Revered by great adventurers such as TE Lawrence and Wilfred Thesiger, classic Arabia rarely exists beyond the pages of novels or history books. But in Oman, the wild, unadulterated Sultanate set at the mouth of the Gulf, ancient traditions and practices have been carefully woven into the modern world.

Tucked between rumpled mountain peaks and rolling ocean surf, historic forts and gritty souks rise alongside flashy five-star resorts in the capital city of Muscat. On the coast, wooden dhows are proudly built using techniques refined over hundreds of years, and all that glitters at night is a canopy of shining stars. 

Unlike its flashy neighbours, the oldest Arab state has resisted too much change, opting for crumbling watchtowers in place of shiny skyscrapers and sticking to a more conservative way of life. As a result, the country’s varied landscapes have remained largely intact; from the rose-scattered terraces of Jabal Akhdar to the golden dunes of Wahiba Sands, little has altered over the years.

The big difference is ease of access: better roads and improved infrastructure make it much easier for travellers to explore. Although the drives can be long, it’s possible to see most of the country’s highlights in less than a fortnight, as outlined in this 12-day ultimate trip.

A 4x4 is essential to access many of the mountain trails, which can sometimes be tricky to find. On that basis, a driver guide is a useful addition to a trip – especially if you want to sit back and watch the ever-changing scenery pass by. Toyota camels may be the new mode of transport for intrepid travellers today, but the sense of adventure hasn’t diminished one bit. 

Lap up sophisticated luxury at the waterside Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah (shangri-la.com) after landing early in Muscat – a seven-hour overnight journey from London if you fly direct with Oman Air (omanair.com) or longer via Doha with Qatar. Take a dip in one of the resort’s six pools, relax on a private beach, or drift along a lazy river to ease you into the day.

One of three hotels within the resort, family friendly Al Bandar resembles a traditional village with tawny turrets, white-washed walls and balcony rooms gazing out to the Gulf. Have lunch below the faux tents of all-day dining Al Tanoor, serving hot and cold mezze.

Batteries recharged, prepare to tackle the 200-year-old Mutrah Souk, accessed through a domed gateway on the Corniche (open 5pm to 9pm). Pass a gaggle of gossiping old men and survey stalls  stacked with spices, antique mandoos (wedding chests) and ornate Omani khanjars (daggers).

Leave the chaos behind for a relaxing walk along the paved Corniche, stopping to admire retiring sunrays sink below the Hajar Mountains. After 10 minutes, reach Bait Al Luban Omani (www.baitalluban.com), where homely Omani food is served seated cross-legged on Persian carpets or at tables with balcony views.

Rise early to visit the extravagant Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (sultanqaboosgrandmosque.com), only open to non-Muslims from 8am to 11am (closed Fridays). Located in Wilayat Bawsh, it’s a 45-minute taxi ride from the hotel. Dress respectfully in long sleeves to enter the blinding-white marble building, gifted to the nation by Sultan Qaboos to mark his 30th year of reign. The opulence is staggering – from a 14-metre chandelier glittering with over 1,000 bulbs, to an enormous prayer carpet woven by 600 women.

Much older architecture lies east, back across the city, in the Old Town. Enter via Bab Muscat, a double carriageway gateway locked at sunset from the 16th century up until 1970, to find the harbourside Portuguese-built Al Jalali and Mirani Forts – although neither is open to the public. Instead, head to the National Museum of Oman (www.nm.gov.om), to uncover the Sultanate through thousands of artefacts. Although it’s possible to visit Muscat’s attractions independently, Nomad offer a comprehensive half-day tour with driver from around £70pp (www.nomadtours.com).

Finish the day in style at the Royal Opera House (rohmuscat.org.om), sampling world-class acoustics and marvelling at million-dollar outfits on parade.

Rolling waves become a whisper as you head inland to the Hajar Mountains and the high desert plateau. A two-hour drive southwest lies former 17th-century trading centre Nizwa, where a defensive fort houses a museum and grants glorious views of a surrounding palm oasis. Learn about Oman’s ancient “afalaj” irrigation systems at the nearby Falaj Daris Park, where water flows through canals beneath the shade of tropical blooms.

Delve even deeper into the past a further 20-minute drive south in Wilayat Manah, where new museum Oman Across Ages (oaam.om) covers more than 2,000 years of Omani history. It deserves a full day but save time to arrive at Jebel Shams by sunset – another two-hour drive north.

