Wahiba Sands and Eastern Oman

Eastern Oman, known as Sharqiya, is the first part of the Arabian Peninsula to greet the rising sun and is full of natural spectacles complete with stunning wild wadis, gorgeous coastal panoramas, vast seas of sand dunes, crumbling mudbrick villages, lively market towns; and at Ras al-Jinz, the most important Indian Ocean nesting site of the endangered Green turtle.

When in the magnificent Wahiba Sands, you feel as though you are in the true heart of Arabia, with the elegant rippling dunes providing a feast of aesthetically satisfying geometrical designs and the sand colours ranging in pastel shades from soft apricot to flaming salmon. It is a magical place to spend a night or two. Complimenting this wild beauty is a series of magnificent remote gorge-like wadis (valleys) which run down from the craggy eastern Hajar mountains into the Gulf of Oman. Here, you may enjoy a stunning off-road drive through sharp-sided Wadi Abraeen, find the perfect palm-lined picnic spot beside a clear pool of water in Wadi Tiwi, or enjoy swimming in the deep canyons of Wadi Bani Khalid.

Culture and human interest add a great deal to the Sharqiya experience and underline what makes Oman such a unique place to visit. Memorable cultural experiences could include enjoying coffee and dates with the Bedouin in the Wahiba Sands, seeing a traditional wooden dhow being built in Sur’s boatyards, visiting the village of Jalan Bani Bu Ali with its unusual 52-domed mosque, and immersing yourselves in the colourful and evocative Camel Market at Sinaw, or the Ladies Market at Ibra.