Nakhal

Nakhal sits at the point where the flat Batinah plain gives way abruptly to the Western Hajar mountains, and the fort here uses that geography as ruthlessly as any defensive structure I saw in Oman. It rises directly out of a rocky outcrop at the base of the range, visible from a considerable distance, with the mountains behind it and a dense green palm oasis spreading out below. We arrived in the late afternoon, when the light turns the fort’s stone the color of dried blood and the shadows stretch long across the surrounding plantations.

The Fort Itself

Nakhal Fort predates Islam in parts of its foundation, though most of what stands today was built and expanded across several centuries, culminating in renovations under Sultan bin Saif in the seventeenth century. It’s one of the more atmospheric forts in Oman to walk through — irregular in shape, following the contours of the rock it sits on, with round towers, narrow stairwells, and a rooftop that opens onto a view over the entire oasis and the mountains rising sharply behind it. We climbed up as the call to prayer started somewhere in the town below, the sound carrying clean across the palm groves.

Ayn al-Thawwarah

A short drive from the fort, at the edge of a wadi cutting through the mountains, sits Ayn al-Thawwarah — a natural hot spring that locals have used for generations, channeled into a series of shallow concrete pools shaded by palm trees. The water stays a constant warm temperature year-round, faintly mineral-smelling, and on the afternoon we visited it was full of Omani families, kids splashing at one end while older men sat quietly at the other. Lia and I waded in fully clothed, since the pools aren’t set up for swimwear in the way a resort would be, and it remains one of the more unexpectedly relaxing hours of the entire trip.

When to go: October through April for pleasant fort-climbing weather. The hot springs are enjoyable year-round, though summer heat makes the warm water considerably less appealing.