Oman Travel Planning is the summary of my one-month trip through Oman during the autumn of 2023 (September – October). The pace of traveling was slow and flexible. I could go and stay wherever I wanted with a rented car, but I had to stick with the limited time frame of the visa (30 days).
Oman Travel Planning – General Planning
The travel planning for Oman started almost three months before the trip. I used only the Lonely Planet Guide and read a couple of other articles about Oman wadis hiking on the internet. I considered that the guide book offered me enough, well-synthesized information to plan the trip. Also, I could choose the places in the guide book where I wanted to go for one month – tourist places, UNESCO heritage sites, as well as off-the-beaten-track places and hiking trails in some of the most famous mountains and valleys in Oman.
Oman Travel Planning – Fixed Plans
Before leaving to Oman, I had booked/ contacted/ written / messaged:
– a car, which I booked a few days after buying the flight tickets (I haven’t paid the whole amount for it though, it was only partially paid, so I was a bit nervous they wouldn’t have a car for me – it would have been impossible for me to travel through Oman without a car, so the car was a big must for me)
– a flight ticket, which I bought almost three months in advance
– several Couchsurfing contacts who could have helped me with information, accommodation, and phone calls if anything happened to me in Oman during my stay
– additionally, I was part of a Whatsapp Couchsurfing Oman group where more than 100 people (locals and former travelers to Oman) could answer any questions I may have had
– a collaboration with several authentic guesthouses/ camps: here I wrote about Misfah Old House and Nomadic Desert Camp in exchange for free accommodation
– several Couchsurfing requests accepted in Muscat, Salalah, Nizwa, and Sharqyia Sands (I messaged the hosts before the departure to Oman as I knew I wouldn’t have time for messages during my stay in Oman)
Oman Travel Planning – Intentions, but nothing fixed
When I traveled to Oman, I wanted to do/ go to the following places (but I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do all of them):
– drive the long 1000-km road from Muscat to Salalah on the rim of the desert, with an overnight stop in the desert town of Haima
– explore Salalah and its surroundings until the end of September when there’s still greenery / waterfalls after the summer monsoon (khareef)
– drive all the coastline along the Arabian Sea from Salalah to Al Wahiba (Sharqyia) Sands
– stay with a Bedouin family in a traditional camp in Sharqyia Sands (also known as Al Wahiba Sands)
– stay with a local family and join them for dinner in the evening (maybe eating with hands and/ or sitting on the floor around a low table)
– explore as many forts as possible throughout the country
– explore as many souqs as possible throughout the country (such as Salalah, Muscat – Mutrah, Sur, Ibra Wednesday market, Sinaw Thursday camel market, Nizwa Friday animal market)
– hike and swim in Wadi Bani Khalid, Wadi Tiwi, and Wadi Shab (maybe also Wadi Hoqaim)
– camp on the beach and in the wadis where accommodation was non-existent, scarce, or too expensive
– drive by 2WD to the top of Jebel Shams in the Western Hajar Mountains and hike the Balcony Walk
– travel by 4×4 from Nizwa to Rustaq over the mountains, via the Snake Gorges and Wadi Bani Awf
– smoke shisa – ok, maybe just for the sake of a photo
Oman Travel Planning – Final Result
This is the final result of my trip to Oman, where I stayed for one month. Enjoy your reading and let me know your opinion about Oman. Which is your favorite place in Oman? Why?
Muscat (5 days in total)
- flight from Bucharest (Romania) to Muscat (Oman) with a short layover in Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport (Turkey), approximately 12h in total
- explored Madinat Qaboos neighborhood, the Grand Mosque and Opera
- explored Old Muscat Town and Mutrah neighborhood
- explored Al Seeb souq on the outskirts of Muscat
Salalah (5 days)
- road trip from Muscat to Salalah, with an overnight stop in Haima in the middle of the desert
- round-trip in Salalah surroundings (camel farms, springs, waterfalls)
- round-trip from Salalah to Jebel Samhan (wild camels, springs, waterfalls)
- explored Salalah city for an entire day
The Arabian Sea Coastline – Salalah to Sur (6 days)
- road trip from Salalah to Khalil, via Mirbat – Sadah – Hasik – Wadi Suneik – Ash Shuwaimiyah – Shaleem – Lakbi
- road trip from Khalil to Masirah Island, via Duqm and Shannah small port
- round trip on Masirah Island for a half day
- road trip from Masirah Island to Al Kamil, via Shannah port – Al Ashkharah – Jalan Bani Buali – Jalan Bani Buhassan
- road trip from Al Kamil to Al Wasil (Sharqiya Sands), with a detour to Wadi Bani Khalid
- road trip from Sharqiya Sands to Sur
The Gulf of Oman – from Sur to Muscat (4 days)
- explored Sur for two days
- explored the surroundings of Sur – Wadi Shab and Wadi Tiwi
- road trip from Sur to Muscat, with stops in Qalhat ancient city – Hawiyat Najm Park with Bimmah Sinkhole – Quriyat Fort and Souq
Muscat again (see Muscat)
Crossing the Hajar Mountains from Muscat to Nizwa (4 days)
- road trip from Muscat to Ibri, with stops at the forts in Barka, Nakhal, and Rustaq
- road trip from Ibri to Misfat al Abriyeen, with stops at the beehive tombs in Bat and Al Ayn, and Bait al Safah in Al Hamra
- road trip from Misfat Al-Abriyeen to Nizwa, with stops at the forts in Bahla and Jabrin
- road trip from Nizwa to Ibra, with stops in Birkat Al Mauz and Zukait beehive tombs
Traditional souqs in Oman (3 days)
- explored Ibra souqs for a whole day (Wednesday mornings)
- explored the camel and livestock souq in Sinaw (Thursday mornings)
- explored the livestock souq in Nizwa (Friday mornings)
The Hajar Mountains (6 days)
- road trip from Nizwa to the top of Jebel Shams (the highest in Oman – 3028m)
- partially hiked the Balcony Walk (2/3 of it – sorry, too exposed and dangerous from my p.o.v.)
- explored Nizwa souqs and fort for a whole day
- round trip from Birkat al Mauz to Jebel Akhdar, with hiking between Ash Sheraiqah – Al Ayn – Al Qashar villages
- road trip from Nizwa to Muscat, with an afternoon stop in Al Seeb
- very-early morning flight from Muscat (Oman) to Bucharest (Romania), with a long layover in Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport (Turkey)
This is the summary of the one-month trip to Oman. Enjoy your reading and let me know your opinion about traveling to Oman. Which is your favorite place in Oman? Why? Where would you go?