Oman itinerary, day by day

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.

🗓️ 3, 7 or 14 days📍 4 stops☀️ Best time: October to April

Mascate · Photo Eric Seddon / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

Oman in 3 days

2 stops · 12 things to do · ≈ 200 km

1Muscat

Day 1

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Mutrah souk and the cornicheHalf day · from €15
A covered market of frankincense, silver and khanjar daggers, then a walk along the harbour front.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mutrah Hotel (€45 a night) · Mid-range: Kempinski Muscat (€170 a night) · Luxury: The Chedi Muscat (€380 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Applebee's ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1394 reviews
Sato Inn ↗ ★ 4.8 · 310 reviews
Ramssa Omani Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.7 · 4442 reviews · €
Thy Yard ذا يارد ↗ ★ 4.7 · 1343 reviews
Misk Restaurant Oman مطعم ↗ ★ 4.7 · 1156 reviews

Photo Daniel P / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 3h · 200 km

2Wahiba Sands

Days 2-3

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range: Safari Desert Camp (€120 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Pakistani restaurant jabl e kashmir ↗ ★ 4.9 · 904 reviews
Uwaizee Multi Cuisine Restaurant & Specialty Coffee ↗ ★ 4.7 · 153 reviews
Greek House restaurant ↗ ★ 4.6 · 568 reviews
Arabian Oryx Camp ↗ ★ 4.4 · 1050 reviews
Vaidyans Fish and Grill Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.4 · 804 reviews

Photo Noah C / Pexels

Oman in 7 days

4 stops · 24 things to do · ≈ 500 km

1Muscat

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Mutrah souk and the cornicheHalf day · from €15
A covered market of frankincense, silver and khanjar daggers, then a walk along the harbour front.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mutrah Hotel (€45 a night) · Mid-range: Kempinski Muscat (€170 a night) · Luxury: The Chedi Muscat (€380 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Daniel P / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 3h · 200 km

2Wahiba Sands

Days 3-4

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range: Safari Desert Camp (€120 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Noah C / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 2h · 130 km

3Wadi Shab and the coast

Day 5

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Luxury: Sur Grand Hotel (€170 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Pakistani restaurant jabl e kashmir ↗ ★ 4.9 · 904 reviews
STAR RESTAURANT WADI SHAB ↗ ★ 4.6 · 449 reviews
Vaidyans Fish and Grill Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.4 · 804 reviews
Tiwi Restaurant, Arabic & Asian Food ↗ ★ 4.3 · 359 reviews
Anwaar Tiwi Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.3 · 269 reviews

Photo Uhooep / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

🚙 4×4 · 2h30 · 170 km

4Muscat

Days 6-7 · return

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Mutrah souk and the cornicheHalf day · from €15
A covered market of frankincense, silver and khanjar daggers, then a walk along the harbour front.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mutrah Hotel (€45 a night) · Mid-range: Kempinski Muscat (€170 a night) · Luxury: The Chedi Muscat (€380 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Daniel P / Pexels

Oman in 14 days

5 stops · 30 things to do · ≈ 740 km

1Muscat

Days 1-3

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Mutrah souk and the cornicheHalf day · from €15
A covered market of frankincense, silver and khanjar daggers, then a walk along the harbour front.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mutrah Hotel (€45 a night) · Mid-range: Kempinski Muscat (€170 a night) · Luxury: The Chedi Muscat (€380 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Daniel P / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 2h30 · 160 km

2Jebel Akhdar

Days 4-6

The Green Mountain, a plateau around 2,000 m up, farmed in terraces of roses, pomegranates and walnuts. Next door, Jebel Shams looks down into Wadi Ghul, the Grand Canyon of Oman.

🎟️ Worth booking

Terraced villages and rose gardensHalf day · from €20
Villages on the edge of the plateau, where the Damask roses are picked in spring and distilled into rose water.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Via ferrata and canyonHalf day · from €55
A fixed-cable climbing route along the cliffs, with a guide and full equipment, for a view straight down into the gorge.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The farmed terraces · Wadi Ghul, the Grand Canyon of Oman, from Jebel Shams · The abandoned cliff villages · The views over the gorges

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Jabal Akhdar Hotel (€60 a night) · Mid-range: Golden Tulip Nizwa (€100 a night) · Luxury: Alila Jabal Akhdar (€420 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Hotel Indigo Jabal Akhdar Resort & Spa by IHG ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1366 reviews
Olio Italian Restaurant - أوليو مطعم إيطالي ↗ ★ 4.7 · 591 reviews
Veranda Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.7 · 400 reviews
Jabal Akhdar Grills Kitchen ↗ ★ 4.6 · 258 reviews
Hyderabadi Dainty ↗ ★ 4.5 · 1124 reviews

Photo Eslam Mohammed Abdelmaksoud / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 4h · 280 km

3Wahiba Sands

Days 7-9

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range: Safari Desert Camp (€120 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Noah C / Pexels

🚙 4×4 · 2h · 130 km

4Wadi Shab and the coast

Days 10-12

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Luxury: Sur Grand Hotel (€170 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Uhooep / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

🚙 4×4 · 2h30 · 170 km (return)

5Muscat

Days 13-14

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Mutrah souk and the cornicheHalf day · from €15
A covered market of frankincense, silver and khanjar daggers, then a walk along the harbour front.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mutrah Hotel (€45 a night) · Mid-range: Kempinski Muscat (€170 a night) · Luxury: The Chedi Muscat (€380 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Daniel P / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

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Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

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.

⚠️ What to avoid

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.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable Oman guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Oman, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

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