Tiny houses in Oman

All of Oman's twelve verified stays sit in the same mountain range, the Hajar Mountains of the interior Ad Dakhiliyah region, split between two very different summits. Jebel Akhdar takes the majority, eight of twelve, and Jebel Shams the rest, four.

Jebel Akhdar literally means Green Mountain, famous for rose and pomegranate terraces watered by ancient falaj irrigation channels. At around 2,000 metres, temperatures are noticeably cooler than Muscat's heat, making it a viable visit even in midsummer. The chalets here are among the country's most polished stays — stone-built, several with private pools, saunas and jacuzzis — which explains the highest average price on this list, 238 euros a night, well above typical rural chalet pricing. It's popular with Omani weekenders escaping the coastal heat.

Jebel Shams is Oman's highest peak, just over 3,000 metres, and home to Wadi Nakhr, often nicknamed the Grand Canyon of Arabia for its kilometre-deep gorge. Stays here are simpler and more remote, mostly plain cabins with a handful of domes for stargazing on the rim, aimed at hikers on the Balcony Walk trail rather than spa weekends. Getting there means careful mountain driving, with a 4x4 recommended for some stretches.

Both regions are reached via Muscat's airport, then an hour or two's drive into the interior. Jebel Akhdar's season runs March to October, since the altitude keeps things comfortable even through the Gulf summer. Jebel Shams is better September to May, as its higher, more exposed terrain turns too extreme at both ends of the weather. Overall Oman's tiny-house map is two mountain outposts rather than the whole country, but between the roses of Jebel Akhdar and the canyon rim of Jebel Shams it covers two genuinely different sides of Omani highland life.