Oman holidays

The desert is a must on the Omani menu, with the most famous area known as, quite simply, The Empty Quarter, or Rub Al Khali, which is part of the world's largest sand desert. Explore by 4x4 but always with an expert guide, ideally a Bedouin one who knows every dune or when a mirage is not a mirage. Wahiba Sands is also amazing and closer to Muscat, but whichever desert you choose, they are places to ponder peace, camp under an explosion of stars, join a Bedouin caravan of camels at moonlight when it is cooler, or take tea with them in their reed dwellings. The Bedouin will share stories of desert life and humble you with their innate sense of hospitality, leaving you with the sweetest and most lasting flavour of real Oman. For an appetiser, read Wilfred Thesiger’s 1959 classic travelogue, Arabian Sands.

Wadi is an Arabic term for a valley, and it usually comes in two extreme forms: dry as a bone, or flooded. Oman is, therefore, a place to hire a 4x4, as the roads suddenly end and you wander into a dry wadi, taking in all its curves and caves, either by some dusty, daredevil driving , hardcore but heavenly hiking or, if it is water filled, leave the car behind and take in some of the most wonderful wild swimming. Wadi Shab, for example, has secret emerald green caves and waterfalls all year round, leading down to the coastal village of Tiwi, where the mouth of the wadi enters the Arabian Sea. Or head to Wadi Bani Awf with old houses built into its slopes, and terraces are cultivated with date and pomegranate plantations using the ancient falaj system. No matter where you go, you are never far from a wadi and all nearly all tours include a visit to one.