A Guide to Nizwa

I was joined for my week in Oman by Ina, a close friend of mine from Salzburg, after my two weeks exploring four other countries across the Middle East (UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain). We spent the first three nights based in Muscat from where we were perfectly positioned to explore Oman's northern coast, including time in the city, a hike into Wadi Shab followed by a cool down in the Bimmah Sinkhole and a day trip to snorkel the Daymaniyat Islands.

After our time in Muscat, we headed southeast deep into the heart of the Wahiba Sands Desert for a magical 24 hours spent glamping at the Desert Nights Camp, watching both the sunset and the sunrise over the surreal dunes.

From the extortionately hot Wahiba Sands, we drove northwest to Nizwa, rounding out the quadrangle of city, ocean, desert and mountains visited in Oman. Nizwa is tucked into the gorgeous Omani mountains, slightly cooler than the rest of the country (but only slightly - high 30s) and offering beautiful architecture, yummy food, bustling souqs and a sense of hidden escape and peace for those who wander this way.

WHERE TO STAY IN NIZWA

You can stay right in the heart of Nizwa, but we found it to be quite touristy. We booked two nights into the Bait Al Sabah, a seriously charming property built right into the mountains in nearby Birkat al Mouz. The hotel is a partially restored heritage home, over 200 years old, with some beautiful little rooms available and the rest in ruins, showing what Omani property may have looked like historically. It was a dreamy place to stay - with a perfectly photogenic rooftop terrace and Omani breakfast buffet included.

VISITING JABREEN CASTLE

We spent one full day in our rental car exploring Nizwa and the surrounding area. Our first stop was a little bit beyond Nizwa in Bahla at the photogenic and historical Jabreen Castle (Google Maps location here). There isn't much around it, meaning you can see the castle from far away as you approach. The castle was built in 1675 by Imam Bil-Arab Bin Sultan, and Lonely Planet describes it as "an important centre of learning for astrology, medicine and Islamic law."

It was unfortunately extremely hot on the day we visited, about 42°, and so we struggled to spend much time exploring as we sweated our way up and down the various stairs and across the sun-baked courtyards. Thankfully the interior rooms, with their pretty painted ceilings, had natural cooling effects, and the view from the top of the tower over the courtyard made the sweaty climb worth it!

VISITING ANAT CAFE

After our hot morning, we desperately needed air conditioning and iced coffees so we headed into Nizwa, parked near the souq and found ourselves an idyllic little cafe where we could sit in the cool interior of Anat Cafe, an architecturally stunning masterpiece of a coffee shop.

VISITING NIZWA SOUQ

The final stop of our day in Nizwa was to the most perfect little souq we've ever seen. It might have been a bit too perfect and touristy, although it did seem to be used regularly by locals. We visited during the afternoon prayer time so it was almost like a ghost town, with all the little stalls shuttered up. There are many different souqs for all the different wares - dates, fruits, pottery, goats, clothes... you name it.

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