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The leading specialists in cultural walking tours
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We specialise in guided cultural walking tours with music festivals, opera, art & architecture, birdwatching, wildlife and gourmet food & wine.
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Exploring Oman - an adventurous walking tour of the mountains, deserts and forts
Until very recently the Sultanate of Oman remained closed to travellers,
preferring to retain its cultural traditions intact - intriguing reports
circulated of stark mountain ranges, dramatic mediaeval forts, the vast
expanses of the Empty Quarter and a pristine 1,500 km coastline with offshore
island archipelagos.
We spend two weeks exploring this fascinating, still relatively unknown country,
where camels, dhows, and colourful markets trading in gold, goats and
frankincense are still very much part of daily life. High in the Jebel Akhdhar
(Green) range we walk on mountain paths offering incredible views; a boat takes
us out into the Gulf of Oman in search of dolphins; we explore photogenic forts
with their richly decorated interiors; 4WD vehicles take us into the dunes of
the Wahiba Sands to encounter the Bedouin, and to the fringes of the Empty
Quarter to see frankincense trees; and on our last night we stay in an award
winning 5 star hotel in Muscat, with spa facilities and a private beach.
TRIP ITINERARY
DAY 1
L, D included
After arriving at Muscat international airport in the morning, a half hour road
transfer - with a visit to the magnificent Grand Mosque en route - brings us to
our ocean-facing 4 star hotel, set in 10 acres of gardens, with a swimming pool
and a private beach. A bird watching walk introduces local red-wattled plovers,
Indian rollers, mynahs, pond herons and parakeets.
DAY 2
B, L, D included
This morning we view the 16C Portuguese forts which guard the harbour entrances
of Muscat and the Sultan’s Alam Palace, a striking example of contemporary Omani architecture. We visit
the Bait al Zubair museum with its excellent displays on all aspects of Omani
culture and stroll through the souq (traditional market) in Muttrah before a
late lunch at the yacht marina and an afternoon relaxing back in our hotel.
DAY 3
B, L, D included
A boat takes us out into the Gulf of Oman in search of dolphins, sooty gulls and
swift terns - with luck we may also find rare sooty falcons and red-billed
tropicbirds. We then travel (3 hours with photo stops) by 4WD (airconditioned,
with a maximum of 4 guests per vehicle) 7,000 ft up into the mountains,
enjoying magnificent views as we ascend. Our destination is a modern, small 3
star hotel, a sustainable tourism initiative of the mountain tribes - the night
stars are marvellously clear and the restaurant serves good curries.
DAY 4
B, L, D included
High on the dramatic Sayq plateau, we take 3 contrasted walks (2.5, 1.5 hrs, 45
minutes), enjoying superb views across the Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain) range
and marvelling at the steep terraces, irrigated by the ancient falaj system,
where pomegranates, roses, olives and almonds have been grown for centuries.
Yellow-vented bulbuls sing from any prominent post, Hume’s wheatears perch on boulders and rock martins swoop around the cliff faces.
Architecturally, the villages we walk through resemble those of Yemen, with
their ruined watchtowers and fortified merchants houses.
DAY 5
B, L, D included
Our walk today (5 hrs) traces the footsteps of the SAS (including the now famous
Sir Peter de la Billiere) who fought a number of military skirmishes here
during the Jebel War in the 1950s - old ammunition boxes and shell fragments
are still occasionally found scattered on the ground. We encounter huge ancient
juniper trees, soaring eagles and vultures overhead (lappet-faced and Egyptian
vultures nest on the cliffs in this area) and small flocks of goats tended by
the mountain tribesmen as we cross a vast plateau with superb long views.
DAY 6
B, L, D included
Descending from the mountains, we visit the lively camel, goat and cattle market
in the town of Nizwa, the mediaeval seat of power - we also visit the
magnificent fort and have the opportunity to bargain for Bedouin silver
jewellery, spices, traditional curved khanjars (daggers) and tribal rugs in the souq. 4WDs take us (2.5 hrs) deep into the dunes of the Wahiba Sands where we
encounter the Bedouin with their camel herds, climb a dune to watch the sunset
and spend a memorable (and reasonably comfortable) night under the desert stars
in traditional Bedouin wool tents (with proper beds and private facilities).
DAY 7
B, L, D included
Some exhilarating dune driving or an early morning walk in search of desert
birds start the day before we drive (2.5 hrs) to Birkat al Mawz where the
picturesque fort has been taken by force on only 2 occasions - firstly, in 973
AD, by the invading Persian army and then in 1959 by Sultan Said bin Taimur
with the assistance of the British SAS. On foot we explore the traditional falaj systems which irrigate the date palm oasis, then have a traditional Omani lunch
(fish with rice in a spiced coconut sauce, or lamb biriyani, are Omani staples) before an afternoon relaxing by the swimming pool of our
colonial-style hotel in Nizwa.
