The hook
The far south of Oman, where a summer monsoon does something no other Arabian desert sees, turning the hills lush green and misty, in the ancient land of frankincense at the edge of the world's greatest sand sea.
01Why it's worth it
Dhofar is Arabia's surprise. For a few months each summer, the khareef monsoon sweeps in off the Indian Ocean and drapes the coastal mountains around Salalah in fog, waterfalls, and improbable green pasture, drawing Gulf visitors escaping the heat to a landscape that looks nothing like the desert it borders. This is also the historic heart of the frankincense trade: the gnarled frankincense trees still grow in the wadis, and the ruins of ancient incense ports and the desert oasis of Ubar, "the Atlantis of the Sands," recall when this precious resin was shipped across the world. Beyond the green season, Dhofar offers long empty beaches, blowholes, wadis, and, inland, the edge of the vast Empty Quarter. Remote from the rest of Oman, it is a distinct, memorable region combining monsoon greenery, deep history, and desert in one unlikely corner.
02How to experience it
Come in the khareef season (July-September) for the unique green, mist, and waterfalls, or in winter for warm beaches and clear skies. See the frankincense trees and the ancient incense-trade sites around Salalah, and drive out toward the Empty Quarter's edge. Fly down from Muscat, as it is a long way by road.