Went on a dhow trip around the Musandam Fjords, nicknamed the ‘Norway of Arabia’

Fantastic rock formations

So many dolphins who were having fun swimming alongside the dhow including a mother and baby

Had a swim and snorkel at Telegraph Island. The first London-to-India telegraph link was opened in 1864. This ran overland through Europe to the Musandam Peninsula at the top of the Persian Gulf, then on to India via undersea cable. Telegraph Island was a ‘repeater station’ to boost the signal.  It was not an easy posting for the operators, with the severe summer heat and hostility of local tribes making life extremely uncomfortable. Because of this, the island is where the expression “go round the bend” comes from – the heat making British officers desperate to return to civilization, which meant a voyage around the bend in the Strait of Hormuz back to India.