DAY 8
B, L, D included
Early in the morning we visit the beautifully restored 17C palace fort of
Jabrin, where weapons, household items, the prison and gunpowder store, plus
richly decorated ceilings, all combine to create a vivid sense of what it would
have been like in its heyday. We travel by 4WD (1.5 hrs) up to almost 10,000
feet, below Jebel Shams, the highest points in Oman, and take a marvellous walk
(4 hrs round trip) along a fairly level balcony just inside the canyon rim. The
scenery is incredible, with ancient terraces and an abandoned village perched
dramatically below the towering cliffs and views of the mountains stretching
into infinity.
DAY 9
B, L, D included
Returning to Muscat by road (1.5 hrs), we catch the morning flight (1 hr, 40
mins) south to Salalah, capital of Dhofar province. After settling into our
five star hotel, set right on the coconut palm-backed beach, we travel west (40
minutes) towards the Yemen border for a walk (2 hrs) along a superb unspoilt
beach, and bird watching at Khor Mughsail - Tristram's grackles whistling
loudly as they fly round the cliff faces, glossy ibis and cotton teal in the
reedbeds, and Persian shearwaters and masked boobies fishing offshore. A
seafood/lobster supper in the elegant restaurant on the beach at our hotel
completes the day.
DAY 10
B, L, D included
As we travel east along the coast, we encounter herds of wandering camels, then
walk and birdwatch at Khor Rawri, an inlet of the sea which was for centuries
an important staging port for the frankincense trade (the archaeological site
here is often referred to as the ‘Queen of Sheba’s palace’). Flamingoes, herons, egrets, crab plovers and many wader species congregate
here - proceeding inland, we walk in the wooded Wadi Darbat which has an
entirely different avifauna, including Afro-tropical species such as Paradise
flycatcher and Bruce’s Green Pigeon. Our final short walk takes us into the incredible baobab forest.
DAY 11
B, L, D included
We begin the morning visiting the informative Museum of the Frankincense Land on
the archaeological site of Al Balid near our hotel (including finds of Persian
soapstone chess sets, Ming porcelain from China and pottery from Rome, Syria
and Greece discovered at Ubar, ‘The Atlantis of the Sands’, a trading emporium which flourished between 500 and 300 BC and was then lost
in the sands for centuries). 4WDs take us up (1.5 hrs) into the Qara mountains
and into the fringes of the Rub’al Khali, the Empty Quarter, for a walk (1.5 hrs) amidst dramatic scenery to see
frankincense trees,
Boswellia sacra (still harvested traditionally and exported worldwide). Our afternoon walk (2
hrs) follows a long ridge down off the Dhofar mountains, with extensive views,
thekla larks and South Arabian wheatears on the mountain slopes and numerous
eagles (greater spotted, steppe, Verreaux's) soaring on the thermal updrafts.
DAY 12
B, L, D included
After visiting the frankincense souq in Salalah town, we catch the midday
domestic flight back up north to the capital, Muscat and have a 15 minute road
transfer to our 5 star hotel, recently voted one of the best in the world. Set
on a beautiful private beach, it offers every amenity and our farewell dinner
provides a memorable finale to our explorations of this fascinating and
rewarding country.
DAY 13
B included
After a last morning relaxing and enjoying the hotel’s facilities (including an award-winning spa), we transfer to Muscat airport for
flights home.
Price includes:
All accommodation for Days 1 to 13, based on two people sharing a room
All meals (with beer/soft drinks at lunches and wine/beer at dinners) as listed
in the daily notation (please note that alcohol is sometimes not available at
lunch venues)
Domestic flights Muscat/Salalah/Muscat
All land transportation in private airconditioned 4WD vehicles, except during
free periods
Boat trip as described in the itinerary
All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods
Services of Kudu tour staff and local guides & drivers
Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff
Visa and Health Requirements
Visitors from the EU, US, Australia and New Zealand currently require a valid
passport for entry to Oman - a single entry tourist visa, currently costing 6
Omani Rials in cash, is issued on arrival and is valid for 3 weeks. If you are
a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your
nearest Embassy of Oman.
At present there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to
Oman if you are arriving from Europe or North America. You may also wish to
check the advice given to travellers by the Department of Health and the FCO.
Insurance
It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a
suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link
for a quote for a policy available to UK residents.
If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy
at the time of booking.
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Kudu Travel Limited
Teffont Manor
Teffont Ewyas
Salisbury SP3 5RJ
Phone: 01722 716167
Registered in England
No. 03854049
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