Oh man... OMAN
- Vlatka Duric
- May 21, 2020
- 8 min read
If you have ever thought about going to Oman, you would not regret it. This was one of those trips that were not planned but selected during one dinner and a glass of wine. There were no months of research, collecting info, checking the offers and no monitoring of the flight prices. A rather big plus this trip had was an ex-pat friend that would welcome us to stay with her and use Muscat as our base for further exploration of Oman. Even if you are not as lucky as we were, Oman should be on your bucket list.
Before we booked the tickets, a small investigation had to take place. Investigation in the terms of which months could be ok for us, rather white people, to visit Oman and not burn in the hot desert sun. Tickets were booked for October 2017. And the overall plan was to spend 12 days exploring the north-east region of Oman. Unfortunately, not enough time to visit the Salalah region. But this is a legitimate basis to come back. This and food. Some key sights had to be visited. They are Muscat (their main city), mountains, nature parks, wadis and numerous castles. Besides, in this country, where empty beaches stretch as far as you can see, a few days of beach wellness is obligatory. After all, this should be a relaxing holiday.
Exploring Muscat by day and night
A piece of advice: before you leave your accommodation, be sure to pack enough water that will always be at your side. It takes some time to adjust to the climate. Now you are ready. First, you can stop at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. Amazing architecture, largest single piece carpet in the world, marble that plays with your mind and you are not sure if it is only a reflection in the water or a path where you can walk. Dress properly, or you will have to rent the dress to cover yourself. Be there as early as possible, it will get too hot later on (one to two hours should be enough for a visit, and there is enough parking around). Next in line was the city centre. Ok, but where is that exactly? Muscat is built out of a few smaller areas and a city centre like we know it, from the European cities, is something you will not find here.
So, we decided to go and visit their administrative city with Al Alam Palace and The National Museum. Palace itself is closed for public, so you will have to settle for a few pictures from the outside. The National Museum is just across the street and worth to visit (take some warmer clothes, the temperature indoors is around chilly 18°C, if not even less). Parking again will not be an issue. We haven't seen many tourists around, which was a surprise. But maybe the season didn't officially start. Next in line were Incense Burner monument (Riyam monument) and Corniche Mutrah. What was strange to us is that most of the monuments and forts were closed for the public. Until today, we do not know the reason. But at least you can get nice pictures from far away. Keep in mind one thing - whatever you see during the day, gets a new perspective during the night. A ride through Muscat in the evening is a must. Don't hesitate to stop and take pictures. You will see many cars doing the same. Another piece of advice. Always have your swimming gear with you. When it gets too hot, and it will, search for the beach or a beach club and enjoy fresh juice and great food.
Ticking off the Forts in the Northern region
Not far away from Muscat lie few Forts worth visiting. Bahla Fort and Jabreen castle. Jabreen Castle was my favourite. This time, a bit more tourists followed the same path. And what you quickly need to master is taking pictures with a minimum number of other tourists in them. This will be very important later on. Forts and castles mostly date from the 17th century, they have been entirely refurbished, and only a few original things from that era are still there. I became obsessed with rooftops and stairs, and my mission was to take a picture of every single one. Of course, the sun was always there, making my mission more complex. Two forts are ticked off, few more to go. Remember - don't forget to drink the water while chasing the rooftops!
In between visiting next few forts more north, we made a few stops which come in the next chapter. So, let's close the forts topic and move further. Last in line was Fort Al-Rustaq. Maybe even the biggest one. We have made some faulty planning, so our arrival time to the fort was also their closing time. I don't know why, but the guard was very nice to us and asked if half an hour would be enough to explore the fort. Surprised, we said yes and from that moment on the fort belonged only to us. A little tip to the guard at the end will even get you a few fresh bottles of water. They are many beautiful forts and castles around. But after a while, you can not keep a track of them anymore. These three were for me the ones worth visiting.
Oman inland
Touring around Oman, and then structuring your text is not an easy thing. This can be structured according to the cities, regions or interest topics. I chose to sort my trip on the topics. Meaning it will not be in the chronological order. Now when that is out of the way, let's proceed to the part about the inland. As always, I got a guide for my trip. The guide is always full of interesting and useful information. But in some, there is a lack of coloured photos. Exactly this was the case with my travel guide. Although, one photo was memorised quickly. The cover photo with the abandoned villages. I could not get it out of my head and abandoned villages were put on a to-do list.
