Historic Nizwa & Magical AL Hoota Caves Birkat AL Mauz

0830hrs: Drive to the historic town of Nizwa, Oman’s cultural capital. You visit the beautiful Nizwa Fort with its massive Circular Cannon Tower, making it one of the most impressive forts in Oman and walk through the traditional Nizwa Souq. Then you proceed to the famous Al Hoota Cave which is recently open after a long renovation. Estimated to be over 2 million years old, Al Hoota Cave is located at the foot of Jabal Shams, Oman’s epic mountain. It is the first and only show cave in the Arabian Peninsula with a total length of around 4.5 kilometres, of which just 500 metres is accessible to the general public. Al Hoota Cave contains a rich ecosystem that includes four lakes. It is here that one can see the rare blind fish – Garra Barreimiae or more commonly known to us as Bu Naseh. And there are many other animal species living in the cave including bats (Rhinopoma Muscatellum), arthropods, mollusks, spiders, snails and water beetles. After visits, drive back to Muscat (Note: Al Hoota Cave is closed on Mondays).