Close to Mughsail Beach you'll find Marneef Cave, which, despite it's name, isn't actually a cave. This large rock structure which stands alone of the sand looking out to sea doesn't have an opening, but is instead surrounded by several other smaller caves, making this a popular rock climbing spot.

Six kilometres of powder-soft sand, frothy waves and cratered cliffs make Mughsail the must-visit beach east of Salalah. Dramatic white mountains drop to the water’s edge and during summer, you can walk out under a limestone overhang to get a blast of salt water from Mughsail’s famous blowholes as waves pound its porous rocks

Jebel Samhan is the highest point in Dhofar, with spectacular vistas from above the cloudline. But when to go is a matter of perspective. Foreign visitors typically want clear days for panoramas of shrub-dotted valleys falling into the cobalt blue ocean. If you’re from the Arabian Peninsula, you probably prefer to grab a cup of spiced milk tea, or karak, from a food truck and enjoy the changing cloudscape

the wali’s majlis at Taqah Fort
The 19th-century mud-walled fort is a newcomer compared to other forts and castles in Oman. Its wall and towers were added in the 1960s and it was renovated before opening as a museum in 1994. Nonetheless, Taqah has some beautiful examples of traditional Dhofari architecture and the fort is a charming museum. It served as the office of the local wali until the 1970s and you can sit in the governor’s old majlis, decorated with bright cushions and vintage peacock paintings, and imagine him hearing the grievances of the day.

Dhofar is the place to chase waterfalls. These are not the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to but pieces of fleeting monsoon magic: aquamarine pools and waterfalls crashing off mountains. The best known, like Ain Athum and Ain Garziz, have sturdy paths, handrails and roadside stalls during the festive atmosphere of the khareef

A Hadhrami king claimed to have founded the port city of Samharam (or Sumhuram) in the first century but the settlement had already been around for 200 years and was renowned for frankincense and myrrh in ancient Egypt, Greece and Mesopotamia. The city thrived for 800 years and was eventually abandoned from the fifth century AD, probably when Khor Rori harbour silted up. The archaeological site is 40-minutes east of Salalah.

The market, also known as Al Hosn or Al Husn Souk, sits beside Al Hosn Palace, a beach and coconut groves. Al Haffa souk is Salalah’s oldest and most fragrant. Deep tubs hold frankincense in hues of pale yellow, green and silver. These translucent granules are said to heal the gut, revive libido, ward off jinn and cure a raft of other dilemmas