OMAN ON YOUR OWN – 4x4 SELF DRIVE PROGRAM

DAY 01: ARRIVAL MUSCAT. On arrival Meet & Greet by our representative outside the airport, Transfer to Hotel. Over Night at hotel in Muscat No Meals Day 02: Muscat Delivery of 4WD vehicle at the hotel by 0930 hrs. Visit the beautiful Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the Middle East. Visit the Bait Zubair Museum, exhibiting the wealth of Oman’s Cultural history and thus imparting knowledge about the country’s rich culture and traditions to the visitor. Later you drive along the picturesque Corniche to the once walled district of Old Muscat. You will have photo stops at the residence of his Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, the Al Alam Palace, which is flanked by the 16th century Portuguese forts Mirani and Jalali. You will be strolling through Muttrah Souq, where you will be bargaining for handicrafts and silver items. Overnight at hotel in Muscat Meals : Breakfast Note: To enter Grand Mosque, dress code is applicable. Ladies should be fully covered with scarf and wear full sleeves shirt and Men are not allowed to wear shorts. Day 03: Muscat – Nakhl - Wadi Bani Awf (Mountain Crossing) – Bilad Sayt - Al Hamra Today you will start your fascinating Round trip. Your first stop will be at Barkha Fish Market. Watch the fishermen bring in their early morning catch to the shores. The new fish market is more spacious and has or take a walk in the seaside market laden with fish, vegetable and fruit stalls. Later we continue our drive to Wadi Bani Auf. The route down Wadi Bani Auf is one of the Arabia’s great 4WD adventures and includes a visit to the village of Bilad Sait, a remote fortress village in the heart of the mountain range. Drive to Misfat Al Abreen. Arrive at this village located on the clif top. All the houses are more than 400 years old and now renovated. Explore the cultural tradition of the Misfah village. A walk through the village takes you back in time and you'll be glad to witness the culture which is alive and followed in these modern times. Explore the agricultural, irrigation and the water distribution system in the village wherein you'll also come in contact with the locals who wouldn't mind giving you an interesting insight into their traditional daily works. Drive to Jebel Shams, the Grand Canyon of Oman. Check-in and dinner at hotel. Overnight at hotel in Jebel Shams Meals: Breakfast and Dinner Day 04: Jebel Shams – Nizwa Breakfast at Resort. After breakfast you can do a balcony walk around the canyon. Within this environment is what is commonly called Oman ‘Grand Canyon’, a majestic semi-circular canyon, mid way around the rim of which is the ‘Balcony Walk. Although generally classified as ‘moderate’ in intensity, the drops can be sheer so walkers should be comfortable with heights. Later drive to Bahla. Visit Bahla pottry factory before continuing to Jabreen Castle. A visit to Jabrin Fort enables the visitor to recapture the atmosphere of medieval Oman. The 17th century fort is one of Oman’s finest castles and has some exquisite hand-painted ceilings. (The Jabrin Fort has two floors of steps to climb in order to view all the rooms and the terrace). Islamic inscriptions combine with secret hiding places for soldiers in the dining room. After visits, you’ll reach Nizwa- the cultural capital of Oman. Overnight at hotel in Nizwa Meals: Breakfast Day 05: Nizwa – Jebel Akhdar – Nizwa Start your day with a visit to Nizwa Souq. The main highlight in the Souq is the Cattle Auction that takes place every Friday. The Auction is the traditional way of selling the cattle like sheep, goats, cows, and camels. These are brought by their owners from nearby villages. This is what cannot be missed out if you are in Nizwa on Friday. Explore the souq. The impressive New Souq complex has been sensitively designed using Omani fort architecture and elegant Islamic arches. The air-conditioned halls of this souq are full of fresh fruit and vegetables, herbs and spices, huge stacks of dates and freshly caught fish. This is still the best place to buy traditional silver “Khanjars” (hand- carved Omani daggers) and Bedouin jewellery, where silver is still sold by weight. Then you visit Nizwa Fort with its massive Circular Cannon Tower, making it one of the most impressive forts in Oman Built on a solid base of rock, the huge tower was designed to withstand the vibrations of 24 cannons. From the top, a superb panoramic view gives visitors a bird’s eye view all around Nizwa and the surrounding plains – a sure delight for all avid photographers! Later drive to Jebel Akhder. In Arabic Jabel Akdhar means green mountains. Jabel Akdher is famous for gardens, farms and terrace plantations. En route you will make a short stop at Birkat Al Mouz, an old village that is famous for its ruins, large banana plantation and is also home to the old Falaj irrigation system. Leaving Birkat Al Mouz behind you, you will begin the climb up Jabal Akhdar Mountain. At the top you will visit Wadi Bani Habib to see one of the remote villages and plantations. At first glance the village looks in pretty good shape for an abandoned village, however as you get closer you will notice that nobody is home, rooves have collapsed, walls crumbled and doors completely missing. The village is empty and just waiting to be explored. Take a walk through the Terrace gardens before returning to Nizwa Overnight at hotel in Nizwa Meals: Breakfast Day 06: Nizwa – Sharqiya Sands Breakfast at hotel. After breakfast check out from the hotel and proceed to Wadi Bani Khalid – an oasis spot in the middle of barren and dry mountains. It is one of the most beautiful wadis in Oman and its pools with clear deep blue water give you an opportunity to take a refreshing dip. (Please note it is approx. 500 meter walk from the parking area to the pool.) As per the recent guidelines form Ministry of Heritage & Tourism, ladies who wish to swim in the wadi have to wear shorts and t shirt to cover their body. Swimming in bikinis is not permitted. This is to respect the local culture of the villagers. Later drive to Sharqiya Sands. Arrive at the Sharqiya Sands and visit Bedouin house. Here you will interact with the bedouins Anybody who chooses to live in the environment of Sharqiya Sands must be hardy and resilient to tolerate its potentially harsh climate – and bedu are just that. There are over 3000 Bedu of varying tribal origins who live here amongst the woodland on the fringes of the sands. Later check in at Desert Rose Camp Evening sun set on the Dunes Dinner at Camp Overnight at Camp in Desert Meals: Breakfast and Dinner Day 07: Sharqiya Sands – Ras al Jinz After breakfast check out and drive back to Bidiyah to get into the Sur/Ras Al Jinz highway. Escort vehicle will accompany you till Al Mintrib Shell Fuel Station. Continue to Sur. Visit Dhow Factory once an important hub for trade with India and China. The typical Omani dhows are still built in Sur and can be seen in the port. A restored 8th-century dhow, the Fatah Al Khair, is on display in the open-air museum. Watch craftsmen building dhows at the dhow factory. Walk upto the watch Tower to get the birds Eye view of the Sur Town After that drive down to Ras Al Jinz and check in at your hotel. Later in the evening you can arrange to see the endangered green sea turtles come to nest on the beach {2100 hrs – 23 00 hrs}. Overnight at hotel Meals: Breakfast and Dinner Day 08: Ras al Jinz – Muscat Breakfast at hotel. After breakfast check out and start your fascinating coastal trip to Muscat via Sur, renowned for its dhow shipyard in former times. Unfortunately, the operation at the yard has almost been completely shut down. The road leads through scenic countryside and rugged mountains to the small fishing towns. On the coastal road you stop at Bibi Miriam Mausoleum in Qalhat (Photo Stop). You stop at Wadi Shab, an oasis well known for its clear green water and unique landscapes. You also stop at limestone Sinkhole in Bimmah before reaching Muscat. Collection of vehicle from Airport or Muscat Hotel. Meals Breakfast