TOUR BALQEES 12 DAYS PACKAGE (OMAN NORTH & SOUTH)

Day 1 Muscat-Nakhal Fort & Hot Spring-Wadi Bani Awf-Snake Canyon-Balad Sayt-Jabal Shams (The Grand Canyon of Oman)

We’ll leave Muscat towards Nakhal, here you can visit the beautiful Nakhal Fortress, located at the foothills of the mountains in a nice town that grows extensive date palm plantations, this magnificent 1500 years old Fortress rises out of the mountain rock, towering high above the ancient village as if still warning would-be attackers of its ominous strength, it has witnessed many battles and is packed full of hidden escape routes and secret passages, you can stroll around inside of this restored Fortress and visit all the rooms which have been nicely decorated in the original old style, the view from the top of the Fortress over the mountains and green date plantations is outstanding.

From the Fort we’ll visit the hot spring the spring is tucked away among date farms a couple of kilometers from Nakhal Fort, and it flows year-round with warm mineral water collected in the site pools, several chairs and shades are provided in the “picnic area” near the pool.

From there we continue our trip to Wadi Bani Awf, the road leads us through the Wadi, we’ll pass by impressive Wadi Canyons (Snake Canyon) and several villages the most beautiful village there is Balad Sayt, its surround by mountains from all directions.

Then we drive up the mountain, this mountain road drives up to the Jebel Shams 3009 meters (The Grand Canyon of Oman) it’s one of the most adventurous mountains in Oman, offering exciting off-road experience and fantastic views, you reach Canyon view stop there and enjoy the view and photo, from there just short drive to our resort where you spend the night.

Overnight in Jabal Shams (Sama Heights Resort or Similar)

Day 2 Jabal Shams- Wadi Ghul-Wadi Nakhar-Al Hamra- Misfat Al Abriyeen- Nizwa

From Jabal Shams, we drive towards Wadi Ghul the village of Wadi Ghul 2000 years old located at the foot of Mountain Ghul and can be seen on your way to Jabal Shams it has been abandoned by its inhabitants and no one remained in, it has been built of solid stones.

From there we drive into Wadi Nakhar its beautiful sites, a spectacular view which derives its name from the local word (necrosis), which means the process of rock sculpture «erosion» as the water of this valley formed during the time periods.

Wadi Al Nakhar is one of the deepest valleys in Oman because of its geographical characteristics, the great gap in Jabal Shams is considered to be the most important source of water since its large opening leads to valleys and reefs that form the valley of Al Nakhar

From there we visit the ancient town of Al Hamra then a short drive to Misfath Al Abriyeen village, this picturesque village lies on a steep slope at the foot of Jebel Shams and consists of old homes and narrow streets, it has a falaj system for many orchards, date palms, and vegetables, it’s worth spending sometimes walking around the village from there we drive to Nizwa.

Overnight in Nizwa (Al Diyar Hotel or Similar)

Day 3 Nizwa Fort & Market (Souq)-Jabal Akhdar (Green Mountain) -Birkat Al Mouz -Nizwa

Today we’ll visit the famous Nizwa Market (Souq), a wide variety of vendors offer their goods in the streets of the souk from, here you can find, vegetables, pottery, jewelry, handicrafts, Omani sweets (Halwa), dates spice, and souvenirs which are sold in authentic old market halls that few places can boast, especially interesting is the Friday cattle market when the locals from the nearby villages come to sell their, goats, cattle, sheep, and chickens in a circus-style open marketplace.

Next to the Souq is Nizwa Fortress, the Fort is a museum today and offers splendid views of this ancient town and the surrounding mountains, you can walk around in this impressive Fortress and visit its many rooms, passages, and towers, the Fort is an architectural testimony to the economic and military achievements of the early Yaruba dynasty from the mid-17th century, it was a military stronghold designed to withstand even the strongest of attacks at the time, even along the corridors, many traps were laid to deter any intruders that might have penetrated the defenses.

From Nizwa drive up to Jabal Akhdar it’s knowing as (Green Mountain) it’s considered one of the most scenic areas in Oman, it’s a part of Al Hajar mountain range, Jebel Akhdar has so-called because of the presence of green terraced gardens surrounding the villages, a variety of fruits like pomegranates, apricot, apple, olives, Grape, Rose, Peaches, and Walnut are grown there, there are interesting walks in Wadi Bani Habib, Shrejah, Al Ain, and Al Aqur.

