Muscat, Oman
Oman is all about stark deserts, shifting orange sands and endless skies. That, and impressive forts, mosques and souks. The best time to visit is from November to March when temperatures are cooler. Start your weekend by taking the Thursday-morning flight. It gets you to Muscat in time to stake out the magnificent Chedi hotel’s restaurant bar and wine list, the best in the Sultanate. The next morning, clear a fuzzy head with a dip in one of the hotel’s infinity pools before heading by car to Nizwa, Oman’s seventh-century capital and home to a famously busy souk. After you’ve invested in some Omani silver, drive to Wadi Bani Awf with its crystal-clear pools to jump into and palm trees to rest under. Next day, set off early to see the fort at Jabrin and the Jebel Akhdar mountain range, before heading east to the Wahiba Sands. It’ll take a day, leaving time for an evening camel ride before the sun sets. Dinner, a typical feast of shuwar (spiced meat) with cardamom-scented rice and unleavened rukhal bread, is with a Bedouin family before a night sleeping under the stars. After breakfast (rice, rukhal and honey), it’s back to the coast. Snorkel at the (aptly named) White Sand Beach and if you’re lucky, you’ll see loggerhead turtles waddling up the shore. The late flight back to London arrives at around 6am on Monday.
Hours from London: Nine and a half
Travel modes: Flight, taxi, four-wheel drive and camel
Number of nights away: Four
Original Travel offers three nights in Oman from £875 per person, including flights, car and driver, B&B accommodation (and full board with the Bedouin). Call +44(0)20 7978 7333 or visit originaltravel.co.uk. BA flies to Muscat from London Heathrow, visit ba.com
