Oman is an Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It has a lot of cultural tourism attractions to offer. Muscat, Oman’s largest city, and capital became the best city to visit in the world as cited by travel guide publisher The Lonely Planet in 2012. We can only agree as it is our favorite country so far too! It is yet an undiscovered diamond in the rough and offers more that you can imagine. Enough to fill 1 or 2 weeks with culture, relaxation and activities. The lack of mass tourism enables visitors to enjoy true Omani culture and hospitality. Here are a few things that will help convince you to go.

Our stay at one of the most memorizing hotels in the world

Oman offers some of the most exclusive hotel experiences. 2 of our favorites are

• Six Senses Zighy bay. A luxury ECO resort hidden away behind the northern mountains, surrounded by a bay. Read more about it here
• Ritz Carlton Al Bustan Palace. Recently renovated Palace that is grand beyond your imagination and has one of the best Spas in the world. Read more about it here.
• Alila Al Jabal Akhdar. A 3 hour drive to the top of the mountains. The hotel is build on the edge of a cliff that will give you views you can’t get anywhere else

Photo: @Chalabala

Mountain climbing in Oman

Another highlight of our trip was when Peter and I had the chance to go hiking on Jebel Shams, the highest mountain in Oman. It literally means Sun Mountain. It is one of the must-see attractions for any visitor to Oman, because of its mild climate, exciting trekking paths and off-road adventures it offers.

Our adventure begins at 2,000m above sea level, ensuring exceptional views. The adventure commences with a short hike along the famous Balcony Walk taking in the views of Oman’s own Grand Canyon before we reached the abandoned village of Sap Bani Khamis where we had a quick stop for photos. A short climb up the scree brings us to the start of the villager’s old sticks stairway, now the Via Ferrata. The route is protected with a steel cable that reaches all the way up the 200m cliffs, providing assisted climbing for the adventurer with little experience. With the 1,000m deep canyon just over your shoulder, a head for heights is most definitely required. We came back to the hotel at around 7 pm since I (Stéph) found the hike quite hard to do. This activity is going to be pretty hard for someone who has a fear of heights, so you might as well gather up tons of guts if you’re planning to do this! The hike is quite steep and is physically demanding too.

Photo: @delthobs

Landscape of Oman

The mountains of Oman offer a good escape from the heat in the summer and can be quite cold in the winter months. It tends to be overly crowded sometimes but you can always find alternative spots if you keep looking. We were lucky as we were the only group trekking that day.  Jebel Shams is the best place to be if you are a night photography enthusiast. It sure is going to be one special night gazing at the stars so bright!

Indeed we had an awesome experience here in Oman which now happens to be Peter’s favorite middle east country. Apart from the city’s amazing landmarks, we just can’t ignore the authentic beauty of Oman’s nature which has bared itself right in front of us. We haven’t even visited the green area of Oman. We hope to go back soon to explore even more this amazing country has to offer.

The hike at Jebel Shams was booked through twenty3extreme. We did the Jebel Shams Via Ferrata