Oman

Oman is the Gulf without the skyline. Muscat is low rise and traditional; two hours inland the Jebel Akhdar plateau sits at two thousand metres with canyon edge hotels and a genuinely cool summer; the Wahiba Sands and the wadis are a day's drive. The coast at Musandam has fjords. It suits travellers who want the desert and the culture with good hotels and no nightlife. Winter, October to April, is the season; the interior is pleasant later than the coast.