After the green mountain we visit Birkat Al Moz, it has a large falaj system that supplies water date palms, and vegetables for many orchards, it’s listed to the UNICCO, it’s worth spending some time walking around the old part of the village.

Overnight in Nizwa (Al Diyar Hotel or Similar)

Day 4 Nizwa-Jabeen Castle-Zukait-Tower Tombs-Ibar-Al Mudhaireb-Wahiba Sand

Today we are driving to the desert on the way, we’ll make a stop at Jabreen Castle this castle was originally designed as a presidential palace in 1670 by Balarab bin Sultan Bin Saif Ya’arubi Dynasty, an extensive renovation was carried out in 1984, the interior includes various furniture and traditional utensils to provide visitors with a taste of the period castle lifestyle, the building itself is decorated with elaborate wood carvings, ceiling paintings, and stucco work, the castle is open to visitors.

From jabreen Castle we drive to Zukait cylindrical tombs date back to the third millennium BC, located on a hilltop in the Al Dakhiliyah region, they are made of mountain rock stacked to create a distinctive beehive shape.

From there we continue our journey to Ibra there we’ll visit the old part of Ibra, which is old almost 1000 years, it builds from mud and limestone you can walk around the village, the village is not completely abounded there are still some people living there.

From Ibra we’ll stop in Al Mudhaireb, you can walk a bit uphill where you will be within the ruins of the old village of Al Mudhaireb, the ruins are quite interesting and you can explore the area, but if you keep going uphill you’ll see one of the many watch towers of Al Mudhaireb, the view from that watchtower is quite nice and once you there you will see that there are half a dozen other watchtowers in Al Mudhaireb.

Historically, each quarter of the village had its own watch tower to warn the residents from attacks from other villages/quarters, and there would have been an old quarter under or near-by to each of these watchtowers.

From there we continue our trip to our camp in the desert Wahiba Sand this spectacular desert has an ares of 12,500 Square K.M they called also Al Sharqiya Sands, formerly known as “The Wahiba Sands” it’s a region of desert in Oman the region was named for the Bani Wahiba tribe, divided between the northern and southern Governorates in the Eastern Region, the area is defined by a boundary of 180 K.M (110 mi) north to south and 80 K.m (50 mi) east to west, relax in the camp or take part in an adventurous 4×4 drive in the sand dunes, then we’ll watch the stunning sunset of the desert in one of the big sand dunes, we finish the day with a buffet dinner at the camp.

Overnight in the Desert (Safari Desert Camp or Similar)

Day 5 Wahiba Sands- Wadi Bani Khalid – Sur- Ras Al Hadd

Today after buffet breakfast we’ll take you to Wadi Bani Khalid, one of the biggest and most beautiful Wades in Oman, you have reached Wadi Bani Khalid, just a short walk approximately 5 to 10 minutes (walking shoes are required) where you can swim in 9 meters depth sparkling clear water pools, sunbath, relax in the beautiful scenic Wadi Canyon.

From there we continue our trip to Sur, we’ll take you for a city tour in Sur we’ll show you the Dhow Factory and old ship we take you to the old part of Sur where you can see most of the houses there designed by the wooden doors and windows.

Then we continue our tour to Ras Al Hadd to check-in our hotel/resort for the night, in the evening after the buffet dinner, we take you to the turtle sanctuary at Ras Al Jinz, here we’ll go on a guided beautiful walking tour on the beach at night under the stars, where we have a high chance of seeing Omanis great sea turtles stumbling onto the beach to build a nest and lay the eggs, if you are lucky, you can even see baby turtles hatching from some nests.

Overnight in Ras Al Hadd (Turtle Beach Resort or Similar)

Day 6 Ras Al Hadd – Wadi Shab- Ras Al Hadd

Today we drive towards Wadi Shab, this Wadi is an enormous canyon gorge that it’s lined with palm trees and impressive indications of what the power of the water coming down from the mountains can do in nature, with a 45-minute hike up through the canyon Wadi (walking shoes are required), we arrive at one of the crystal clear water pools, tourists can swim through the warm waters from pool to pool, eventually, we come to the last pool where an opening among the enormous rocks allows us to swim into an incredible crevice cave with a small waterfall inside the sunlight filters in from the outside, turning the water into a beautiful turquoise blue whilst water showers down one side of the cave from the Wadi beyond.

