Musandam

About three hours out through the fjord past fishing villages, with a snorkelling stop and Omani coffee and fruit on board. Dolphins usually show up on the way. Two departures a day.

A rock in the middle of the khor that held a British relay station in the 1860s. Boats anchor off it to swim; there is almost nothing left standing on land.

4x4 up towards the peninsula's 2,087m high point. Tours stop around 1,600m because the summit is a military radar station. Marine fossils in the rock, petroglyphs, and the Rawdah Bowl beyond.

An early 17th-century Portuguese fort, now the regional museum, with weapons, dress and boats from the peninsula's maritime past. Entry is nominal.

The one fjord you can reach by road, down a steep set of hairpins to a pebble beach where people camp. A 4x4 is strongly advised for the gradient.

Oman Air runs a daily 737 to Khasab, about an hour and five minutes. It is the only scheduled link with the rest of Oman and it fills up, so book early.

By road, Khasab is reached only through the Emirates, north past Ras Al Khaimah to the crossing at Tibat. The 35km coast road from the border to Khasab is one of the best drives in the country.

Arriving overland means an Omani immigration post and, usually, cross-border cover from your hire company. Oman keeps widening visa-free and free short-stay entry, so confirm the current position before setting off.

October-April: 20-30C, calmer water, and the season the boat trips are genuinely comfortable.

May and September: hot and humid but quiet, with rooms and dhow seats easy to get at short notice.

December-February weekends and Eid, when UAE weekenders drive up and Khasab's small hotel stock sells out.

Board a dhow at Khasab harbour around nine, when the water in the khor is flattest.

Out through Khor Ash Sham past the fishing villages, watching for dolphins riding the bow.

Anchor off Telegraph Island to swim and snorkel, with lunch served on deck.

Back in by two, then Khasab Fort and a slow circuit of the town, which takes about an hour.

Drive up to Khor Najd for the view down into the fjord, then dinner back at the hotel.

A village at the tip of the peninsula with no road to it at all. Boats run from Khasab when the sea allows, and it is a long day out.

Over the mountains on the western side, reached by 4x4 down a switchback, by speedboat, or by tandem paraglide off a 960ft ridge if you are staying at the resort there.