We decided to book a tour guide that would drive us around the inland, showing us the most interesting forts, wadis, mountains and villages. It was a smart decision to do. He was full of funny stories, although we did not believe in every. He organized these two days without saying a thing to us. And the surprise came close to the end of the first day. He stopped the car and showed us where will we stay for the next two nights. It was exactly the village from the cover of my guide. Oh, happy day, oh, happy day! It was one of those places where locals welcome you to their home (in this case family-run hotel) and cook a local dinner for you. Abdulah, the owner, welcomed us with the tea and fresh dates and offered us to rest on their terrace after a long day.
Next day we continued our tour of the abandoned villages and mountains. Meeting on our way friendly animals and residents. Maybe you have heard about Oman`s mountain Jabal Akhdar, if not it is a green mountain. And some amazing views wait for you if you decide to visit it. If that is not enough, a legend says that Jabal Akhdar was a favourite spot of Princess Diana in Oman. Just saying. Ok, mountains are also ticked off. It is time to explore nature.
Wadis of Oman
There are more than 50 wadis in Oman. And eleven days is too less to see them all. Thus, we managed to visit only 4 and on top of that the Dragon hole. Trip to wadi usually takes one full day. Especially if you want to relax and take in everything that wadis have to offer. Bring some food, towel, water and go pro if you have it. To reach the wadi you will have to drive for a while, then take a boat and then walk at least an hour. Sometimes you will have a feeling that there is nothing in the end. But do not give up! That is an order! It is worth every step you take.
Our guide took us to the first wadi. Forgot to write the name, so that one will stay a mystery. It was a small one, well hidden, close to Nizwa and only for us. On our way, we could hang out with very friendly goats, that were always up for a photo or two.
Next in line was Wadi Shab. Park close to the road, take the boat that takes off every few minutes and then walk for an hour, or an hour and a half. Time plays no role here. You will enjoy the nature around you. Here we have had doubts if there is something at the end of the canyon. Luckily, there were always people coming our way and saying, keep on moving, it is there. And it was. At one point a small beach and the wadi showed itself. Find your place on the rocks, leave the stuff and start the adventure. A bit of walking through the water and on the rocks, a bit of swimming, a bit of diving and you will come to the cave with a waterfall. Lovely scene. Hope you haven't forgotten your go pro? I have, thus no pictures of the waterfall. This wadi will be full of tourists, so practice your skills of taking photos that look empty.
Wadi Bani Khalid, a bit smaller than Wadi Shab, but you should place it on your list. Turquoise water, white rocks and a lot less walking. Tourists will be there, so again, you know, practice that empty photos ahead. Here you can order the coffee while chilling next to the water. Ah yes, there is a cave at the end of it. And if you like to almost crawl to not see much in the end, feel free, I know I will not do that again. I would rather choose one of the private lakes on the way to the cave.
Few more words on the Dragon hole and Ras al-Hadd. Dragon whole is an interesting place to visit. When you park your car, you will not know that very close to it is a hidden hole filled with seawater. Few hundred meters from the sea, this hole was formed and somehow nature took care that it gets always filled with the seawater. Take the stairs, jump in, swim to the
Continue your drive towards Ras al-Hadd. A place that you will not forget. Not much to see. But even this one thing will be enough. Have you ever wished that you are the only person at the white sandy beach next to the warm sea? Ras al-Hadd is the answer. It seems that this beach is endless sand with not a single person enjoying its beauty. the only downside is that there is no shade, so bring something for that purpose. And try not to fall asleep in the sun. That could be painful later on. If you do not plan to spend the night in Ras al-Hadd, head back to the inland and try to catch the sunset at the dunes.
Beach clubs, wellness and the food
Every now and then you need to take a break from sightseeing and enjoy. and Muscat offers a lot. Every bigger hotel chain has its own private pool and a beach where you can get a daily ticket to pamper yourself. Unfortunately, Al Bustan was closed due to the ongoing refurbishment, but that would have been my first choice. Crown Plaza was a good trade-off, but my favourite beach club was Muscat Hills Resort. In 2017 daily pass cost was approximately 20 euros for all of them and was worth every cent. First-row sunbed, perfect view, good service and amazing food, without leaving your sunbed. I can still remember the taste of the salmon tartare with avocado dip on top.
Food in Oman took my breath away. Variety, the mix of Indian and Arabic cuisine, fresh juices, spices... The only thing that was a bit complicated was a proper coffee. But after a few days, you learn how to live without that. This text is already getting too long, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Only one remark, you will never be wrong if you chose seafood or lamb. Trust me... (on the alcohol topic: at the hotels and beach clubs, alcohol is being served, in the restaurants fresh juice is a great option)
How did we move around? Well renting a car is a good way to move around Oman. The roads are not too busy and fuel is extremely cheap. If you plan to visit also Salalah, i would suggest taking a plane, not to lose too much time moving around.
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