Muscat
12 hostels · dorms from €12
A low-rise capital on the coast: the Grand Mosque, Mutrah souq and a corniche below bare mountains.
Amazing trip nice people nice culture
A traveller, on Hostelworld
Oman country guide
Things To Do In Oman
Wadis with turquoise pools between desert cliffs, a 3,000-metre mountain, and empty coastline. The Gulf without the skyscrapers, and far easier to travel than people assume.
€15
Dorm bed, from
3,009m
Jebel Shams
3,165km
Of coastline
Free
Wild camping, almost anywhere
The Gulf, without the towers
Oman decided not to build the skyline its neighbours did, and the result is a country of forts, wadis and mountains where the tallest thing is usually a minaret. It is calm, orderly and genuinely welcoming, and it has become the Gulf country that independent travellers actually enjoy.
Muscat is a low-rise capital along the coast, with a souq, the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and a corniche. Behind it the Hajar mountains rise to 3,000 metres, with Jebel Shams overlooking a canyon people call the Grand Canyon of Arabia, and the wadis cutting down from them hold pools you can swim in year-round.
South of that is the Wahiba Sands desert, the turtle beaches at Ras al Jinz, and eventually Salalah, which gets a monsoon and turns green in August while the rest of the peninsula bakes. Ten days covers the north; two weeks reaches Salalah.
Where to go
A hire car is how almost everyone travels here. Distances are long and the roads are excellent.
What kind of trip is this?
Oman is a road trip country: wadis, mountains, desert and coast, linked by very good roads.
Adventure in Oman
Wadis, canyons and a mountain you can drive up.
What to do
- Swim through Wadi Shab
- Walk the Balcony Trail on Jebel Shams
- Camp in the Wahiba dunes
Spots to visit
- Wadi Shab
- Jebel Shams
- Wadi Bani Khalid
Best cities for it
Beach in Oman
Three thousand kilometres of it, most of it empty.
Culture in Oman
Forts, souqs and frankincense.
Budget in Oman
Manageable if you camp and share a car.
City break in Oman
Muscat over two or three days.
What to do
- Mutrah souq in the evening
- The Grand Mosque before 11am
- A corniche walk at sunset
Spots to visit
- Mutrah
- Old Muscat
- Qurum
Best cities for it
Things to do
Things to do in Oman
The wadis are the thing people remember. Wadi Shab involves a short boat ride, a forty-minute walk and then a swim through a slot canyon to a waterfall in a cave — it is the best few hours in the country. Wadi Bani Khalid is easier to reach and almost as good.
Jebel Shams has the Balcony Walk, a path cut along a cliff face above a 1,000-metre drop to an abandoned village, and it is straightforward in good weather. Nizwa's fort and its Friday livestock market are the cultural counterpart.
On the coast, turtles nest at Ras al Jinz year-round with the peak in summer, and viewing is managed through the reserve rather than done independently. The Daymaniyat Islands off Muscat have the best snorkelling and diving in the country, with whale sharks in season.
Salalah is the outlier: from June to September the khareef monsoon turns the southern hills green, which is when Gulf visitors arrive in numbers.
Food and drink
Eating in Oman
Omani food reflects a trading history that reached India and Zanzibar. Shuwa — meat marinated in spices and cooked underground for a day or more — is the celebration dish, majboos is the spiced rice and meat everyday version, and grilled fish is excellent everywhere along the coast.
The cheapest eating is at Indian and Pakistani canteens, which are everywhere because of the expatriate workforce: a thali or biryani costs €2 to €5, and they are open all day.
Karak tea, strong and sweet with condensed milk, is the roadside staple at a few cents a cup, and dates and halwa are offered constantly as hospitality. Alcohol is restricted to licensed hotels and is expensive.
Nightlife
Going out in Oman
There is very little, and that is the character of the country rather than a gap. Alcohol is sold only in licensed hotel bars and restaurants, prices are high at €8 to €14 a drink, and public drinking is illegal.
Muscat has a handful of hotel bars and a small live music scene, and that is genuinely the extent of nightlife in Oman.
What replaces it is the evening outdoors: the Mutrah corniche after dark, shisha cafés, and camping. Omanis themselves spend evenings with family, at the beach or in the mountains, and a night in the desert or on an empty beach with a fire is the country's actual version of a good night out.
