…
Sur
Built to defend the town against marauding tribes from the interior, 200-year-old Bilad Sur Castle boasts unusually shaped towers. It has been closed for…
Oman
This renovated fort, which is open somewhat erratically, if at all, seems to have been built as part and parcel of the surrounding merchant houses, with…
Northern Coast
There's not much left of the fortified ruins that crest the knoll in the middle of Mazara, but this doesn't spoil their appeal as the subject of a…
Oman
This large fort with a mighty round tower with a unique, detached (and arched) external stairway is of passing interest for those heading into the sands…
Oman
With its unusual octagonal tower and a location fending off incursions from the sea, Barka Fort cuts a dash along Barka's busy coastline, flanked by…
Northern Coast
This large and attractive park on the edge of Qurayat, with an island in the middle of a small lake, makes a pleasant place to stroll and watch local…
Oman
Off the main Muscat–Sohar Hwy, this large formal park has mowed lawns trimmed with flower beds and is shaded by mature trees. It makes a pleasant retreat…
Salalah
This enormous palace complex, with villas and landscaped gardens along the beach front, is home to the family of Oman's ruler, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said…
Jebel Harim
This tiny natural plain surrounded by jagged limestone peaks has been farmed for centuries and is a beautiful sight in the winter when the plain is bright…
Dhofar
One of several issuing from the hills above the plain to the east of Salalah, this spring trickles into a reservoir at the end of the road. The spring…
Al Wusta
The broad bay with its sweeping fringe of sand in Duqm is set to become the heart of the town's ambitious tourism project. At present the beach lacks any…
