Salalah East＆West Combination（サラーラツアー）：オマーンショアツアー

We had an outstanding tour while our ship was in port. What a better way to go! Our guide was fantastic and truly loved showing us his country. We had a lot of time to discuss the history and current events of Oman. We had a great lunch in a local restaurant which was scrumptious. We even tried camel meat. Overall this was such a beautiful day due to our guide and the amazing country of Oman. Thank yo all so much!

We did a day tour while our ship was in port. The tour was amazing and our guide fantastic! It was such a better way to see this beautiful part of the country than with a cruise ship tour. It was private, individual and a lot of time to talk about Oman We had lunch in a small local restaurant which was great. Overall one of the best tours we have taken.

Our driver Mohammed met us at lobby at 8:30am. As we didn’t have breakfast at the hotel, driver helped us grab an egg “sandwich” and coffee for breakfast. First we stopped at Taqah to see Taqah Castle, the former residence of the Wali (chief) there. Next we drove to the UNESCO heritage site of Sumhuram. It might have been the palace of Queen Sheba but no one can tell for sure. The excavation is still going on. It’s sitting on a very strategic location, on a mount facing the sea with two big mountains guarding the entry, and the other side is a valley with water source. It’s supposed to be an important location for Frankincense trade. It's a must-see in Salalah and totally blows your mind when you think about the history and significance of this place. Next we drove to a holy man grave. He’s from Prophet Mohammed tribe in Mecca, came to Salalah to preach. We continued to drive East. We reached Mirbat, another important frankincense trading city but now a fishing city. We visited the Mirbat castle, only opened a year ago, also former residence of the Wali. Then the fish market. Then we headed back west. First stop at a spring, on the way to Salalah. Then we stopped at the local market where I bought 0.5 kilo of top grade frankincense. Lunch at a Lebanese restaurant in Salalah. Continuing west, we reached a very long stretch of sandy beach with no property on it. Next to it was the Marneef caves. This is the most scenic part of Salalah in my opinion. We saw flamingo birds. Further into the hills we saw wild frankincense trees - people cut the bark so that sap is produced, and when it hardens it becomes ready for burning. After that we returned to the hotel, stopping briefly at the sultan’s palace on the way. The tour finished around 5pm.