He first thing to say about Oman is that the sky is absolutely cloudless and so blue that it seems artificial. On a journey that takes us from the ocean to the mountains to the desert and back to the capital, Muscat, through changing landscapes and along

TWhen we arrive at the village of Qantab in the early morning, it’s a deep purple brimming at the edges with the coming dawn, a silver crescent moon and a single star pinned above the dark sea and the shadows of limestone cliffs. Later, on the water, the sky is brilliant and big. The sea, reflecting its colour, is a sparkling vivid turquoise. We’re in a speedboat whipping north on the lookout for bottlenose dolphins, which are frequently spotted along with smaller spinner dolphins in the Gulf of Oman. Extra Divers Worldwide runs dolphin-watching tours twice a day, as well as snorkelling and scuba diving excursions in the area’s rich waters. The marina is a quick shuttle ride from the lobby of Al Husn, the most upscale of the three hotels that make up Shangri-la’s sweeping Barr Al Jissah Resort. We are not disappointed. The wild dolphins are spirited and fearless, swimming so close to the boat that you could lean over and touch them if only they would slow down. When two fishermen approach our captain hunting the same tuna the dolphins eat, he points them in the direction of the pod we’ve been following, and hands the men bottles of water and snacks to sustain them in their work. “They’re my friends,” he says easily. “We help each other.” In the evening, we visit the bustling port district of Muttrah, where seagulls wheel over the harbour, in which Sultan Qaboos’ royal yacht is docked, and residents stroll along a picturesque promenade. At the souq, where lanes radiate from a central dome like the spokes of a bicycle wheel, we are sold masar, the headscarves worn by men, and jars of frankincense. The resin, drawn from the Boswellia tree, was Oman’s most valuable commodity in ancient times, worth more than gold. Today its bewitching scent is everywhere, conjuring the mystique that has lured travellers to Arabia for thousands of years. After our two-night stay in Muscat, we set out on a road-trip to the country’s interior, a region known as A’dakhliya. The heartland of northern Oman, it is dominated by the Hajar (“Rocky”) Mountains, which extend 500 kilometres across the territory. We’re headed for Jabal Akhdar, the majestic “Green Mountain” in the highest part of the range, where Alila, the Singapore-based luxury hotel brand, opened a jaw-dropping 86-room resort in 2014. We expect the infrastructure, so well maintained around the capital, to deteriorate as we drive, but instead we encounter clear road signs in Arabic and English, Katy Perry on the radio, and wide, smooth stretches of asphalt that could rival the freeways of North America. Chauffeured cars and taxis are available for hire, but the best advice we received by far was to rent a reliable SUV and drive ourselves. There’s true luxury in the freedom it affords and we never felt unsafe. The Sultanate of Oman, which borders Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, is among the most progressive countries in the region. That said, travellers are advised to keep their knees and shoulders covered out of respect for local customs—an academic point 2,000 metres above sea level, where night-time temperatures can drop to below freezing in the winter months.