Set at the foot of the Hajar’s highest peak, Sama Heights Resort and Spa (samaresorts.com) offers simple but comfortable accommodation (a mix of stone-built cottages and canvas-walled Bedouin boudoirs). With no light pollution, you only have to step outside to watch the stars. 

Towering above the horizon, Oman’s Mountain of The Sun is the first place to witness daybreak – so it would be rude not to set the alarm. The upper areas of the Jebel Shams peak are closed to tourists, but several viewpoints can be found along the main road leading south from the Sama resort.

After breakfast, attempt a short hike. The most visually rewarding route traverses Oman’s Grand Canyon, a vast chasm extending between Wadi Ghul and Wadi An Nakhur. 

Much safer than entering with a 4x4, a 4km Balcony Walk starts from Al Khitaym – a 15-minute drive from the Sama resort – and follows a scenic path long the canyon’s rocky rim eventually leading to the abandoned village of Al Sab. After a four-hour trek, head back to the hotel to rest.

Multiple cave chambers extend below the Hajar mountains. Equipped with stairwells and electric lighting, Al Hoota Cave (an hour’s drive from Sama) is the most accessible (alhootacave.om). Found by a shepherd looking for his lost goat, the two-million-year-old cavern is filled with stalagmites and stalactites. But the oddest attraction is a population of blind fish, endemic to Al Hoota’s murky underground lakes.

Continue your journey to another beautiful section of the Hajar range – Jabal Akhdar, on the 2000-metre-high Sayq Plateau. Famous for its Mediterranean climate and terraces overflowing with pomegranates, peaches and apricots, the “green mountain” lives up to its name in spring. 

After 50 minutes, reach a police check point beyond which only 4x4s can go. Another half hour from here is the Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort (anantara.com), one of the highest luxury resorts in the world, built around a heart-stopping, canyon-rim viewpoint where Princess Diana once stood. Join a sunset yoga session on very same spot.

All the rooms are Instagram fodder (with spa-size bathrooms and Omani Amouage amenities), but the clifftop or garden villas are extra special. Book a private candle-lit dinner on The Royal Edge, a glass-bottomed platform, where the earth literally falls away beneath your feet.

Crevices, chasms and gaping gorges make the section of the Hajar range an adventure playground. Launched last year, the Extreme Jabal Activity Wall combines several nail-biting thrills; zipline across a canyon, cling to vertical rock faces on a via ferrata, and abseil from giddy heights.

Of course, slower-paced hikes are an option. Guided by Anantara’s Mountain Guru, a Wadi of Waterfalls trail passes through military bunkers from the 1950s, while the Wadi Al Bawaarid trail visits 100-year-old houses and natural pools. 

During damask rose season (from end of March till early May), when gardens are aflutter with pink petals, it’s possible to witness the art of making rosewater in a clay oven - although extracts are used in the hotel’s spa treatments year-round.

It’s a long 310km road from the mountains to the desert without many noteworthy stops. Take the longer route via Ibra – one of the oldest cities in Oman. Wander through the 19th-century Ibra Castle, which still has a mosque inside, and – if visiting on a Wednesday – pop into an unusual souq run by women for women. 

But the main stop for the day lies a further hour’s drive south at Wadi Bani Khalid. Receiving a constant flow of water, teal-blue pools are suitable for swimming and easily accessible from the car park, with restaurants and bathrooms on site. Wear a rash guard in the large pool; swimsuits are fine for the less crowded upper pool, a 10-minute hike into the valley.

Now head north for 50km until you reach Bidiyah to take an off-road turning for the desert dunes of Wahiba Sands, where you’ll spend the night at Arabian Nights Resort & Spa (arabiannightsresort.com) in the Al Shariqah Sands. (Alternatively, pre-arrange for the hotel to collect you.)

Daybreak is the perfect time to photograph the dunes – some almost 100 metres high – as shadows shift and colour change from ochre to amber. You might even bump into Bedouin tribes leading caravans of camels across the sands, some offering camel rides bookable through the hotel.

Leaving the desert, return to Route 23 for a two-hour drive to the easternmost point of the Arabian Peninsula, where fishermen have been trading for thousands of years. One visitor, however, has been coming for even longer.

