An ideal place to get your bearings is the historic seafront promenade at Mutrah, the commercial hub of old Muscat. A twenty-minute drive east of the new town, its waterside walkway sweeps from the ferry port in the west to leafy Al Riyam Park in the east, where a giant incense burner placed on a hilltop hill gives a superb view over the bay. After sunset, head to the Al Ahalam souq, one of the oldest and most atmospheric bazaars in the Arab world. As well as everyday items, the narrow, twisting alleyways of the market hold stalls devoted to frankincense, rose perfume, spices, richly embroidered Omani caps (kumahs), traditional knives and hunting falcons.

Start your sightseeing at the beautiful Grand Mosque, a glorious example of modern Islamic architecture, then head across town to Bait Al-Zubair Museum, whose collection of costumes and weapons serves as an ideal primer for local Bedouin traditions and history. From Bait al-Zubair, cross the street to the Bait Muzna Gallery for an introduction to local art before continuing your walk to the Sultan's Palace, Al Alam, principal residence of the Sultante’s ruler, Qaboos bin Said al Said. At this point, you could break for a pitstop in a traditional Muscat coffee shop before returning to the souq for a more in-depth exploration. The section devoted to gold is particularly impressive.

Drive along the fertile coastal plain, veering inland at Al Masnaah to Rustaq and Nakhl, where a pair of striking desert castles are framed by lush carpets of date palms and craggy, camel-coloured mountains. Afterwards, continue deeper into the mountains as far the remote village of Wakan, whose cluster of pastel-painted houses preside over orchards of apricots, pomegranates and grapes. You can walk through the terraces to an old watchtower at the top of the hamlet for a superb view over Wadi Mistal. Return to Muscat via Wadi Abheyad (‘White Wadi’), pausing for a swim in a series of turquoise pools.

First stop on today’s drive is the Bimmah Sinkhole, a flooded limestone crater which you can swim in. More dazzling turquoise water awaits at Fins, where a tiny fishing village huddles beside a beautiful white-sand beach. Next, take a short detour inland the towering cliffs of Wadi Tiwi, before winding up at Qalhat, one of Arabia’s oldest seaports. Your final stop of the day will be at Ayjah, a picturesque fishing harbour opposite Sur.  After supper in Ras Al Hadd, you’ll have the chance to watch nesting turtles on nearby Sharqiya beach, part of the Ras Al Jinz nature reserve (depending on the season).

A traditional Omani atmosphere prevails at the twin villages of Jalan Bani Bu Hassan and Jalan Bani Bu Ali, where a couple of old domed mosques, watchtowers and fortified houses provide ample incentive to divert inland from the main coastal route. Later, you’ll explore Wadi Bani Khalid, whose tempting green pools and bleached boulders provide a welcome wild swimming spot before you penetrate the more arid Wahiba Sands – a desert region noted for its biodiversity, giant dunes and population of semi-nomadic Bedouin people. Your luxury camp deep in the desert will provide the perfect springboard from which to experience this magical area, whether of foot or 4WD.

First halt of the day will be at the town of Ibra, capital of the powerful Al-Harthy Bedouin tribe, for a tour of its market area. The souq is particularly famous for its traditional silver workshops and Wednesday morning fresh produce bazaar. From Ibra, the road the winds steeply into the Hajjar mountains. Your base for exploring the region will be 2,000m (6,500ft) above sea level on the edge of the Saiq Plateau at Jebel Akdhar, one of Oman’s highest massifs. A constellation of pretty whitewashed villages, fed by water channelled via ancient fajars from the high ground, are swathed in lush bands of fruit and nut trees.

Nizwa served as the Omani capital in the 6th and 7th centuries, and remains the country’s principal centre for study, culture and the arts. Its historic core holds several ancient mosques, whole streets of mud-walled buildings and a souk that’s famous country-wide for its silver amulets, necklaces and khanjar daggers. Buying tends to be a leisurely affair. While settling on a price, expect to be plied with sticky local halwa and coffee laced with cardamom, rosewater and saffron.

UNESCO-listed Bahla Fort, the first stop on today’s itinerary, rises in spectacular fashion above a walled town of narrow, twisting lanes – former capital of the Bani Nebhan tribe, who ruled the region between the 12th and 15th centuries. The interest in nearby Jabrin Castle lies mainly in the exquisite wood carving and murals adorning its interiors. Both citadels lie at the foot of Oman’s highest mountain range, the Jebel Shams, which you’ll ascend via a detour to admire the jaw-dropping vistas over Wadi Nakhr, Oman’s own ‘Grand Canyon’. The isolated mountain village of Misfah, a centre of traditional rug weaving, will be your final stop.

First stop on today’s sightseeing tour will be the impressive showcave of Al Hoota – a 3-kilometre tunnel deep in the Hajjar range featuring a central chamber the size of a ballroom. Continue with a soft trek around a string of photogenic mountain villages where delicious honey is produced, then descend to Muscat airport to catch your onward flight to Salalah, in southern Oman. Famous for its summer monsoon, tropical fruit plantations and ancient frankincense trade, the city is the second largest in the country and enjoys a spectacular coastal location with long, empty beaches stretching to the horizon.

For thousands of years, Salalah – or more accurately the port city of Samhuram (near Khor Rouri) to its east – was the world’s principal source of frankincense, a once valuable commodity originating in the wadis of inland Dhofar. The remains of streets, small buildings and temples have been unearthed on the site, which was deserted sometime in the 7th century AD. Another old frankincense port was the town of Mirbat, further up the coast, now one of the prettiest fishing towns in Arabia, with wooden dhows listing on a beach overlooked by a cluster of pastel-painted houses – a photographer’s dream.

At Al Baleed, only a stone’s throw from the Antara Resort, you can walk among the toppled columns of a 10th-century mosque and discover Oman’s long seafaring history at the site’s excellent museum. Spend the afternoon relaxing by the hotel pool, perhaps heading into town later to visit Salalah’s souq, Al Husn, where you can pick up various kinds of local frankincense and rose attar.

Muscat city offers plenty of scope for a beach break at the end of your tour. If you’re chosen hotel is the Al Bustan Palace, the Chedi or Al Husn, you’ll have a private beach on your doorstep with well spaced sunbeds and parasols, as well as a choice of pools to swim in. With a car at your disposal, you could also venture further afield to Qurum Beach, one of the longest in Oman, or Bandar Jissah, a rocky bay just outside the city, from where local fishermen ferry visitors out to remote coves that are great for lazing, picnics and snorkelling.