Capital city Muscat sits on the waterfront
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Experience the Arabian Peninsula with Kensington Tours ’ nine-day Oman & United Arab Emirates Explorer guided tour . Journey into the modern Arabic world and witness Oman ’ s outdoor splendor contrasted with the U . A . E .’ s outsized opulence . Departs August 4 , 2022 . stares with a bearded ink-black goat , who perches on the abandoned terraces that once grew papaya , bananas and grapes , unabashedly eyeballing our falling crumbs with unblinking intensity .
We set off on foot toward the village of Bilad Sayt — population 150 . Wood smoke wafts from chimneys , but the alleys are quiet . Suddenly , the doors to the modest mud-roof mosque open . Men and boys wearing their embroidered kummahs ( cotton caps ) shuffle on their shoes and leave , but three — Mahmood , Jamal and Assa — invite us in for coffee . We sit crosslegged on the carpeted floor and they push bronze platters laden with orange segments and perfumed pomelo toward us . I sink my teeth into the plump flesh , the juice quenching my dust-parched throat . The youngest , Abdulla , doles out thimble-size cups and drizzles the coffee into them from on high . “ They ’ ve made it from the dried and ground stones of dates ,” explains Hanna , bantering with the men in Arabic .
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After chasing two cups of the treacle-dark brew , Hanna leans over to me and whispers : “ It ’ s not tradition to drink more than three . If you do , he ’ ll know you ’ re not a local . When you ’ ve had enough you turn your cup upside down , like this .” I follow suit . Abdulla takes the cup , wipes it on the hem of his dishdasha , refills it and passes it to Assa .
All these glimpses of traditional Omani life had been found within the embrace of the Al-Hajar Mountains — a northeastern region still imbued with the old ways , in a country that ’ s developing quickly and where the template of bright lights and glittering boulevards found in the capital , Muscat , is rapidly spreading . I had tasted the highs of sugary dates , impromptu marriage proposals and the buzz of home-ground coffee , but nothing gave me a kick as strong and long-lasting as tracing the Balcony Trek trail . Out there , you ’ re on the precipice of safe , the edge of courage , sharing the same altitude as eagles .
The experience might just swallow your heart whole .
// ESSENTIALS
UNITED ARAB Jebel Shams MUSCAT
EMIRATES Wadi Ghul
SAUDI ARABIA
O M A N
ARABIAN SEA
100 miles
When to go : From April to September Oman ’ s summer sun will singe even the toughest of skins , with temperatures frequently pushing upwards of 104F . It ’ s best to visit between October and April when the mercury-melting temperatures have eased . Currency : Omani rial . $ 1 = 0.38 OMR Language : Arabic Getting around : Jebel Shams is about 150 miles , or a 3.5-hour drive , southwest of Oman ’ s capital , Muscat . It ’ s best explored by 4WD — either rented or on an arranged tour . image : getty . Map illustration : John plumer
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