Start your tour with hotel pickup in Muscat, and settle inside your air-conditioned vehicle with your guide. Then, explore the pristine streets of the city, beautifully set between the Al Hajar Mountains and Gulf of Oman.
On route, learn how the city has successfully retained its rich Arabian heritage and culture, despite having undergone rapid development over the last few decades.
Head first for Muscat’s undoubted showpiece: the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. Opened in 2001, this stunning marble mosque is one of the largest in the Gulf, with room to accommodate 20,000 worshipers.
After touring the glittering courtyards and prayer halls, continue to the Ministries quarter, home to many of Muscat’s foreign embassies and consulates.
Admire the bougainvillea-laced avenues and immaculate white buildings with their Islamic arches and latticework, and then travel to Muttrah, the commercial heart of Muscat lining a spectacular, mountain-backed bay.
Stroll through the seafront fish market where the locals trade their catches, and admire the sweeping Corniche, lined with latticed and balconied buildings. Then, delve into Muttrah Souk, a maze of covered alleys filled with stalls peddling spices, perfumes, coffee, antiques, and homewares. Breathe in the exotic aromas, and perhaps haggle for goods with tips from your guide.
Having explored here, pay a visit to the Bait Al Zubair Museum, a charming museum that charts Oman’s fascinating past from ancient through to modern times. Learn about the country’s rich culture and early roots, and then continue deeper into old Muscat.
Pose for photos outside the blue-and-gold Al Alam Palace, the official residence of Sultan Qaboos, and take pictures of Muscat’s twin Portuguese-built forts, Mirani and Jalali, perched on rocky outcrops above the bay.
Your tour then finishes with a hotel drop-off.
