Oman 2015-2018

Oman (2015-2018):

Introduction:

• During a few years living in Dubai I went to Oman several times
• I will combine ideas from several roadtrips and flights to Oman that could be helpful for your trip

Places visited:

• a) Hatta Dam, Muscat, Bimmah Sinkhole, Wadi Shab, Sur, Wadi Qurai (not in the map), Nizwa, Jebel Shams, Jebel Hafeet (roadtrips or flight plus rented car):
  
  
• b) Musandam (roadtrip):
  
  

• c) Salahah (flight):
  
  

a) Roadtrip: Hatta Dam, Muscat, Bimmah Sinkhole, Wadi Shab, Sur, Wadi Qurai (not in the map), Nizwa, Jebel Shams, Jebel Hafeet

a1) Hatta Dam:

• In the border between UAE and Oman you can have a nice short stop in Hatta Dam

• I heard about Hatta Rock Pools on the Omani side, which looks like a cool wadi, but I did not reach it

a2) Border UAE-Oman:

• IMPORTANT: SOME BORDERS BETWEEN UAE AND OMAN ARE CLOSED. IN 2016, TRAVELLING WITH MY PARENTS, I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO CROSS HATTA BORDER SO I WOULD RECOMMEND 2 BORDERS: JUNCTION BETWEEN EMIRATE E99 AND OMANI ROAD NUMBER 1 ON THE EAST, OR JUNCTION BETWEEN EMIRATE E40 AND OMANI ROAD NUMBER 7 NEXT TO AL AIN
• It is common to waste at least 1 hour in the border, much more in holidays, so avoiding peak timings would be a good idea
• You will be asked for car insurance for Oman, but it can be paid in the border if you drive your own car. When I rented a car I paid insurance directly in the agency. I guess it can also be paid in the border but I am not 100% sure 
• On the way to Muscat there is not much to see or do but for a few resorts and some diving areas which might be interesting
• I have lovely memories of a traditional restaurant with a cute garden and good food where I passed out but unfortunately I do not remember the name
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

 a3) Muscat:

• After over 3 hour driving from Dubai you can reach Muscat, the capital of Oman, which is pretty calmed and traditional as opposed to Dubai
• A beautiful modern mosque (2001) can be visited right before arriving Muscat, Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (closed to visitors on Fridays)
  
  
  
  

•  Once in Muscat, the most visited area is the port corniche together with Mutrah Souq, a traditional arab market
  
  
  
  

• Diving in Oman is known to be very nice and there are a few dive centers near Muscat but I have not tried it yet
• However, areas near Muscat also offer some adventurous activities such as Bimmah Sinkhole or Wadi Shab (several other wadis as well)

a4) Bimmah Sinkhole:

• 125 km south from Muscat you can find Bimmah Sinkhole
• Being honest, this place looks much better in pictures than reality but it is a nice stop on the way to Wadi Shab
  
  
  
  
• If you are brave or stupid enough, you can enjoy a 20m jump
  

a5) Wadi Shab:

• Top recommendation in Oman as far as I know, outdoor nature activity both for locals, expats and tourists
• The start of the trek is located after Wadi Shab resort (see Wadi Shab parking in google maps)
• To cross a small lake at the beginning you can take a small boat with some locals for a few euros

• Once inside you can swim in fresh water pools, enjoy the nature, have a few jumps, and even reach a waterfall after a 45 minute walk
  
  
  
  

a6) Sur:

• 50km south from Wadi Shab you can reach Sur, the furthest part I have visited in Oman, a beutiful village by the sea

a7) Wadi Qurai:

• On a different trip instead of going south from Muscat I went west
• Driving from Muscat to Nizwa, right after Samail you can find Wadi Qurai but pay attentions because is barely advertised

 

a8) Nizwa:

• 150km from Muscat you can stop by Nizwa, once the center of trade and religion in Oman
• I enjoyed the the center of the town, with a nice castle, a souq and a few restaurants, in two different occasions
  
  
  
  
  

a9) Jebel Shams:

