Overview
The yin to the United Arab Emirates’ yang, the mysterious and slow-paced sultanate of Oman is “old” Arabia, harking back to the days before the distorting lens of gaudy wealth turned much of the Arabian Peninsula into glitz and glamour. Utterly photogenic, Oman has everything fabulous that the Arabian Peninsula has to offer: traditional and affable Arab and Bedouin cultures… colorful, carpet-filled souks teeming with frankincense and spices… glittering gold markets… old Arabic and Portuguese forts… and abundant natural beauty, from rugged mountains and verdant wadis to vast expanses of sand perfect for camel safaris.
We’ll visit when Oman’s wonderful winter climate is at its best. Plus, we’ll stay at some of the region’s top hotels, including a luxury desert camp amid the dunes!
For 2028, we are honored to work with award-winning Omani photographer and skilled tour guide Hussein AlAamri, whose personal connections and extensive knowledge of Oman and its culture will greatly enhance our photographic experience.
Itinerary
Day 1: (Mar. 11)
Participants arrive and settle into our hotel in Muscat. Meet with Christopher and Hussein in the evening for orientation, plus a set-the-scene slide show, then a welcome dinner. Overnight in Muscat.
Day 2: (Mar. 12)
We begin after breakfast by visiting the Sultan Qaboose Mosque, with its stunning contemporary architecture, breathtaking prayer hall, and the world’s second-largest hand-woven rug. After resting the midday hours at our hotel, we’ll venture to Mutrah—the historic waterfront district—to explore Mutrah souk, full of stalls selling frankincense, intricately embroidered hats, and antique khanjar daggers. We’ll then roam the backstreets of historic Mutrah (including a courtyard where mounds of frankincense are sorted), and photograph sunset from atop Mutrah Fort before spending the “blue hour” shooting along the iconic Corniche waterfront, with its floodlit mosque. Overnight in Muscat.
Day 3: (Mar. 13)
This morning rise early to visit the Mutrah fish market, where the day’s catch is delivered at sunrise. We return to our hotel for a well-earned breakfast before departing Muscat to follow the Qurayat-Sur coast highway, along the scenic base of the Hajar Mountains. We’ll break our journey by visiting the Qurayat salt pans—geometric pools where we hope to find workers harvesting salt as in ancient times. Arriving the harbor town of Sur, we’ll settle into our hotel. Later, we’re honored to photograph some women of Sur in traditional dress—a rare cultural encounter pre-arranged by Hussein. We close with a sunset shoot offering a dramatic panorama over the bay and historic city. Overnight in Sur.
Day 4: (Mar. 14)
This morning, we will photograph boat-builders at work in the dhow shipyard—the only one of its kind still remaining in Oman—as the early sunlight comes in low across the skeletal hulls of the dhows. We continue south to Ja’alan, where we are privileged to spend time photographing a breeder working with Arabian saluki dogs and pure-bred Arabian horses amid the dunes at the fringe of the Shaqiya Sands; we’ll shoot into golden hour and sunset. Driving into the Sharqiya Sands proper, we’ll thrill to two nights camping amid the massive seif dunes in a luxury barrasti (tented camp). Overnight in Desert Nights Camp.
Day 5: (Mar. 15)
Rise early to photograph the desert sunrise with camels atop the dunes. We’ll then ride to a Bedu camp, where we’ll spend the morning engaging with a Bedouin family—a chance to photograph normally reticent Bedu women, dressed in exotic abeyas (robes) and beaked half-face burqas, in their home environment. In the afternoon, we’ll head to one of the nearby oasis villages, such as Shahek, for late afternoon street photography OR visit with a Bedu hawker to photograph him with his falcons. We close the day with a pre-arranged sunset shoot with a Bedu and his camels atop the western dunes. Overnight in Desert Nights Camp.
Day 6: (Mar. 16)
Up early today to catch the camel market outside the town of Sinaw. Afterwards, we’ll explore the exotic souq, with its fish market and its craftsmen skilled at making classic khanjar curved daggers. After lunch, continue to Nizwah, where we’ll check into our hotel in mid-afternoon then photograph the spectacular new Sultan Qaboos Mosque at sunset and the blue hour. Overnight in Nizwah.
Day 7: (Mar. 17)
Up with the dawn this morning to visit the noisy, chaotic Friday-only Nizwah livestock market, where goats and cattle are sold off amid boisterous bargaining by men in colorful turbans and jalabas. We’ll then explore the larger souq and Nizwah Fort. After lunch and a mid-day rest at our hotel, we head to Nizwah’s Oman Across the Ages Museum, a stunning contemporary architectural masterpiece whose mission is “to promote an appreciation and understanding of Oman’s unique character, history and its Renaissance.” We then explore the narrow lanes of “Old Nizwah”–a warren of antiquity rapidly in the process of gentrification—for golden hour street photography. Overnight in Nizwah.
Day 8: (Mar. 18)
In the morning, we’ll head to Bahla to photograph the Aladawi potteries, where terra-cotta vases and other earthenware are made in traditional manner. Nearby, the historic Bahla souq offers a chance to shoot life as it unfolds amid this fascinating warren of alleys. Then, on to Bait Al-Safah, a “living history museum” in Al-Hamrah, one of Oman’s oldest mudbrick oasis villages—superbly photogenic for its semi-decrepitude. Here we’ve arranged for a private photo-op with Omanis demonstrating a traditional domestic lifestyle. Then, ascending via a spectacularly sinuous highway, we’ll arrive at the Indigo Jabal Akhdar, a luxury hotel atop the Saiq Plateau, 2,000 meters above sea level. Its spectacular cliff-top location offers sensational sunrise and sunset views. Overnight in Al-Jalal Al Akhdar.
Day 9: (Mar. 19)
This morning we’ll hike to Wadi Bani Habib, a palm-lined canyon with groves of apricots and pomegranates and abandoned hillside mud-walled hamlets. We’ll also visit a traditional rosewater factory (Damask roses bloom on these mountainsides mid-March through May). This afternoon is free to relax by the pool, enjoy a spa treatment, or partake of optional activities offered by the hotel. Overnight Al-Jalal Al Akhdar.
Day 10: (Mar. 20)
After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll return to Muscat. The afternoon will be at leisure to relax, perhaps by the hotel pool with its superb views over Qurm Beach or for further photography in Mutrah. Overnight in Muscat.
Day 11: (Mar. 21)
Guests are transported to the airport to catch their flights home.