OMAN

Ruled by the same dynasty since 1744, the Sultanate of Oman feels more timeless and less worldly than its neighbour, the United Arab Emirates. The scent of frankincense drifts across the souks of the capital, Muscat, as it has for centuries, and history is palpable at the Sultan’s Palace and a trio of forts used in Portuguese colonial times. In the Al Hajar mountains, the farmers of Jabal Akhdar grow peaches, apricots and pomegranates nourished by modest rains, while the gardens of tropical Salalah, in the far south, are abundant with banana and papaya. On the coast, the calm waters of the Musandam Peninsula and Sur attract snorkellers, as well as nesting turtles.

But the desert is the big draw, whether speeding through the copper-coloured dunes of Sharqiya Sands in a 4x4, looking for the lost city of Ubar, buried in the sand for millennia, or sleeping out under a panoply of stars at a luxury camp.