Oman

Oman is the Arabia of the storybooks, minus the theme park gloss. Muscat curves white and low along the sea, its corniche scented with frankincense, its grand mosque a masterpiece of quiet. Drive an hour and the land starts performing: wadis of jade water hidden between cliffs, villages of mud brick stacked above date plantations, forts on every strategic rock. The Hajar mountains hide canyon-edge resorts where infinity pools hang over thousand-metre drops. Then the desert: the Wahiba Sands, where camps glow like lanterns between the dunes and the silence is a physical thing. Omanis treat guests with a courtesy that feels almost old-fashioned, in the best way. Safe, spectacular and still under-visited, Oman is the Gulf's best-kept secret and the easiest adventure in the region.