"The Musandam Peninsula" Top 5 Page for this destination Oman Off The Beaten Path Tip by traveldave

The Musandam Peninsula forms the northernmost tip of the Arabian Peninsula, and forms one side of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. It is separated from the rest of Oman by part of the United Arab Emirates. Until just a few years ago, the Musandam Peninsula was a miltary zone, strictly off limits to travelers. However, now that Oman is opening up to tourism, the peninsula is becoming a popular part of the country for diving, fishing, boating, and travel into the rugged mountainous interior. Many consider this to be the most beautiful part of Oman.

The Ras al-Jebel Mountains are the dominant physical feature of the Musandam Peninsula. They rise to 6,847 feet (2,087 meters), and slope steeply down to the sea, forming long fjord-like inlets. In the interior there are many wadis (canyons carved through the mountains by prehistoric rivers 10,000 to 2,000,000 years ago) and acacia-dotted gravel plains.