The ‘welcoming’ country with turquoise water and stunning mountains that’s 30°C in October

This diverse country has just been named as one of Lonely Planet’s places to go in 2027 (Picture: Ulrich Hollmann via Getty Images)

‘Be careful!’ is the usual response when I tell people I’m going to Oman.

Geographically speaking, I can understand the concern: the Sultanate’sMusandam Peninsula juts into the Strait of Hormuz.

But landing in the capital Muscat, I find myself in a very different world – one that, for now at least, is untouched by the violence affecting regional neighbours.

As I hop into an Otaxi – Oman’s answer to Uber – my driver, Hamad Al-Hakamani, is quick to tell me how he sees things.

‘My country is safe, beautiful and welcoming and there are so many wonderful places to visit,’ he says. ‘People often have no idea where we are actually located, but it is out of the conflict zone.’

Oman may share a land border with Yemen and a maritime one with Iran, but travel heavyweights agree.

Lonely Planet has just named Oman among its 50 Best Places to Go in 2027, nodding to its spectacular deserts, mountains, and coastline, as well as the hospitality of its people.

Before the discovery of oil in Oman, enchanting Mutrah (seen here) was the centre of trade and commerce (Picture: Experience Oman)

Oman has long positioned itself as the ‘Switzerland of the Middle East’, but the upheaval around it has inevitably hit tourism.

Hotels in the three-to-five-star bracket recorded 992,000 guests in the first six months of 2026, down 13 percent on the same period last year.

The impact is noticeable. Some restaurants and hotels feel conspicuously quiet, even on weekend nights.

Hamad, however, tells me numbers are beginning to pick up, and other locals I speak to share his optimism.

Writer Sadie Whitelocks returned to Oman six years after she first visited and found a very different place (Picture: Sadie Whitelocks)

Before leaving the capital, I meet aesthetician Anis Mayahi, who tells me she has been seeing fewer international clients but is hopeful tourism will recover as the regional situation stabilises.

‘Oman is a very safe country and the people are incredibly kind and welcoming,’ she says, adding that its traditional culture and lack of typical nightlife make it particularly appealing to visitors seeking a quieter experience. Now to explore.

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat was completed in 2001 and can fit 20,000 worshippers (Picture: Emad Aljumah via Getty Images)

I start on the coast, heading to Al Mouj, the waterfront development where I stayed in 2020 when I came to Oman for an international cycling event.

It was very different then, with the development still taking shape.

Now, children buzz around on scooters. Cats weave between cafés and restaurants. The only thing unchanged is the sunshine (still relentless).

My base is the Kempinski Hotel Muscat, which opened in 2018 and has 310 rooms and suites overlooking more than six kilometres of coastline.

The hotel scene has changed considerably since my last visit, with 28 projects totalling 4,789 rooms currently in the pipeline for completion by the end of 2027.

After a couple of days relaxing by the coast, I head off to recce one of the new arrivals, Tivoli LA VIE Muscat.

Seen from above, the coastal village of Yenkit is the perfect escape from Muscat’s hustle and bustle (Picture: Christoper Harriot / 500px)

Resembling a luxury ocean liner with its curvaceous form, the property combines rooms and serviced apartments with an 18-hole golf course, spa and 72-metre rooftop infinity pool overlooking the fairways.

But as beautician Anis reminded me, there is more to Muscat than real estate bling.

A sunset cruise on a dhow (a traditional wooden boat) takes me past the 16th-century twin sea forts of Al Jalali and Al Mirani, built by the Portuguese in the 1580s during their occupation.

Later, I wander through Mutrah Souq, where narrow lanes dating back 200 years are packed with silver jewellery, spices and perfumes. The air is thick with the sweet, smoky scent of frankincense. Then it’s time to eat.

In the souk, the air is thick with the scent of frankincense (Picture: Lloyd Images/Oman Sail)

At Mesa, beneath the walls of Muttrah Fort, I get a taste of the Omani-Portuguese cooking of Omani-British chef and food writer Dina Macki, who is keen to put it on the map.

‘Omani food is amazing, but it’s hard to find it in commercial restaurants,’ she tells me. She has a point.

Seafood is abundant along this coast and Omani lobster proves to be some of the best I have ever had. The octopus is a highlight, every bite a brilliant fusion of flavours.

From Muscat, my trip takes a turn as I head into the mountains, complete with jagged peaks, dramatic cliffs and gaping canyons.

En route to Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain in Arabic), we stop at Nizwa Souq, where dozens of varieties of dates are piled alongside trays of halwa – a sticky Omani dessert made from ingredients including sugar, ghee, saffron, rosewater, and spices.

Checking into Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort, perched around 2,000 metres above sea level, I can see why this region has lured everyone from adventure seekers to royalty.

Oman’s Hajar Mountains are the some of the highest in the Arabian Peninsula (Picture: Supplied)

Princess Diana visited with Prince Charles in 1986, and the viewpoint where she was photographed has since become known as Diana’s Point.

The resort sits dramatically on the edge of a canyon, making it the perfect place to watch the sunset.

Come nightfall, the stars shine and the temperature drops, making a welcome change from the heat on the coast.

While it is quiet during my stay, I learn the hotel is booked out for Christmas – Oman’s busiest time of year — and another sign that things are getting back on track.

But I’m more interested in what happens when I leave the hotel behind, so I sign up for Anantara’s Extreme Jabal Activity Wall.

The course involves via ferrata sections carved into the cliff face, zip-lining and scrambling before I reach the part I’m least keen on: a steel bridge suspended above a gorge.

Oman has something to suit every kind of traveller, Sadie writes (Picture: Sadie Whitelocks)

There is a lot of clipping myself onto steel cables and trying very hard not to look down. It is terrifying, exhilarating and exactly the sort of thing I came to Oman to experience.

Just when I think I’ve ticked off every type of landscape, the mountains give way to desert.

A trip to Oman wouldn’t be complete without a stop in A’Sharqiyah Sands, where huge dunes stretch towards the horizon in shades of orange, red and gold.

I climb into a 4×4 at the remote Desert Nights Resort and bounce my way up a sand dune to watch the sun set before meeting a local Bedouin man who has around 50 camels.

He lets me ride one for 10 minutes, enough time to discover that looking graceful on a camel is considerably harder than it appears.

Harder than it looks (Picture: Supplied)

I grab my last cup of kahwa (Omani coffee), laced with cardamom and often served with saffron or rosewater, alongside a couple of juicy dates.

It is the perfect final taste of the country.

As I pack my bags, I think back to what Hamad told me when I landed.

‘The best thing to do here is explore the beautiful nature, visit the mountains and beaches, experience the Omani culture and hospitality.’

Seven days, three very different landscapes and countless cups of kahwa later, I feel like I have done Hamad proud. So, was I careful?

Yes – but mostly about not falling off a cliff, getting stranded in the desert or eating one too many dates.

The UK Foreign Office continues to warn travellers that the situation in the wider Middle East remains unpredictable, but the cautions I received before coming to Oman did not reflect what I saw on the ground.

What I found instead was a country where dramatic mountains meet turquoise waters, ancient forts sit beside shiny hotels and strangers still stop to ask if you need help.

It turned out to be one of the most unexpected adventures I’ve had all year.

Sadie Whitelocks was a guest of Experience Oman, but don’t expect us to sugarcoat anything — our reviews are 100% independent.

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