- Muscat, And First Impressions of Oman
- Sur, Wadi Shab, and Wadi Bani Khalid
- Majestic Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands
- The Goat Market in Nizwa, Oman
- Bahla Fort, The Tombs of Al Ayn, and Misfat Al Abryeen
- A Visit to Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
- In Review: 14 Days of Backpacking in Oman
- Unexpected Dubai
- A Beautiful Mosque in Abu Dhabi
- Pleasantly Surprised by Doha, Qatar
- Food Indulgence in Kuwait City
- In Review: 21 Days of Traveling in UAE, Qatar, And Kuwait
Why I Went There?
Recommended by a friend, I chose Oman to be my first introduction to the Middle East. In a span of two and a half months I would also visit United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait before going to the Horn of Africa to Djibouti, Somalia, and Eritrea. I would then go back to the Middle East for four weeks in Iran.
Where Did I Go?
I flew to the capital city of Muscat from Bangkok with a stopover in New Delhi. After a few days of acclimatization, I rented a car and drove east to the coastal town of Sur, using it as a base for day trips to a couple of wadis and Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands. I then headed west to Nizwa, from where I visited Bahla, Al Ayn, and Misfat. From there I returned to Muscat to visit the great Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque before leaving the country by bus to Dubai.
My Other Blog Posts on Oman
Muscat, And First Impressions of Oman
Sur, Wadi Shab, and Wadi Bani Khalid
Majestic Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands
The Goat Market in Nizwa, Oman
Bahla Fort, The Tombs of Al Ayn, and Misfat Al Abryeen
A Visit to Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
Expenses
After Thailand I stopped traveling with Jenni so it was back to traveling solo.
The exchange rate was 2.60 USD to 1 Omani Rial. Hotels were the biggest expense, while food was reasonably priced. Entrances to places are either free or very cheap.
Total Days: 14
Total Expenses: 1,307 USD
Average: 93 USD/day
Some sample prices:
Simple meal: 4-6 USD
Basic hotel room: 40-60 USD a night
Rental car: 26 USD per day
1 liter of gasoline: 0.40 USD
How Is It Like to Backpack in Oman?
Oman is a modern country that has maintained its tradition. There are no tall skyscrapers and it’s not filled with shopping malls and fancy restaurants like its gulf neighbors (UAE, Qatar, Kuwait).
It’s not a cheap country and it’s not built for traveling as a backpacker. There were no hostels at all when I visited, so hotels are the only option unless you want to do camping.
There’s also very limited buses between cities, and almost no city buses at all outside of Muscat. Renting a car is the way to go, as it’ll save you lots of time and give you the freedom to go anywhere. At 26 USD a day, it is affordable especially with the very cheap gasoline prices. Keep in mind that many rental companies have restrictive mileage limits when you book a car in person. The country is big so you really want unlimited mileage, which you can get by booking online. The roads are modern and in great condition, but people drive erratically.
You’ll see almost no other backpackers in the country, and I found it hard to meet locals. It was more of a solitary trip, which I didn’t mind.
I found the food to be underwhelming. You’ll find a lot of Indian food because of the large number of migrant workers from that country.
Alcohol is hard to find. From what I gathered, they are only available in certain hotel bars and shops (where you need a license to buy).
Conclusion
I really enjoyed my time in Oman. At the beginning I felt a bit out of place, but after I rented a car I was able to freely explore the country. There’s plenty of beautiful nature with beaches, mountains, and sand dunes. Of the four Arab countries I visited (along with UAE, Qatar, Kuwait), Oman was the most authentic and enjoyable for me.
My Favorite Pictures
Comments (19)
Grea photos Kevin. I’m drooling. All have great light/shadow detail. Do you do HDR or just RAW edit?
Hi Carlene! Or is it Irelos? Thank you for compliment on my photos. I don’t do HDR so they are all just edited RAW pictures. I usually add contrast and do shadow/highlight recovery.
Nice. They look great! Now I remember I might have asked you this before… Ugh… I’m sorry if I repeated myself, hehe.
It’s usually Carlene XD, but actually, Irelos sounds good too.
Cheers for your awesome travels man, we’re missing it too :__)!
Really like your travelogues on Oman. Plus the little details in between your posts help to give a good picture of each places.
I’ll be heading to Oman in Nov, and roughly passing through these same cities. Is there anything to do in Nizwa (besides the fort & the goat market) and Sur (besides the wadis outside the city)?
The souq next to the goat market is interesting and you can spend an hour or two there. Due to lack of time, I didn’t visit any other places in Nizwa so I can’t recommend anything else.
Didn’t see this reply earlier, but thanks for taking the time to respond. Happy travels!
Great photos. The quality of your pictures seems to improve with each year.
Thank you for your kind comment! You are right, I try to improve my photography every year.
Nice to know something about backpacking there 🙂
Do you know something more about camping in Oman? Thanks 🙂
I didn’t camp at all in Oman, but I heard that camping at the beaches is common for tourists, and most of the time nobody will bother you.
How did you find driving in Oman? Was signage obvious? Is a GPS a must?
The names of cities/towns were written in English on the signs, but sometimes the distance (or the speed limit) would be written in Arabic numbers. But I found them easy to learn.
Using the GPS on my phone definitely helped me navigate, especially inside towns.
The names of cities/towns were written in English on the signs, but sometimes the distance (or the speed limit) would be written in Arabic numbers. But I found them easy to learn.
Using the GPS on my phone definitely helped me navigate, especially inside towns.
Hi, Where did you rent your vehicle from? Trying to plan a trip Oman myself.
I rented it online on europcar.com and picked it up at the airport. You get unlimited miles if I you book online first. Otherwise if you book it at the airport I think there’s a 100km/day limit.
Hi Kevin! Great blogpost about Oman! I plan a trip to the country this summer, but it’s hard to find good hotels, hostels or airbnbs in the country, most are luxury hotels, but as we’re backpackers we prefer more cheap and less luxury options. Where did you sleep? Thanks a lot!
Unfortunately there are no hostels in Oman! I stayed in hotels and they were by far the largest expense at 40-60 USD a night. You’ll not find good prices online. It’s better to call or email them to ask for prices.
Hi Kevin!! thank you for sharing your awesome experiences. I had been thinking about how should I travel by myself in Oman.. but I finally i decide after reading your blog.
Hi Meg. I’m glad you found the information here useful. I hope you enjoy Oman!