Dynamic Change in the Gulf. Oman & the United Arab Emirates.
This is an 11-day sample itinerary. Remember that R. Crusoe can create an Arabia journey of any length to meet your exact specifications.
Change is afoot. And what change it is. Oman and the United Arab Emirates ooze history, sure. And on our custom tour, we do spend time examining these ancient countries’ pasts. But we also go to catch a glimpse of tomorrow in Dubai, the Global City of the Future built on a scale you cannot possibly imagine.
Begin in Muscat, Oman’s capital city and one of the oldest settlements in the Middle East. See Sultan Qaboos’s Grand (and we mean grand) Mosque. Among other things, it boasts the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet. Then a look at Old Town and Muscat’s spiritual hub, Al Alam. Wind up in Muttrah Souk, possibly the most interesting market and authentic in Arabia—all of it spread under a palm-frond canopy.
Next, an opportunity to wind our way through Oman’s backcountry. Nizwa. Jabreen (where a castle awaits). Al Hamra's 400-year-old streets, and the dramatic gorge of Wadi Nakhar. Get to know the Yaaruba Dynasty, and see its architectural accomplishments. Picnic in the Middle East’s answer to the Grand Canyon. Lunch with a view.
Then into the United Arab Emirates. Our entry point? Abu Dhabi. Take a tutorial on Saadiyat Island, intended to be the world’s next great museum and performing arts complex. Architectural superstars have lent a hand—Gehry, Ando, Nouvel, and Hadid, among others.Our luxury hotel here is wonderful.
Into the desert. At our home-away-from-home, Al Maha, a top resort tucked into the shifting dunes, we get a taste of the surprising richness of this arid terrain. Wildlife abounds. (So do the spa treatment possibilities.) Take a guided camel trek. A dune safari in a 4x4. Horseback ride. Learn the subtleties involved in falconry. Collect your thoughts, and reconsider the exact meaning of a "desert."
Dubai, next. The city has blossomed into a thoroughly modern hub. Amazing, considering that electricity first came to the city in… 1952. The changes here are eye-popping. Stand by for a look at the world first “shopping resort,” the vast Mall of Emirates. Among other curiosities, it contains an indoor ski slope. See Burj Khalifa, the tallest building on Earth.
And, of course, tour old Dubai. Al-Fahidi Fort is now home to the Dubai Museum. The old market along the banks of Dubai Creek is something else, too.
Back home, catch your breath and consider all you’ve seen.
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