Oman: Wadis, Forts and Desert

We pick up the car at the Emirates Tower in Dubai, at the Budget desk (terrible service!!), and set off straight away for Musandam, an Omani enclave. We'll spend more time at customs checks than driving the 190 km of road that separate Dubai from Khasab, the departure port for our 4-hour cruise, which will take us to spot dolphins on the open sea and go snorkelling at Telegraph Island. In the evening we return to Dubai and have dinner at Dubai Marina. The next day, 23 May, we leave Dubai for Oman, heading to Muscat via Hatta. The usual checks at the border crossings. Hatta leaves us puzzled by the contrast between the splendid canyons carved into the rock and the rubbish that has ravaged the natural pools; what's more, the road to get there is unpaved and completely unsigned; in a few months it will probably be easily reached by a road currently under construction.

In the afternoon we visit the forts of Nakhl and Barka. Barka is on the way to Muscat, and we decide to visit it after the detour to Nakhl, a fort that is far more interesting and among the finest in the whole country; after a visit of over an hour, we climb up to the hot water springs. In the evening we reach the capital, and we'll have some difficulty getting around by car in the traffic of the "ring road"; tired, we'll have dinner at the hotel. 24 May - first stop the mosque of Muscat, which must necessarily be reached early in the morning (closes at 11). Then we move along the seafront (Corniche) as far as the famous forts of Jilani and Mirani, located near the Sultan's Palace; we start from the most distant spots and work our way back towards the centre of Muscat, visit the fruit and fish market, and the far more renowned Muttrah souq.

Lunch at a dive on the Corniche, near the fish market, where you eat lobster for around 10 euros!! 25 May - the real GOAL of the trip is approaching. We follow the coast from Muscat to Sur, stopping twice; first stop at Bimah Sinkhole, to plunge into a pool of water in a karst sinkhole. Second stop at Wadi Shab, a canyon that makes travellers think the Garden of Eden really exists, and it's in OMAN. We immerse ourselves in nature for a good 3 hours, going up a river inside the canyon, climbing over rocks, diving into the water, swimming to reach hidden waterfalls inside a semi-submerged cave; an adventure to remember. 26 May - we move from Muscat towards Nizwa. We settle into a hotel near Bahla. We attempt the excursion towards Jebel Shams, but the bad weather makes us give up on the climb; we stop for 1 hour to see the entrance to an interesting wadi, the Wadi Ghul.

27 May - a day dedicated to visiting the forts. Early in the morning we visit the souq of Bahla (not very interesting) and see the fort from the outside, visitable only two days a week. We then move on to Jabreen Castle, which we visit in almost total solitude. In the morning we manage to reach Nizwa, and visit the citadel, the souq and the fort. We have lunch in a fast-food place, then we set off towards the south-east, in search of the gateway to the desert... for a taste of the spectacular Wahiba Sands. Oman presents itself as a country full of natural and artistic beauty, still poorly equipped to welcome tourists; often we were the only visitors to forts and castles that any country would envy. There are few places to stay, very few up to European standards. It's hard to find places to eat, even in the capital Muscat.

No problem at all for your personal safety, not even in the most remote corners of the country, in the desert, in the wadis. A holiday for every budget; the biggest expense is the flight from Italy. Definitely one of the most thrilling experiences described on this site