Overnight in Ras Al Hadd (Turtle Beach Resort or Similar)

Day 7 Ras Al Had – Al Ashkharah – Ras Al Rways (white Dunes) – Muhut- Al Duqm

After breakfast we start driving south through Muscat Salalah Coastal Road, we’ll pass many sea villages and the largest and most beautiful one is Al Ashkharah fishing village that will depend on fishing. we’ll visit Al Ashkharah port, and there you will see many fishermen returning from the sea with huge quantities of fish and seafood.

From Al Ashkhara we drive towards Ras Ar Rways, where the stunning white sand meets the turquoise open sea, from there drive to Muhut its one of the states of the central region of Oman overlooking the Arabian sea, it was one of the most important ports of previous times, it was famous for shipbuilding, transporting passengers and goods from Oman to East Africa, India and other parts of the African continent, carrying Omani products and returning with goods that were not in Oman at that time, from Muhut drive to  Duqm Where you’ll stay overnight.

Overnight in Al Duqm (City Hotel Duqm or Similar)

 Day 8 Duqm- Ras Madrakah Beach and View point-Duqm Rock Garden-Duqm

After breakfast at your hotel, continue your journey to Ras Madrakah in moderate weather throughout the year, represented in the mountainous and rocky formations overlooking the Arabian sea on one side and the soft golden sand on the other side, you can have walk-in golden sands there or swim in the beautiful sea.

From Ras Madrakah Back to AD Duqum it’s famous for its geological attractions for the world, it’s known as the Rock Garden Duqm, it’s an area of 3 square kilometers made of sandstone rocks and limestone, which was created in an underground water aquifer more than Forty-Six million years ago, rock garden is a great piece of nature’s artwork, this Rock garden is full of anonymous rocks with different shapes, positions, standing formed in unusual shapes, rounds rocks, big pieces of rock standing on a small piece of the stone stand, and some seem like statues of animals, this site is one of the top twenty-five sites in Oman with geological scientific importance.

Overnight in Al Duqm (City Hotel Duqm or Similar)

Day 9 Al Duqm- Al Jazir- Ash Shuwaymiyyah-Salalah

We leave our hotel in the morning towards Al Jazir Most of the state’s industries came from its location on the Arabian Sea, where the inhabitants of the state practice a variety of crafts and industries, including the manufacture of paddles and the manufacture fishing nets and other industries such as the specialties and the industries of some tools of animal skins, pink pools one of the high light in Al Jazir, visit the pink lake in Al Jazir, it’s one of the stunning lakes located 7 KM  from al Jazir downtown.

From Al Jazir we’ll drive to Al Shuwaymiyyah it’s a fishing village along the Arabian Sea visit Wadi Ash Shuwaymiyyah this deep valley, carved by nature out of the surrounding land, plunges towards a rock-strewn coastline with dramatic cliffs as a backdrop, from Ash, Shuwaymiyyah drive to Salalah

Overnight in Salalah ( Salalah Beach Resort or Similar)

Day 10 Salalah West Tour (Al Balid-Al Mugsail Beach-Job Tomb-Al Hafah Market)- Salalah

Today we start the day visiting Khwar Al Balid this lagoon takes its name from the ancient city which lies on the banks of this lagoon, the lagoon flanks the city on the east and north, in ancient times, this lagoon was connected to the sea and used as a natural port due to its depth in some parts.

The region is currently  listed to the “UNESCO” and the khawr is protected, the importance of this place lies in its combination of archaeology, history, and nature, the archaeological park is considered to be the first of its kind in Oman, serving to protect natural resources, attract tourists to the site and inform people of this important ancient city in the Governorate of Dhofar.

Then visit Almugsil beach it’s a beautiful and charming beach, characterized by its serene, white sand, and a tourist destination frequented by tourists from all over the country especially during the monsoon, and the Blowholes attracted the peoples when the strong fast waves crush the rocks.

Nabi Ayoub (Prophet Job) as mentioned in the Bible, holds a significant landmark from the bible In religious terms, this tomb is probably the most important site in Dhofar, the tomb of Prophet Job, mentioned in the Old Testament and venerated by Muslims, Jews and Christians, is situated on an isolated hilltop overlooking Salalah, regardless of your religious convictions, the site is a must-see for the beautiful drive, especially during the khareef (Monsoon), and for the view over the Salalah Plain on a clear day.

From Nabi Ayoub Tomb back to your hotel.

