High in the mountains of Oman and on its coast, I stumbled upon an unexpected piece of heaven thanks to a friend’s recommendation. I even sprang for a few extra amenities for a mash-up of poor meets paradise.
I first visited Oman in 2018 after regularly stopping over for a day or two in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Qatar to split long flights between Europe and Asia. And although it’s about an hour’s flight from those bustling, scorching cities, Oman can feel almost removed from time, whether you’re in the Hajar Mountains that lap the country’s northern edge or basking in the rippling waves of Arabian. Sea farther south.
I had read about the country’s wild and often empty coastline that stretches for nearly 2,000 miles, but mountain hiking in the Gulf region was a new experience for me. What I discovered was a cinematic, “Dune”-like landscape of deserts, mountains, and rugged canyons punctuated by centuries-old terrace farming. The view then plunged into the vast desert wasteland of the Rub’ al-Khali (“the empty quarter” in Arabic) and rivaled anything I had ever seen.
Bordered by Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, this country of almost 4.7 million was transformed over the decades by Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who died in 2020. He ousted his father in a bloodless coup, backed by the British, to embrace modernism — and scads of oil and natural gas deposits — in 1970.
The country has a fascinating maritime history — the Omani empire once stretched as far south as Zanzibar in the late 17th century — and a relaxed and welcoming vibe rooted in Ibadismwhich is often seen as a more moderate branch of Islam.
It seems to have been preserved political neutrality for decades, despite being in an occasionally volatile region. The northeastern tip of Oman is about 1,500 miles from Sana, the capital of Yemen. Salalah, closer to Yemen to the south, is about 900 miles from the mouth of the Red Sea, a body of water where attacks on cargo ships have been reported. (The The US State Department currently advises “heightened precautions” for travelers and Britain says “travel advice for Oman may change at short notice.”)
And the old beauty remains throughout Oman, especially on the towering Jabal Akhdar (translated plainly as “green mountain” in Arabic), one of the highest peaks in the Hajar range, 70 miles southwest of the capital, Muscat. . Although most of these limestone mountains are generally barren and beige, the lush farmlands inspired the name. (Think the rice terraces of Bali on the sides of bone-dry rocky canyons.) Winter snowfall and mist from clouds that collect on high peaks create precipitation, and the complex “ aflaj” the country’s irrigation system, thought to date to antiquitymaximize the impact of water on this forbidden landscape.
Local growers sell their garden bounty to residents as well as resorts, including Alila Jabal Akhdarwhich says most of the food on its menu is grown on the property or bought from farmers on the terrace.
In Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar, located on top of a plateau at 6,500 feet above sea level, hiking or biking through the mountains and valleys are offered on organized tours. At an overlook called Diana’s Point, where Diana, Princess of Wales, once stood to gaze at the stars, you can hear the Muslim call to prayer echoing from two villages several times a day.
Both resorts, with rooms starting at around $500 to $600, offer guided walks through 400-year-old abandoned villages with stunning views across the expanse of rolling canyons.
Although I flew on a commercial airline to Oman, visitors with a bigger budget than me have the option of paragliding. Six Senses Zighy Bay offers the option of a bird’s-eye arrival from a nearby mountaintop a late two-hour drive from Dubai International Airport.
Nestled in canyons flanked by turquoise waters that define Oman’s narrow, northernmost tip at the Strait of Hormuz, this resort has come to define Omani isolation at its most exclusive, with rooms starting at approx. about $1,500. (It is known as a celebrity honeymoon getaway spot, including for Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra in 2018, and Lindsay Lohan spent part of her pregnancy there last year.)
Farther south, the largely undeveloped coast of the Arabian Sea attracts large European crowds in the winter, and in the summer Gulf residents escape the scorching heat for the monsoons that envelop this coast in mist . The climate allows for miles of coconut trees and banana trees that serve as a sort of tropical backdrop to the uncrowded beach.
Salalah, the main city on the southeastern tip of Oman, is home to several resorts, but its crown jewel is the Anantara Al Baleed with its expansive beach and private villas with plunge pools, will set you back around $650 a night. Regular rooms start at around $350 to $375. (About an hour’s drive east of Salalah, the Alila hotel group, a Hyatt luxury brand, opened the second property in Omanin isolated Hinu Bay).
A visit to Anantara Al Baleed in December offers a tourism education that meets local color. Four camels danced in the surf one day to the delight of a few of us splashing in the water. Two days later, dozens of fishermen casting handmade nets had caught thousands of sardines, hauling them on their backs from the unforgiving waves and onto trucks. The resort is adjacent to Frankincense Land Museum, which offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of the sought-after aromatic resin that was once as valuable as gold.
Most trips to Oman, including mine, begin in Muscat, which has its charms despite its Dubai-like traffic and urban sprawl. My two day stop included attending a presentation at the Royal Opera House Muscat, which is a complete revelation to this lifelong opera fan. Venue tours are also available for about $7.50. Built in 2011, its layers of white stone and marble arabesque arches evoke a grand Middle Eastern citadel. In my black jeans, blazer and tie, I felt quite seductive rubbing elbows with perfectly coiffed men in traditional dishdashas (the white gown formal wear) and masasars (the colorfully embroidered head cloth).
More opulent is the city’s lavish Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque with its 8.5-ton crystal chandelier and vast carpet said to have taken four years to weave by hand. The mosque was opened to the public in 2001 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the sultan’s reign.
But I wanted to get out of the city and into nature that I had heard so much about. I booked a car and driver (for about $120) to take me three hours through the wild landscape the next day. It’s like being transported to the mountains on the moon, but in a luxury four-wheel-drive vehicle on well-paved roads. My driver, Saud, navigated the winding coastal highway past azure shorelines with massive rock formations that look like offshore islands, eventually turning right onto the steep road to the rugged Jabal Akhdar .
Saud told me that in his youth, he and his grandfather traveled by camelback from their terrace gardens to Muscat twice a year to sell fruit, vegetables, garlic and roses. Their journey was two days, and on the way they ate pomegranate seeds. Today, some 50 years later, Saud encourages tourists who want to cross the empty canyons of his youth and enjoy food from these gardens in the sky.
That night at dinner, my salad was sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. In the warmth of Alila Jabal Akhdar’s cozy dining room, I thought of Saud and our trip to a slice of paradise. I’ll probably never paraglide in Oman, but I feel like I’ve landed on the wings of something.