Between July and September, four species of turtle nest on protected beaches; greens are seen most often. Part of the Ras Al-Hadd Nature Reserve, covering 43km of coastline, the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve (rasaljinz-turtlereserve.com/en/) operates guided nightly tours to see the turtles – starting at 9pm. Stay overnight in one of the centre’s eco tents.

Start the day with turtle viewing at 5am, looking for either mothers nesting or hatchlings making their first dash to the sea. For a chance to catch both, August and September are the best months. 

A scenic 350km coastal road leads back to Muscat, passing through ancient port city Sur. See how traditional dhows were crafted from teak and local desert tree ghaff on a tour of the Dhow Factory and shipyard; find it below the Khor Al Batah Suspension Bridge.

Continuing north, it’s another 40-minutes of blues skies and seas to reach Wadi Tiwi, a tropical oasis of emerald pools and lush plantations favoured by Omanis. More touristy is neighbouring Wadi Sham; hop in a rowing boat to cross the river and hike into the mountains for swimmable pools. A final stop before reaching the capital, Bimmah Sinkhole is a natural turquoise underground pool, only 600 metres from the sea and easily accessible via a stairwell. 

Once back in the city, check into the beachfront Chedi Muscat (ghmhotels.com) to dine on freshly shucked oysters and fall asleep listening to the sea.

Spend a morning relaxing in the Chedi’s 1,500-square-metre spa, swimming from the private beach or in the resort’s 103-metre pool. It’s 15-minute drive to the airport, where you’ll catch a 90-minute flight to Salalah with Oman Air.

The largest city in the southern Dhofar province is a world away from the rocky, arid north: waterfalls swell with monsoon rainfall and thick forests climb cloud-wrapped mountain slopes. Conditions are perfect for the Boswellia sacra tree, used for extracting frankincense since medieval times when it was worth more than gold. 

Discover its magical medicinal properties during a 90-minute Frankincense Ritual at the Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara (anantara.com), your base for the next couple of nights. Built in the style of a fortress, it’s neatly positioned between a private beach and a freshwater lagoon.

Start your own journey along The Frankincense Trail by following Route 31 to Wadi Dawkah, a forest of 5,000 trees harvested from April to July when the monsoon season begins. Walk up to the viewing gallery and find a perch to gaze out at the valley below.

After heading back into the city for a simple lunch of grilled meats at Al Kutaini Restaurant (23 July Street), head west along the coast to the Marneef cave and blow holes and wait for jets of water to blast through vertical shafts in the sea cave. During the khareef monsoon season (July to September) they can spurt 28 metres high.

Spend an afternoon digging your toes into the white sands of nearby Al Mughsail Beach or return to the resort and explore the neighbouring Al Baleed Archaeological Park. A network of paths runs through the ruins of a 12th-century trading port, fully interpreted at the comprehensive Museum of Frankincense Land (nm.gov.om). 

Prepare to fly home early this morning via Doha with Qatar or return to Muscat to connect with Oman Air. If you do have more time, squeeze in a trip to Khor Rori and the old port city of Sumhuram. Dating back to the 4th century BC, these are some of the oldest settlements in the Sultanate.

It can be very hot between April and September, reaching above 40C, although this does coincide with the best time to see turtles. Temperatures are much cooler in the mountains and Salalah during this period. But the winter months from October to March are much more comfortable all round.

Abercrombie & Kent (03301 734 712; abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers a seven-night B&B Classic Oman trip from £3,999pp (two sharing). Includes flights.

Cox & Kings (03330 603 303; coxandkings.co.uk) offers an eight-night B&B Oman: An Arabian Odyssey trip from £2,695pp. Includes flights. Can be joined as a group or taken as a private trip.

Oman is still a conservative country, so long sleeves, skirts (below the knee) and trousers are recommended. Choose lighter fabrics like cotton or silk to keep cool. Jumpers are needed for colder evenings in the mountain, while trekking boots are essential for hiking trails.

Mountain and desert have served as a backdrop for dozens of epic travelogues. Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger romanticises the Empty Quarter, while Atlantis of the Sands by Sir Ranulph Fiennes follows a 24-year search for the lost city of Ubar.

Avoid exaggerated, angry hand gestures – especially while driving. Some can be punishable by law. Invitations to share tea and dates are common – but always remove shoes when entering an Omani house.