 After sunset starts off at Al Hafah Market it’s a traditional market known as the city of Salalah, and the visitors of the city as a tourist and economic landmark, the Hafah market located 3 km from the city of Salalah in Dhofar governorate, surrounded by coconut trees, the market is known for the sale of incense and frankincense products and the market is full of many products, whether traditional textiles, or traditional clothing, ornaments, gold and silver, and many other traditional products, it’s considered the oldest market in Dhofar, have dinner there after dinner back to your hotel.

Overnight In Salalah ( Salalah Beach Resort or Similar)

Day 11 Salalah-Rub Al Khali (Empty Quarter)-Al Shisr (The Lost City)-Wadi Dawkah Frankincense Garden- Salalah

Today we drive towards Rub Al Khali (Empty quarter) The Rub’ Al Khali is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, the desert covers some 650,000 km² (250,000 sq. mi)  including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirate, and Yemen, it’s part of the larger Arabian desert, wherever you look, you’ll see tall sand orange dunes and crystal stone that have been toned due to erosion.

From Rub Al Khali on the way back to Salalah, we’ll visit  Al Shisr (The Lost City) One of the sites of Al Luban (Frankincense) Road, which is part of “UNESCO” Sites in Oman, located in the province of Dhofar the state of Thamrit, the capital of the Badia (Najd Dhofar) at the southern end of the desert of the Empty Quarter, evidence suggests that the site has been inhabited since the Stone age.

Exploration and excavation work at Al-Shisr site revealed the existence of an ancient archaeological city (believed to be the city of “Erm” which is mentioned by God in the Holy Quran, the land of the people of Hood who did not create the same in the country as mentioned in the Qur’anic text) Continuous exploration of this important archaeological site, this archaeological site was discovered in 1990 by a group of archaeologists and was included in the World Heritage Organization for the most important.

From Al Shisr to Wadi Dawkah, Wadi Dawkah is located in the Najd area behind the northern slopes of the Dhofar mountain range, 35 km north of Salalah city, and extends north towards the state of Thumrait, it’s one of the growth areas of the frankincense trees in Dhofar Governorate, it’s a natural reserve for large frankincense trees and it’s listed to the UNESCO.

Overnight in Salalah (Salalah Beach Resort or Similar)

Day 12 Salalah East Tour – Taqah-Khor Rori (Sumhuram)-Wadi Darbat-Mirbat-Salalah

Taqah Castle, 33 KM east of Salalah, Oman, Taqah Castle was the residence of Sheikh Ali bin Taman Al Ma’shani, who was the Grandfather of the previous Sultan, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, this castle was built in the early 1900s, so not so old compared to other castles in the north of Oman, the castle is now a museum, and it is really interesting to visit, there are great exhibits.

Next to the Castle cemetery of Mazoon Al Mashani, the mother of the previous Sultan, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said is buried there under identical marble gravestones, and uncles and grandfathers of the Sultans are buried there also.

From there we continue our journey to Khor Rori reports that the town of Sumhuram was founded on the royal initiative and settled by Hadhrami emigrants, the Dhofar region was the main source of frankincense in the ancient period, and it seems likely that the foundation of the settlement by the Hadhramaut was in part motivated by the wish to control the production of this valuable commodity.

The excavations have uncovered the ground plan of the settlement and have attested maritime contacts with the Ḥaḑramite homeland, India, and the Mediterranean, it was inscribed in 2000, along with other sites along the incense route in Oman, as part of the UNSECO “Land of Frankincense”.

From there continue your journey to Wadi Darbat offering majestic views of the lakes, mountains, caves, wildlife, and waterfalls, Wadi Darbat is surely a paradise for nature lovers and history enthusiasts, watching the crystal clear water cascading down the 100-meter waterfall surrounded by lush greenery is surely a delight, close to the waterfall are many natural cave chambers with stalagmites and old stalactites.

From there continue your journey to Mirbat coastal town in the Dhofar Governorate, Mirbat was involved in the export of frankincense in ancient times, to places as far as China, in ancient times Mirbat was the capital of Dhofar, with an income derived from the frankincense trade and from breeding Arabian horses, visit the port of Mirbat and walk along with old houses of Mirbat.

Here the tour is ended, and you have an option, your guide (team) can drop you at Salalah airport if you fly in the evening or you can stay in Salalah and your guide (team) has to drive back to Muscat, please let us know.