Oman

Oman, in a few days

From Muscat to the dunes of Wahiba Sands, the pools of Wadi Shab and the terraces of Jebel Akhdar, by 4x4: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Muscat

Days 1-2

A low, white capital strung along the sea between bare rocky hills. The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and the Mutrah souk are its two landmarks.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, guided2h · from €9
  Marble, a huge chandelier and a hand-woven carpet that was the largest in the world when it was laid. Open to non-Muslim visitors every morning except Friday: cover arms and legs, and women their hair.
• Mutrah souk and the cornicheHalf day · from €15
  A covered market of frankincense, silver and khanjar daggers, then a walk along the harbour front.

✦ Free to visit

• The Mutrah corniche at dusk
• Al Alam Palace (from outside)
• The Portuguese forts of Jalali and Mirani
• Qurum beach

📲 Book things to do in Muscat on GetYourGuide

2

Wahiba Sands

Days 3-4 · 🚙 4×4 3h

A sea of orange dunes some 180 km long, where Bedouin families still keep camels. A night in a desert camp is the reason to come.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Dune drive and sunsetHalf day · from €60
  An afternoon in a 4x4 over the crests, ending on a high dune as the sun goes down over the sand.
• A night in a desert camp1 night · from €120
  Dinner, a tent or a hut in the dunes, and a sky with no light pollution at all.

✦ Free to visit

• The orange dunes
• The night sky
• Meeting Bedouin families
• Sunrise over the dunes

📲 Book things to do in Wahiba Sands on GetYourGuide

3

Wadi Shab and the coast

Day 5 · 🚙 4×4 2h

A canyon of green pools that you swim through to reach a waterfall inside a cave. Further down the coast, green turtles come ashore to nest at Ras al-Jinz.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Hiking and swimming in Wadi ShabHalf day · from €15
  A short boat crossing, under an hour on foot up the canyon, then a swim through the pools to the waterfall in the cave.
• Ras al-Jinz turtle reserveEvening · from €25
  A guided night visit to watch green turtles come up the beach to lay, all year round with a peak from June to September.

✦ Free to visit

• The pools of the wadi
• The Bimmah sinkhole
• The empty beaches of the coast
• The waterfall in the cave

📲 Book things to do in Wadi Shab and the coast on GetYourGuide

4

Muscat

Days 6-7 · return · 🚙 4×4 2h30

A low, white capital strung along the sea between bare rocky hills. The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and the Mutrah souk are its two landmarks.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, guided2h · from €9
  Marble, a huge chandelier and a hand-woven carpet that was the largest in the world when it was laid. Open to non-Muslim visitors every morning except Friday: cover arms and legs, and women their hair.
• Mutrah souk and the cornicheHalf day · from €15
  A covered market of frankincense, silver and khanjar daggers, then a walk along the harbour front.

✦ Free to visit

• The Mutrah corniche at dusk
• Al Alam Palace (from outside)
• The Portuguese forts of Jalali and Mirani
• Qurum beach

📲 Book things to do in Muscat on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

A hire 4x4 · You need one for the dunes of Wahiba and for the road up Jebel Akhdar, where the police checkpoint turns back ordinary cars. The main roads are good and quiet.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Shuwa: goat or lamb rubbed with spices, wrapped in leaves and cooked for a day or more in an underground oven, for Eid.
• Majboos: spiced saffron rice cooked with fish, chicken or meat.
• Grilled fish: kingfish and tuna landed on the coast the same morning.
• Omani halwa: a sticky sweet of sugar, ghee, saffron and rose water, served with coffee.
• Kahwa: cardamom coffee poured into small cups and served with dates as a welcome.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Bare shoulders and knees away from the resort beaches, and in the villages above all.
• Walking into a wadi when rain threatens: flash floods come down from storms you cannot see.
• Planning visits for a Friday morning, the day of rest, when many sites and shops are closed.
• Photographing people, women especially, without asking first.

Words that help

English ↔ Arabic

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The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/oman

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.