Oman

Oman is what the Gulf was before the towers: a sultanate of mud-brick forts and frankincense souqs, mountain villages hanging over canyons, and a coastline of fjords at Musandam where dolphins escort the dhows. It is safe, gracious, startlingly beautiful — and three hours from India, which makes it our favourite answer to "somewhere different, without the long-haul."

The shape of the trip

The classic (5 nights): Muscat's Grand Mosque, Mutrah souq and corniche (2 nights); the coast road to Wadi Shab's swimming canyon and the Bimmah sinkhole; a night among the dunes at a Wahiba Sands desert camp; and Nizwa's fort and Friday goat market on the loop home. With seven nights, add Jebel Akhdar's mountain terraces or a Musandam dhow day.

The money

One rial is roughly ₹225 — Oman is mid-priced, not Gulf-expensive: good hotels ₹5,000–9,000, desert camps ₹7,000–12,000 with dinner and dunes, a shawarma-and-grills dinner ₹400–700. The real spend is wheels: self-driving a rental (₹2,500–4,000/day) is easy and transforms the trip; 4WD only for the dunes themselves.

Worth knowing

This is a road-trip country — routes are excellent and empty. Dress modestly beyond resorts; Fridays run quiet until afternoon. And Salalah in monsoon is a separate, surreal trip: green hills and waterfalls in Arabia while India drips at home.