Adventure travel in Oman: Sailing

Sailors are well catered for in Oman: little surprise, as the country’s ancient capital Sohar was the birthplace of Sinbad the Sailor. West of Muscat, the Millennium Resort Mussanah (www.millenniumhotels.com) offers a private 54-berth marina managed by reputable local firm Oman Sail (www.omansail.com). Boat rentals, sailing instruction and yacht charter are all available. At the nearby Wave (www.thewavemuscat.com), Almouj Marina is home to a 300-berth port. From here It is a short sail to the Dimaniyat Islands nature reserve. Oman Charter (www.omancharter.com) organises bespoke sailing holidays, island-hopping day trips and – uniquely for the region – bareboat yacht charter.

There’s plenty of serious sailing for spectators to enjoy too. The Extreme Sailing Series (www.extremesailingseries.com) – a kind of Formula 1 on the open sea – kicks off its annual yearlong competition, which takes place in eight locations around the globe, from Muscat each February. And every November, around three-dozen sailing yachts compete in the Dubai to Muscat Race (www.muscatregatta.com), navigating the Straits of Hormuz en route.

Discover more about Oman: www.omantourism.gov.om