Things to do in Oman

Muscat, the capital, stretches between mountains and the sea, with the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the souk and corniche of Mutrah, old Portuguese-era forts and the Royal Opera House. Boats head out to watch dolphins and to the reefs of the Daymaniyat Islands.

Inland, Nizwa has a great round fort and a traditional souk, Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams offer terraced villages and a dramatic canyon, and the wadis of Bani Khalid and Shab hold emerald pools. The Wahiba Sands are a sea of dunes where desert camps welcome travellers, Ras al Jinz is a nesting beach for green turtles, and Salalah in the far south turns green in the summer monsoon.

Shuwa, spiced meat slow-cooked for a day or more in an underground oven, is the dish of feast days, while rice dishes, fresh fish, dates, cardamom coffee and sticky halwa are part of daily life. The cooler months from about October to April are best for most of the country, while summer is extremely hot except in the southern region of Dhofar.