Grand Tour of Oman 2026-27

The Arabian Peninsula. Magic, allure, wonder… this tour will carry us into a world we have so far only dreamed of. The Arabian Peninsula will welcome us with its new symbols of luxury, but also with breathtaking landscapes that enchant with a different atmosphere and light at every hour of the day. The tallest buildings in the world alternate with the palaces of the sultans, Portuguese-style forts and a thousand mosques… Let the dream begin!

Oman.

Oman is a sultanate in the Middle East bordering the United Arab Emirates to the north-west, Saudi Arabia to the west and Yemen to the south-west. It faces the Arabian Sea to the south and east and the Gulf of Oman to the north-east. Oman also includes the enclaves of Madha and Musandam, which border the United Arab Emirates; the latter is washed by the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. From the seventeenth century Oman had a colonial empire of its own, competing with Portugal and the United Kingdom for control of the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. In the nineteenth century, the period of its greatest splendour, the political and economic influence of this empire stretched as far as Pakistan and south to Zanzibar. The twentieth century, by contrast, saw the sultanate’s steep economic decline, since its prosperity had rested on being a thriving market for arms and slaves, trades that collapsed. As a result of this decline Oman fell under the heavy influence of the United Kingdom, becoming part of its Empire as a protectorate until 1971. Traditionally the sultanate is close to the United Kingdom and the United States, but it has always preserved its sovereignty and today pursues an independent foreign policy. Until Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said sent his father (the previous sultan) into exile in 1970, Oman was an underdeveloped nation, almost entirely closed to outsiders and manipulated by the British, though never annexed to the empire. Qaboos developed and spread education, public works and tourism throughout Oman. The Omanis are friendly people, most welcoming and helpful towards visitors. In turn, tourists should respect the manners and traditions of the people of Oman. The Omanis are proud both of their country’s rapid progress and of their heritage as a great seafaring nation. Excellent schools and hospitals, good government and improved infrastructure are all important features of this nation that was once inward-looking and closed. The sultanate is considered one of the most developed and stable of the Arab countries.

Misfat Al Abriyeen

This village “marks a pause”: it is a place where time seems to stand still. It is distinguished by its narrow alleys, traditional houses and tall clay buildings. Its striking terraced fields and ancient buildings frame the mountain ridge. The inhabitants of this village, at an altitude of around 1,000 m, live on the mountain top, with their crops spread out at its foot. Their decorated houses rise and fall in tiers, hugging the contours of the mountain and offering the visitor an exceptional spectacle. The first house is said to have been built more than two hundred years ago. Contemplating the village from afar, one has the impression that the mountain itself has sprouted houses and forts among the trees and flowers. The people who quarried its rocks and stones, grinding them into fertile soil fit for cultivation, also managed to channel the water into spiralling canals to quench the thirst of both the land and its people.