About an hour's drive southeast of Muscat, the coast becomes sharply indented in a series of sandstone fjords, known locally as khors. The calm inlets, known as Bandar Khayran, provide many places to swim and the surrounding cliffs turn molten gold at sunset. To reach them, drive through Wadi Mayh and head for the coastal town of Seifa. Alternatively, take a boat and enjoy the accompanying flotilla of dolphins. Many hotels can organise this trip or contact Marina Bander al-Rowdha (tel: 24 737 288; website: www.marinaoman.com) on Sidab Street. Other popular excursions from Muscat include day-trips to the old fortress towns of Nizwa, Nakhal or Rustaq. All three towns, at the base of the Hajar Mountains, were formerly capitals of Oman and sport spectacular 17th-century forts (built on much earlier foundations) that once guarded trade routes from the interior to the coast. Nizwa is the largest of the three towns with a lively animal market on Thursday mornings and a craft souk with some fine silver artefacts. Nizwa also makes a good base for excursions to mountain villages, Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain famous for its terraced gardens of roses and pomegranates), Jebel Shams (Mountain of the Sun) and the Grand Canyon of Oman.