Salalah
Well-labelled and atmospherically lit at night, the ancient ruins of Al Baleed belong to the 12th-century trading port of Zafar. Frankincense was shipped…
Must-see attractions in Dhofar
Dhofar
The upper plateau of Jebel Samhan suddenly ends in a vertiginous drop more than 1000 meters to the coastal plain below. Barely a ledge interrupts the…
Dhofar
A popular picnic site during the khareef and a great place to enjoy the jebel in any season, Wadi Darbat is a grassy plateau in the hills marked by Oman's…
Dhofar
Looking across one of Dhofar's prettiest bays at peacefully grazing camels and flocks of flamingos, it’s hard to imagine that 2000 years ago Khor Rori was…
Dhofar
The sands of the Empty Quarter begin to curl around the road on the approach to Al Hashman, then very quickly coddle into small mounds and ergs (wind…
Dhofar
Oman’s most spectacular bay ends in a set of sheer cliffs that reaches towards the Yemeni border. Immediately below the start of these cliffs the rock…
Dhofar
The most striking of all the springs scattered across the Salalah Plain, Ayn Razat flows copiously from the hillside at all times of year and rolls across…
Dhofar
This remarkable rock formation affords the opportunity of seeing a living stalactite in the making without having to clamber through a cave to do so…
Dhofar
The Sarfait road, which links Salalah with the Yemeni border via Mughsail, is one of Oman's many impressive engineering projects. Zigzagging nearly 1000m…
Dhofar
Ubar is an archaeological site of potentially great importance. Lost to history for more than 1000 years, the rediscovery of the remains of this once…
Dhofar
Separated from the rest of the Salalah Plain by the vertical cliffs of Mughsail, and accessed via the Sarfait Rd, Fizayah Beach is one of the most…
Dhofar
This small reserve, 40km north of Salalah, protects a 5km grove of ancient frankincense trees and is listed by Unesco as part of the frankincense-related…
Dhofar
Every few years, steady rains across the jebel result in a torrent of water racing across Wadi Darbat and falling over the edge, 300m to the Salalah Plain…
Dhofar
In religious terms, this tomb is probably the most important site in Dhofar. The tomb of Prophet Job, mentioned in the Old Testament and venerated by…
Dhofar
This small but well-preserved castle was built in the 19th century. With a furnished interior, good signage and an accompanying booklet explaining the…
Dhofar
Housing the remains of Mohammed Bin Ali, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, this tiny tomb, with its two distinctive onion domes, marks the old…
Dhofar
Just before reaching a spring of the same name, a small car park appears on the right-hand side of the road and a paved path disappears mysteriously into…
Dhofar
Conforming to the typical image of a desert oasis, with palm trees, permanent water and grazing camels, Muqshin is renowned for a less expected wonder: a…
Dhofar
The flat plain near Qitbit has little hint of fecundity so it may come as some surprise that it is the habitat of thousands of sand grouse. These…
Dhofar
This magical stretch of white sand beach extends almost as far as the eye can see. There's a tiny village halfway along its length, famous for the…
Dhofar
A celebrated local beauty spot, this khor (inlet) is often partitioned from the sea by a sandbar that shrinks and grows according to the season. In the…
Dhofar
One of the prettiest springs sprinkled across the eastern Salalah Plain, this one ushers from a bare rock and is channelled through a zigzagging concourse…
Salalah
Salalah is famous for its plantations of coconuts, papayas and bittersweet, small bananas. Stroll through the plantation roads near the corniche (2km from…
Dhofar
One of the most visited of the springs issuing from the foothills surrounding Salalah, Ayn Garziz often has a generous flow of water collecting at the…
Salalah
This newly completed, single-dome mosque with two minarets is a gift from His Majesty to the people of his mother's hometown, Salalah. It's open to…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Dhofar
This deep sinkhole (1 million cu metres), known as the Well of Birds, gapes without warning in a corrugated landscape of rock, covered in thicket. A small…
Dhofar
Recently restored, this old crenellated castle is set square to the sea as if designed to repel invaders. It's closed to the public but makes a photogenic…
