Crowne Plaza Resort Salalah

Musandam Moments

Wildlife & Nature Adventure + 1 more + 2 more

Explore the Musandam Peninsula, Oman's 'Norway of Arabia'.

12 days

from £4,745 pp

including flights

Unexplored Oman

Wildlife & Nature Off-the-beaten-track + 2 more + 3 more

Experience Oman, beyond the usual tourist trail.

13 days

from £4,065 pp

including flights

Adventurous Oman

Wildlife & Nature Adventure + 2 more + 3 more

12 days of self-drive adventure around Oman's highlights.

13 days

from £3,270 pp

including flights

Ultimate Oman

Wildlife & Nature Ultimate + 3 more + 3 more

Our most comprehensive 16-day grand tour of Oman.

16 days

from £6,580 pp

including flights

Sultanate in Style

Romantic Luxury + 1 more + 2 more

Oman’s finest landscapes and most luxurious stays.

20 days

from £9,099 pp

including flights

Gentle Oman

Classic Wildlife & Nature + 3 more + 3 more

A relaxed journey through Oman’s desert, mountains, and culture.

9 days

from £3,345 pp

including flights

Quirky excursions

View all excursions in Oman

Job's Tomb

About 40 miles from Salalah is a trace of the now-departed Jewish community of Oman. Job, a prophet for all three major monotheistic religions, is reputed to have lived in Dhofar and his tomb makes for an interesting visit. The tomb is some 13 feet long and Job is said to have been this tall, a fact further attested by his huge footprint in a nearby rock.

Taqah

East of Salalah and en-route to Mirbat, is the delightful town of Taqah. In the old quarter of the town you can find the historic homes of the old traders of Taqah, dating from when the town was a significant export hub for myrrh and frankincense; these houses, some of which are now shops, have a large open downstairs where merchant’s goods used to be stored and the living quarters upstairs. The fort has been recently restored and is one of the best examples of historic military architecture in Dhofar.

The Empty Quarter

Made legendary by the exploits of explorers like Bertram Thomas, St. John Philby and most famously of all, Wilfred Thesiger, the Rub Al-Khali (Empty Quarter) is a place of myth and fearful reputation. It’s possible to take a daytrip from Salalah to dip one’s toes into this vast sand sea where the dunes line up in towering ranks like ridges on a corrugated steel sheet covering 250,000 square miles of inhospitable terrain. For a sense of complete isolation and to get just an inkling of what the desert Bedouin and men like Thesiger endured (or even enjoyed) it’s a trip worth taking.

Wadi Darbat

During the Khareef (June to early September) the rains of the southeast monsoon brush the coast of Salalah, turning the area and mountains a lush green. It also brings cascades of waterfalls down the mountain and Wadi Darbat is the most attractive of these falls. It is best visited towards the end of September, after the Khareef when the thousands of Omani's and Gulf Arabs who flock here to enjoy the pleasure of rain have left, but the remnants of the falls and lush green mountains remain. You can swim in the pool waters that accumulate below the cliff falls just a kilometre or so from the main highway, but for the most dramatic views and pictures, you should drive further up the mountain to the rock pools that tumble down from the mountain. You can not swim in these pools, but take a little boat ride around it or simply admire the dramatic crystal clear waters. If you follow the road all the way to the end, you will pass roaming herds of camels, cows and goats, eventually reaching a car park with a cafe and boat rides which can take you deeper up the wadi (available almost year-round).