• Only 90km but almost 2 hour drive we reached Jebel Shams, the highest peak and a beautiful spot in Oman
• Near the top you will see a few 4x4 offering a ride at an outrageous price. We drove carefully and our regular rented car was able to reach the top so no need for the 4x4 if you do not want
  
  
  
  

a10) Jebel Hafeet:

• Finally, on the way back to Dubai you can also stop by Jebel Hafeet, a lovely spot close to the border between UAE and Oman but belonging to Abu Dhabi Emirate
• Driving towards Jebel Hafeet is beautiful
  
  
  
  
  

b) Musandam:

• Another easy escape is Musandam, 2h drive from Dubai, a separate area belonging to Oman but separate from the rest of the territory
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• Either self driving or through any tour, there are several activities to do such as dolphin watching, snorkeling, visiting a beach and even camping there
• I went twice in 2015, once with a tour on one day, the other driving with some friends an spending the night camping on the beach but with the boat transportation, dinner and camping organised. I recommend this second option much more (I do not have photos of the beach area but was very isolated and relaxing)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

c) Salahah:

• Great choice in the south of Oman, 150km from the border with Yemen, Salalah is probably the greenest area region, especially during July to September, beautiful and very chilled
  

 Main places visited:

• c1) Salalah
• c2) Mughsail beach
• c3) Fazayah beach
• c4) Taqah
• c5) Wadi Darbat
• c6) Mirbat
  

• I recommend visting during "khareef" season (July to September) and renting a car to explore the areas nearby because Salalah itself does not offer much
• A weekend is enough to explore the main highlights, and more time is always welcome to relax even more

c1) Salalah:

• I would not spend time in Salalah itself  as I have said
• I simply visited Sultan Qaboos mosque (the one in Muscat is much prettier) and had dinner the night I landed
  
  
  
  

c2) Mughsail beach:

• We started our trip going west on the first day as the meteo prediction was better
• Mughsail is a beautiful coastal area half an hour from Salalah
  
  
  
  
  
• On the furthest side of this beach you can enjoy Marneef Cave and the blowholes where water comes up
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We were lucky to see a local "restaurant" by the beach which consisted on a tent with some carpets and a few options of rice and meat, and we tried camel meat which is very popular in Oman
  

c3) Fazayah beach:

• Almost 30 km further you can enjoy another beautiful but hidden beach
• Initially you start going uphill for several km, and after almost 20 km you find an offroad deviation to start descending into a beautiful landscape
  
  
  
  
  
• On the way you can enjoy several camels as well as during the whole trip (for sure the south of Oman is the place in the world where I have seen more camels, hundreds and hundreds, freely walking, eating, crossing roads, etc)
  
• Walking for a few minutes you can start appreciating several cliffs and beautiful scenery
  
• And continuing a bit more you can park just in front of the long beach of Fazayah
  
  
  
  

c4) Taqah:

• We spent the night in Taqah, already 20 minutes east from Salalah
• I would recommend going up Taqah cliff at the furthest point from Salalah, where you can enjoy great views and nice sunset if you are lucky (not me this time)
  
  
  
  
• Rest of Taqah does not offer much in particular apart from a small castle and a few mosques, but it was convenient for us to spend the night here for next day
  
  
  
  

c5) Wadi Darbat:

• One of the highlights of any trip to Salalah especially during the summer
  
• At the highest point furthest from the coast, there are small boats and kayaks for rent
  
• And along the way the views are great and you can stop at so many viewpoints and waterfalls
  
• At the end of Wadi Darbat by the coast, you can visit Khor Rori and the Sumhuran archaeological site (2 Omani Reals per car)
• Regardless of the ruins itself, the area is beautiful and again you can find several camels along the river
  
  

c6) Mirbat:

• Last visit on our short trip was Mirbat, a traditional fishermen village which looked quite broken down to us
• Nevertheless, Mirbat Castle (free entrance) offers nice views, some Omani culture explanations and a delicious free tea as well
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Also the beaches around the village are great to relax for a while
  
  

• As you can see, Oman offers a wide variety of activities to do and has lovely spots so it is highly recommended to visit especially if living in the Middle East
• Hope you like this post and it helps :)