Sharing my photographs of Oman on Instagram, there’s been a typical chorus within the feedback I’ve had – I by no means realised there have been so many causes to go to Oman, I by no means knew how lovely if was… and I’d like to see it for myself now.
If you happen to want a bit extra tempting, I managed to take greater than 100 photographs every day that we had been in Oman – from the waves of dunes within the deserts to the stark mountain surroundings, the shining whites and muted golds of the buildings in opposition to the bluest of cloudless skies, it’s a photographer’s paradise.
And that’s solely the start. So to start out you off, listed here are my 9 causes to go to Oman with children.
Oman’s structure
You gained’t discover record-beating skyscrapers in Oman – the truth is you gained’t actually discover high-rise buildings in any respect. And the nation is all the higher for it, the structure in largely impartial and white tones, mixing in to the panorama.
However that definitely doesn’t make it odd – take the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat as one instance.
Gleaming white minarets glint in opposition to the blue sky, the pale stone intricately carved with swirls of calligraphy and geometric designs whereas the sunshine displays on courtyards or streams by arches.
Fountains dance within the gardens exterior, whereas inside flashes of gold and blue enhance the ceilings of prayer halls and covers of books.
Oman’s historical past
Head in direction of the Hajar Mountains from Muscat and the coast, and you permit behind the sultan’s conventional area to the rule of the imams.
Forts dot the panorama, together with on the outdated capital of Nizwa and close by Bahla and Jabrin, enduring a whole bunch of years of battle and holding the secrets and techniques of survival within the pitiless panorama.
Beneath the crenelated turrets and fortified rooftops lie shady chambers lined with cushions for lounging, whereas solely steps from the general public rooms with their painted ceilings cover tiny doorways, too small for even a baby to stroll upright; behind them, the fortress jail.
And in all, storerooms for sacks upon sacks of dates – channels reduce into the rock obtain the juice squeezed from the fruit to funnel it into jars.
In peacetime this was destined for the kitchen or sickroom, in warfare boiled up as a weapon in opposition to invaders whereas the fruit itself sustained armies in opposition to siege as I found once we visited a few of Oman’s forts.
Oman’s mountains
Stretching for 500km, the Hajar Mountains type the flinty backbone of Oman – a barrier between the inside and the coast, a refuge throughout occasions of battle, a dramatic and bone dry backdrop to a journey by the nation.
Heading as much as the very best peak of Jebel Shams, a chasm splits the mountains to type Arabia’s Grand Canyon.
A defiant handful of timber flourish regardless of the stony floor whereas mountain goats wander surefooted on even the very best rocks. Elsewhere, sudden flash floods from the world’s uncommon rains have left curved gouges within the mountainside.
The desert
Rub al Khali, the Empty Quarter, is the biggest steady sand desert on the planet, a thousand kilometres of dunes so far as the attention can see.
Blown into powder tender hills, all shades of golden orange and burnt crimson, the sands are at all times shifting. Climb one dune and one other rises earlier than you.
That is the land of the Arabian Nights, Scheherazade’s thousand and one fascinating tales.
Within the vacancy, the silence enveloping you, djinns, magic and delusion appear very actual – damaged solely by a camel’s snort or gleeful yell from a sandboarder.
The ocean
Among the first peoples of Oman had been known as the fish eaters; settled alongside the Gulf of Oman and Arabian sea.
Right now it’s residence to 5 species of turtles, which come ashore to put their eggs and valiantly wrestle to the waves in opposition to all odds after hatching, in addition to wild dolphins leaping by the waves.
From a daytime cruise out of the capital’s marina to identify dolphins to a sundown dhow trip in one in all Oman’s conventional boats, it’s the right strategy to get one other sight of the nation.
And for divers, there’s an entire undersea world to find across the Musandam peninsula within the north in addition to the waters off the coast by Muscat.
The surprises
Hidden among the many seemingly barren panorama lie Oman’s secrets and techniques; pure springs within the mountains which create crystal clear swimming pools within the wadis, channeled into ‘falaj’ which serve the villages and irrigate the date palms, a sudden explosion of inexperienced among the many dusty route.
In an space so apparently inhospitable, its dramatic peaks inspiring awe and terror, out of the blue a village seems, turquoise doorways brightening the crumbling golden brick.
And within the coronary heart of the desert, a Bedouin camp, camel cranium displayed above the tent, with dates and qahwa – the nation’s cardamom-flavoured espresso – to welcome company.
The boats of Oman
For hundreds of years, Sur has been well-known for its dhow constructing, its craftsmen creating the standard picket hulled boats for so long as tales are instructed – in line with legend, Sinbad the Sailor selected his personal boat from these made in Sur.
Right now, it’s Indian craftsmen wielding the instruments and lathe within the boat-building workshop, whereas the shell is shipped to Dubai to be completed and fitted, however these princely vessels nonetheless command a excessive value.
Within the metropolis on the coast, its white and blue buildings and small watchtowers set across the water, you could find one ship belonging to the current Sultan’s father, used to move him throughout the ocean to Africa.
Oman’s traditions
Because the solar units, wander alongside the waterfront for a scene which feels barely modified for years. In Muttrah, one of many oldest components of Muscat, the souk nonetheless bustles and buzzes after the warmth of the day, scented with clouds of frankincense and sandalwood resin.
Previous brass lamps, the right residence for a genie, lie alongside piles of scarves in each color; a row away, youngsters’s garments and toys for the locals who store right here too.
And on the corniche, the lads stroll of their pristine white dishdashas, a masar or kuma – because the turbans and conventional hats are known as – on their heads, or sit crosslegged on the wall chatting as the sunshine turns to gold.
The seaside
What would a household vacation be with out a likelihood to chill out by the seaside, golden sands stretching alongside the deep blue of the ocean?
White buildings mirror within the nonetheless waters of the marina, a splash of pink bougainvillea brightening the view, overshadowed by these mountains within the misty distance.
Beneath the shade of a palm tree, or poolside umbrella, life slows down right here. The right place to chill out and keep in mind all of Oman’s fascinating selection.
Mountains, desert, coast and metropolis, the lifetime of the ocean and the sand, these 9 causes to go to Oman are actually solely the start.
For extra concepts of the place to go, take a look at my one-week itinerary for Oman with children
*First revealed 2017, final up to date 2026*
PIN FOR LATER: REASONS TO VISIT OMAN
Photographs copyright MummyTravels
LIKED THIS? SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL NEWSLETTER