Hold fort in Oman

The country's citadels beckon with their millennia-old solidity and charm

It is right next door - rich in history and culture and endowed with incredible natural beauty. The white beaches lining the Indian Ocean, the vast deserts, the imposing mountains and the lush oases, make Oman a country worth visiting several times over.

Whether you drive or fly to Oman, it is best to have a car handy, as there are countless sights within an hour's drive from Muscat, its capital, which are must-sees and activities that are must-dos.

Muscat
Muscat is the ideal base to launch an exploration of the surroundings though it also has some attractions of its own. As many guidebooks suggest, if you do not do anything else in Oman, you must at least visit the souq (market) in Muttrah.

Set around a small bay, housing a fishing harbour, Muttrah is presided over by a couple of sturdy watchtowers and shadowed by the dark Hajar Mountains on the coast. It makes for as idyllic a setting as one could wish for.

The entrance to the souq nestles among the houses thronging the Liwatiya quarter, the so-called Forbidden City.

An Iranian mosque, typically tiled in turquoise and blue, rises above the fancy balconies of the houses. This part of the town is walled and guarded from outsiders. Only residents of the quarter are allowed to get past the guards at the gates.

With its wooden and coloured palm roof, which was recently restored, the souq has the ambience of a scene from 1001 Arabian Nights. The shops sell everything you could possibly imagine, especially traditional crafts and silverware.

The prices are relative to the weight and silver content of each item. There are coffeepots, gorgeous jewellery and a lot of khanjars (silver daggers) for sale.

There are many items incorporating Maria Theresa thalers - old Austrian coins - which were adopted by Oman as its currency back in the 19th century and were in use, until as recently as 1968. But beware, all of them show the date 1780, regardless of when they were minted!

A few bays down the road, past the Sultan's palace in Old Muscat and a few sturdy forts clinging onto mountainsides, and just ahead of Muscat's answer to Dubai's Burj Al Arab, the Al Bustan Hotel, you get to Al Bandar Marina, from where boats take you out to see one of Oman's main draws - dolphins.

Spinner and bottlenose dolphins are plentiful in the tuna-teeming waters of the Indian Ocean, but you have to get up early for the best sightings.

Nizwa and Bahla
Although you will already have seen a handful of the 500-odd forts and watchtowers built all over the country, Nizwa and Bahla have a couple of real stunners.

About 172km inland, Nizwa used to be Oman's capital in the 6th and 7th centuries and is still the busiest trading centre within the 'Interior' (Imamate of Oman).

The imposing Nizwa fort, built in the 17th century, sits next to a beautiful mosque with a shimmering blue and golden dome. Next to the fort is the souq, where you can watch silver daggers being handcrafted.

As Nizwa is quickly emerging as a popular tourist attraction, the prices reflect that, so don't expect bargains.

Just 20 minutes down the road is Bahla with its newly restored fort, now a World Heritage Site. A small souq across the road sells Bahla's famous pots. While you are on the "interior" fort trail, pop into Jabreen Fort which is about ten minutes away.

It is said to be the best of its kind and is much larger inside than it seems from the outside.

On your way back from Nizwa to Muscat, stop at Birkaut Al Mauz village (a short distance from the picturesque village of Manal) which is guarded by seven small watchtowers.

The old village was abandoned in the 1950s and its old mud and stone pise buildings cling rather tentatively onto the sides of the mountains.

Explore around and you can still find some homes with walls stencilled in blue. Old pots hang on the walls - a throwback from the days of yore.

An hour north of Muscat, the Rustaq Loop takes in a handful of main sites and is easy to navigate. The loop takes you off the main coastal road, guides you around the sites and deposits you back on the coastal road.

The first stop is Al Hazm - if you do the loop in the direction that will shorten your journey back to the capital. One outstanding feature of this fort is its intricately carved wooden doors, which are enormous and impressive. The fort also has fine examples of an early bathroom and water system - a kind rarely seen.

Rustaq Loop
The next stop is Rustaq with its - take a guess -1,000-year-old fort. We were still enthusiastic enough about forts but, after a quick look at the second oldest fortification in Oman, went to see the hot springs at Ayn Al Khasfah with their baths just down the road.

But beware - stepping right in, expecting the water to be tepid, can leave your toes cooked.

With fort-fatigue setting in, we barely glanced at the fort in Nakhl, although it was in a very picturesque setting, amid palm plantations and overlooking the small village of A'Thowrah. Its stream was as warm as the hot springs by the time we reached it.

The stream is a habitat for frog and fish which become slightly dazed by the warm water and are easily caught - and set free again - by the local children. Women use the stream as a launderette and families gather around for a chat - a perfect picnic setting for the family.

Sawadi
The Sawadi beach is just off the main road and is best visited while you are heading for the Rustaq Loop. The beach is well known for an island, just set off the coast and within walking distance at low tide.

Yes, the island has a fort watchtower too, but that is not necessarily Sawadi's main attraction. The sea at Sawadi washes up an incredible variety of shells.

Take a bucket, as you will not be able to leave without a large collection of what the Indian Ocean normally keeps for itself under water. And as I discovered, collecting shells cures fort-fatigue.

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Where to stay
The Intercontinental Hotel Muscat has the distinct advantage of being as central as you can get in the capital city. It is roughly at an equal distance from either end of the city and has excellent relaxation facilities, beach and restaurants.
Tel: 00968-24680000, www.ichotels.com

Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey is a Dubai-based freelance writer