Salalah & Dhofar: Frankincense, Beaches & the Green South

Today you explore Salalah and its rich frankincense heritage. You visit Al Baleed Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and ancient frankincense-trading port, with its atmospheric ruins by the sea and excellent Museum of the Frankincense Land, learning the fascinating history of the frankincense trade that made Dhofar wealthy and famous across the ancient world. You explore Salalah's beautiful Sultan Qaboos Mosque, the historic Al Husn area and souq, and the fragrant frankincense souq, buying the aromatic resin and traditional burners, and take in the lush banana and coconut plantations for which Salalah is known. The history, fragrance and lush setting are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your hotel, having explored Salalah's frankincense heritage. This evening, savour the tropical atmosphere of the south. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore the green wadis and coast to the east.

Today you explore the beautiful green wadis and coast of eastern Dhofar. You visit beautiful Wadi Darbat, with its waterfalls, pools and green hills (spectacularly lush and misty in and after the khareef monsoon season), where you can take in the beauty and perhaps a boat on the pools. You visit the deep Tawi Atair sinkhole, the historic Taqah Castle, the fishing town of Mirbat with its old merchant houses, and the ancient frankincense port of Sumhuram (Khor Rori), a UNESCO World Heritage Site set above a beautiful lagoon. The green beauty and ancient history are captivating. As the day ends, you return to Salalah, having explored the green wadis and coast of the east. This evening, savour the tropical atmosphere and cuisine of the south. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore the dramatic western coast and its blowholes.

Today you explore the dramatic western coast of Dhofar. You journey west to Mughsail, taking in its spectacular blowholes, where the sea surges through channels in the rocky shore and erupts in towering jets of spray, and its beautiful beach. You continue along the dramatic, winding coastal road towards the Yemen border, with its sweeping cliff-top views, and visit the frankincense trees of Wadi Dawkah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the precious resin is still harvested from the gnarled trees. For the adventurous, a 4x4 track leads to the stunning, remote Fazayah beaches, among the most beautiful in Oman. The dramatic coast, blowholes and beaches are captivating. As the day ends, you return to Salalah, having explored the dramatic western coast. This evening, savour the tropical atmosphere of the south. Rest well, for tomorrow you venture to the edge of the vast Empty Quarter.

Today you venture inland to the edge of the vast Empty Quarter desert. You journey up through the green hills, perhaps visiting the tomb of the Prophet Job (Nabi Ayub), with its beautiful views, and over the mountains to the desert beyond, reaching the edge of the Rub al Khali, the 'Empty Quarter', the largest continuous sand desert on earth, a vast, awe-inspiring sea of towering golden dunes. You take in the awesome scale and beauty of the endless dunes, perhaps with a dune drive by 4x4, and experience the profound silence of the great desert. The scale and drama are awe-inspiring, a striking contrast to the green coast. As the day ends, you return to Salalah, having stood at the edge of the great desert. This evening, savour a final dinner in the south, reflecting on the frankincense, beaches, green wadis and desert of Dhofar. Rest well ahead of your departure.

After a final morning in Salalah, perhaps a last relaxing walk on a beautiful palm-fringed beach or some final frankincense shopping, you are transferred to Salalah Airport for your onward departure (via a domestic flight to Muscat or an international connection). You leave having experienced the lush, frankincense-scented south of Oman, Salalah's rich frankincense heritage, the beautiful beaches and dramatic coast, the blowholes of Mughsail, the green wadis and waterfalls of Wadi Darbat, and the edge of the vast Empty Quarter. The images stay vivid long after you land, the ancient frankincense ports, the gnarled frankincense trees, the beautiful palm-fringed beaches, the erupting blowholes, the green wadis, and the endless dunes of the Empty Quarter. Dhofar offers frankincense heritage, beautiful beaches, green wadis and vast desert in abundance, a hidden gem of Arabia, and you depart already dreaming of a return to the beautiful south of Oman.