Cheap flights to Oman from AED199*

‘Beauty has an address,’ Oman’s tourist information site proudly says, and it’s the Arabian Peninsula, at the confluence of the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. An untapped and vastly underrated travel destination, Oman is a land of endless desertscapes, pristine beaches, lush green mountains, white-washed lowrises and the most welcoming people you’ll ever cross paths with. All wrapped in the intoxicating, woody-citrusy smell of burning frankincense. Meet the oldest independent state in the Arab world with the world’s second-largest hand-loomed Iranian carpet, five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 3,000-plus kilometres of coastline and 100,000 years of history in the making.

Travel to Oman to:

• Taste the essence of Omani hospitality in a cup of freshly brewed qahwa, aka Arabic coffee served with dates and a smile wherever you go.
• Stop at the ceremonial ‘Palace of the Flag’, a feat of modern Islamic architecture in Muscat, then step into the National Museum next door for a high-tech journey into Oman’s past.
• Study the handcrafted details of the iconic Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, a captivating display of Islamic, Middle Eastern and Omani architectural styles.
• Tackle the peaks of the Al-Hajar Mountains, gaze deep into Wadi Nakhr, the ‘Grand Canyon of Oman’, or cool off in palm-ringed freshwater pools of Wadi Shab.
• Join local beach bums as they lounge around in style at Muscat’s Al Qurum beach or picnic under frankincense trees at Dhofar’s Al-Mughsail beach.
• Leave the hustle and bustle of city life behind and spend a night in a Bedouin tent after a busy day of camel-trekking and dune-bashing.

Bedouin hospitality and otherworldly landscapes

Tradition-loving Omanis take pride in their rich heritage and with good reason. They have roughly 106,000 years’ worth of it, as evidenced by the stone tools from the Late Pleistocene Nubian Complex that were unearthed at Aybut Al Auwal in 2011. Before the arrival of Islam and Arab dominance in the 7th century, Oman was ruled by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians, followed by the Portuguese and the Ottomans in the 16th and 17th century, all coveting its strategic location for trade across the Indian Ocean. A turning point in Oman’s modern history came when Sultan Qaboos Bin Said took the throne in 1970, and single-handedly ushered the sultanate into modernity without losing sight of its Islamic identity. If you’re in the capital, do pay a visit to the late monarch’s ceremonial home, Al Alam Palace, a turquoise-gold marvel in the heart of Old Muscat.

It’s qahwa o’clock!

Oman’s legendary hospitality, telling of a strong Bedouin heritage, is just as much to look forward to as its cultural and natural endowments. If you’re a coffee lover, the Omani welcome ritual will quickly become your favourite tradition. Qahwa, as it’s called, is the code name for a fresh brew of Arabic coffee, spiced with crushed cardamom, cloves, saffron or pistachio, and an endless supply of dates (often straight from your host’s backyard), nuts and fruit. And if you’re lucky, halwa, a gelatinous dessert seasoned with anything from rose water through saffron to cardamom. Haggle for a deal on coffee pots, antique jewellery, cashmere scarves, palm baskets, dishdashas (robe) or manoos (wedding chest) at Muscat’s maze of a market, Muttrah Souq. A piece of advice: have some cash handy for the best bargains. Sample local culture at its most visceral at Oman’s many festivals, like Eid al-Adha, a three-day celebration at the end of the pilgrimage season to Mecca or Oman’s National Day on 18 November, when streets across the sultanate light up in white, red and green (the colours of the Omani flag) to honour the late Qaboos bin Said al Said.

Muscat: an ancient city with a modern flair

Oman’s no-glitz, all-glory capital is a true testament both to the country’s storied seafaring and desert heritage and to forward-thinking vision. Expect no skyscrapers (they’re against the law) but plenty of heart and soul as you make your way through the mountain-hugged port city. The Muttrah fish markets are a must-visit whether you’re after the daily catch or laid-back vibes. As is the nearby Muttrah Fort, built by the Portugese against the feared Ottoman imperial expansion in the 1580s, especially if you’re a history buff – or an avid Instagrammer of dramatic seascapes. Made from more than 300,000 tons of Indian sandstone, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque will leave you in awe, whatever your travel fetish. This mosaic-clad stunner was completed in 2001 as a gift from Sultan Al Qaboos to the people of Oman to celebrate 30 years of his reign. For a country that isn’t bent on breaking records (unlike some of its neighbours), the grand mosque boasts some pretty impressive stats. Think ‘8,500-kilogram chandelier sparkling with 600,000 Swarovski crystals’ and ‘4,343-square-metre, 21-ton hand-waved carpet’ kind of impressive.

Pop-up jungles, dizzying heights and balmy beaches

From October to April, Oman becomes one big playground for the outdoorsy. Temperatures remain warm but not scorching, making perfect conditions for exploring the country’s rugged mountain scenery, peppered with charming villages, donkey paths, gaping canyons, wild fjords, mango trees, pomegranate fields and damask roses. The Al-Hajar Mountains begin in the backyard of Muscat, soaring to elevations of 3,028 metres above sea level at Jabal Shams (‘Sun Mountain’). Near-vertical Jebel Misht (‘Comb Mountain') is a rock climbers’ mecca, with a south face stretching across more than four kilometres and routes for various skill levels. Then there are the wadis, of course. In the Middle East, ‘wadi' is a term to describe dry riverbeds that only contain water during periods of heavy rain. Except it fails to do it justice. Nothing short of a desert paradise, these natural emerald pools are the perfect spot to escape the unforgiving heat and the throngs of fellow sightseers. Choose from hundreds of options, ranging from picturesque to most picturesque. For a truly out-of-this-world sight, venture out to Wadi Darbat during Salalah’s khareef (monsoon) season, which transforms southern Oman's Dhofar province into a full-blown jungle, practically overnight. Skip the desert safari at your own peril. Home to the Bedouins and some 10,000 square kilometres of burnt red sand, Sharqiya Sands (formerly: Wahiba Sands) is hard to beat when it comes to desert adventures, whether it’s sandboarding or camel trekking you’re into. For the full experience, turn your day trip into an overnight stay. At the other end of the landscape spectrum, Al Qurum beach is home to just about every water sport imaginable, including scuba diving, jet skiing, parasailing and kayaking. Ras al Hadd sees 20,000 sea turtles hatch some 60,000 eggs each year, and coconut tree-laced Al Mughsail is a local and tourist favourite with creamy white sand and crystal-clear water.