Sparkling Dusit2 Naseem Resort inJabal Akhdar, Oman: Nestled in the Gorgeous Sayq Plateau

My husband and I spent two nights at this wonderful hotel and enjoyed every minute! The rooms are lovely and they decorated the bed for our anniversary. Fresh and modern and nicely decorated, we felt well looked after. The bed was very comfortable. We advise asking for a second-floor room. The food was amazing with the delicious breakfast buffet included! We also ate dinner in the evening at the buffet and were very impressed with the quality and variety of food. I especially love the fresh lemon/mint drink found all over Oman. The resort is clean and luxurious it is a welcome oasis in the small town. We took the Terraced Orchard Three Villages hike and were happy we did because it was fascinating, educational and the scenery was gorgeous with apricot, pomegranate and roses in abundance. The staff was professional, friendly and helpful! We highly recommend this beautiful property for a memorable stay in the Jebel Akhdar Green Mountains.

3 Village Hike near the hotel

Here is a perfect 4–6 night private tour around Oman, which we did and loved! Leave Muscat in the morning and drive to the Bimmah Sinkhole, which is near to the highway and one of Omani top tourist attractions. We arrived in the morning, which was the best time as the crowds were thin and the orange walls and turquoise water was shimmering. There is a stairway leading down to the sinkhole where some locals were already swimming. We drove on to the highlight of the day, which was the famous Wadi Shab. We parked and went into the bathrooms to change into our swimming suits. Next was a little rickety boat ride across to the other side where the hike started. Bring plenty of water! The steep-walled, terracotta-colored canyon is stunning. The view of the canyon is breathtaking in the warm morning light reflecting off the walls. The colors of the palm, papaya, banana and date trees give a lush, green feel to the dry landscape. We followed the river, or Wadi as it is called, for about 45 minutes. Alternating between hopping over rocks and walking along irrigation canals to the main pool where we would start our swim, leaving our valuables with our guide Murshid.

Wadi Shab hike and swim

Our guide I hired, Murshid

Oman is such a safe and welcoming country, sometimes called the friendliest in the world, and it is true. Many people just left their valuables in the rocks before entering the main pool to swim to the famous cave/waterfall. We swam through three pools, with the Wadi sometimes narrowing up and other times widening. It felt like quite the adventure! We swam until we got to the tunnel in the rock, which we swam through, opening up into an amazing cave with a thundering waterfall. Some people were climbing up the waterfall and jumping back in. It was such a unique experience, we spent about 30 minutes in the cave before heading back and hiking back. We stayed in Sur that night and went to the wonderful Maritime Museum the next day. It explains Omani seafaring and trading history in detail and is very interactive.

Arabic music in the evening

We drove to another Wadi, where we took a swim in the picturesque Wadi Bani Khalid. It is also a "must see" and we enjoyed floating around in the clear, fresh water. It was a welcome relief to the warm November days we had in Oman. We then drove to our desert camp in Wahiba Sands, where we spent the night. It was like an evening from Arabian adventures, and in fact, the Aladdin movie was playing on the giant screen outside under star studded skies. The desert is vast and unending. When our dune guide bashed his way up to the top of a sand dune for the evening sunset, we knew we were in for a treat. The blazing red sunset over the glowing ochre colored sand was magnificent and we were spellbound until the sun sank over the mountains. The food at the desert camps was very good and gave us a chance to try camel kabobs among other delicacies. The next day, we drove to the famous Nizwa fort before heading to Jebel Akhdar. Oman is called the land of a thousand forts, and they were very important against raiding invaders such as the Poruguese. Its stark white exterior against the achingly blue sky was just stunning and we enjoyed our tour. The well-known Nizwa sheep market is very interesting to see. If you are there on a Friday morning, it starts very early but is well worth the effort.

Famous Nizwa Fort

We headed to Jebel Akhdar in the mountains for two nights and loved our hotel, the dusitD2 Naseem Resort. It was fabulous and luxurious with an outstanding breakfast and dinner. They also have a fun adventure park right on the hotel grounds with three levels of difficulty. You will also find a long zip line that we experienced several times during our stay. The adventure park at the hotel was the icing on the cake and was so much fun. We made it to the 2nd level and were so proud of ourselves!

Our room

There is an amazing, fun adventure park right at the hotel

The zip line was exhilarating! We also did the famous three-hour round-trip balcony walk while we were there. It was absolutely a breathtaking hike as the trail is at times against a steep cliff and the views are just jaw-dropping! We had a local guide who explained much of the history, plants, trees and culture as we walked. He had also planned a lovely little picnic his mother had prepared for us. We had dates, oranges and Omani coffee near the waterfall at the turn-around point of the hike. We learned there are over 300 types of dates in Oman and they are a staple. We also enjoyed the Arabic music at the hotel in the evening outside on the rooftop. Souvenirs are plentiful and we found frankincense oil to be a good purchase as the trees grow in Oman. Oman is one of the most amazing of the 126 countries I have been able to explore and we would love to return!

The Balcony Hike Oman

We hired a private guide to travel around and see the highlights for six days. It was informative and we learned so much about the country, culture, history and people.

For more inspiration and travel recommendations, check out our Oman page.