Luxury Oman Voyages

Nicknamed the Norway of Arabia for its dramatic fjords, this rugged peninsula is made for a small yacht. Cruise the sheer cliffs of Khor Ash Sham by dhow as dolphins ride the bow, snorkel hidden coves, and visit the mountain-top Khasab Fort. Big ships simply can't thread these narrow inlets, SeaDream can, folding out the marina in a sheltered fjord so you kayak and swim beneath towering rock in near-total solitude.

Oman's handsome capital nestles between stark mountains and the Gulf of Oman. Marvel at the marble and chandeliers of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, haggle for frankincense and silver in the labyrinthine Mutrah Souq, and admire the fortified harbour where superyachts and wooden dhows share the water. SeaDream berths near the corniche, and an overnight lets you take a desert-edge sundowner or a late dinner in Muttrah before exploring at your own pace.

In the Dhofar hills, gnarled frankincense trees still weep the resin that once made this coast richer than gold. Walk the UNESCO ruins of Al Baleed beside the lagoon, taste bananas and coconuts straight from roadside farms, then watch the sea explode through the blowholes at Mughsail. Call after the khareef monsoon and the desert turns improbably, emerald green. This is Arabia at its most fragrant and least expected, a harbor the fleets sail past.

Sur still builds ocean-going dhows by hand, their timber hulls rising in yards little changed for centuries. Wander the whitewashed lighthouse village of Ayjah at the harbor mouth, then drive to Ras al-Jinz, where green turtles haul ashore to nest under moonlight. Few large ships can call here; SeaDream III's shallow draught slips into a working Arabian port most cruisers only read about, leaving you among fishermen and frankincense rather than crowds.