Oman is the Gulf country with the most varied landscape: the Hajar mountains rising behind Muscat, wadis with year-round pools, desert at Wahiba Sands, and a southern coast at Salalah that catches monsoon rain and turns green while the rest of the peninsula bakes.
The guides here cover Oman as a whole. The main season runs October to April; Salalah is the exception, drawing visitors during the khareef monsoon from June to September. A four-wheel drive is genuinely necessary for mountain and wadi routes. Oman is more low-key than its neighbours, with dress expectations conservative and fewer large-scale developments.