Getting around
Getting around Oman
A hire car is effectively necessary. Public transport between cities exists through Mwasalat buses and is cheap but infrequent, and it does not reach the wadis, mountains or beaches that are the reason to come.
Roads are excellent and well signed in Arabic and English, driving is on the right, and fuel is cheap. A 2WD is fine for most of the country; Jebel Shams, the Wahiba Sands and some wadi tracks need a 4WD, and hire companies are strict about where 2WDs may go.
Distances are long — Muscat to Salalah is over 1,000km and ten to twelve hours, so most people fly that leg for €60 to €120. Salalah is best treated as a separate trip.
Costs
What Oman costs
Oman is more expensive than most of Asia and cheaper than the UAE for what you get. Dorms start around €15, but hostel supply is thin outside Muscat, and most travellers use guesthouses or camp.
Camping is the lever that changes everything. Wild camping is legal and normal almost anywhere away from private property — on beaches, in wadis, in the desert — and Omanis do it themselves at weekends. A tent turns an expensive country into a cheap one.
Car hire is €25 to €45 a day and fuel is very cheap. Alcohol at €8 to €14 a drink is the other budget risk, and most entry fees are modest. A day comes to €40 to €70 with a shared car.
Safety
Staying safe in Oman
Oman is one of the safest countries in the world, regularly ranked above most of Europe. Crime against visitors is very rare, and solo travellers including women generally report feeling comfortable, though attention in rural areas is more common than in Muscat.
The risks are environmental and driving-related. Flash floods in wadis are the serious one: a storm in the mountains can send water down a dry wadi with no warning, and people die this way most years. Never camp in a wadi bed, and do not cross flowing water in a vehicle.
Summer heat reaches 45°C and inland hiking becomes dangerous. Mountain roads are steep with drops and often require 4WD, and rescue in remote areas is slow. Respect the laws: public displays of affection, drinking in public and photographing people without permission are all offences.
Entry and documents
Entry and documents
Oman has made entry considerably easier in recent years: citizens of over a hundred countries, including most of Europe, the UK, US, Canada and Australia, can now enter visa-free for stays of up to 14 days, with e-visas available for longer.
Check the official Royal Oman Police visa portal before booking, because the visa-free list and duration have been revised more than once.
Passports need six months' validity. Dress modestly in public — shoulders and knees covered for everyone — and note that this is expected rather than merely appreciated, including in Muscat.
When to go
October to April, without much debate. Summer inland reaches 45°C, with the exception of Salalah, which gets a monsoon and is at its best in August.
Jan
Peak season. Warm days, cool nights, perfect for camping
Feb
Excellent. The best month for the mountains
Mar
Warming. Still very good, and the wadis are full
Apr
Getting hot inland. Coast still comfortable
May
Hot. Wadi swimming becomes the only option
Jun
Very hot. Salalah's khareef monsoon begins
Jul
Salalah is green and cool while the north bakes
Aug
Peak khareef in Salalah, and peak turtle nesting at Ras al Jinz
Sep
Still hot in the north. Khareef ending
Oct
Cooling. The season restarts late in the month
Nov
Excellent. Warm and clear
Dec
Peak again. Ideal for wadis, mountains and camping
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs for Muscat. Jebel Shams at 3,000m is far cooler and can freeze at night in winter. Salalah runs on its own calendar entirely, with the khareef monsoon from June to September turning the hills green.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, assuming a shared hire car.
The shoestring bed line is zero because wild camping is legal almost anywhere. Transport assumes a share of a hire car at €25–45 a day plus fuel.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
What's on
What is on while you are there
The khareef monsoon in Salalah is the one that draws crowds, and it is unlike anything else on the peninsula.
June to September
Khareef season
Salalah
The southern hills turn green under monsoon cloud while the rest of Arabia bakes. Gulf visitors arrive in numbers.
Varies yearly
Ramadan
Nationwide
No eating, drinking or smoking in public during daylight. Evenings become social.
January and February
Muscat Nights
Muscat
The winter festival, formerly the Muscat Festival: weeks of crafts, food and performance in the capital.
Year-round, peaking June to September
Turtle nesting
Ras al Jinz
Green turtles nesting on the beach, viewed on managed reserve tours.
Friday mornings
Nizwa goat market
Nizwa
A livestock auction that has run for generations, and the best morning in the interior.
18 November
National Day
Nationwide
Flags, decorations and public holidays across the country.
Hostels
Where to stay in Oman
The highest-rated hostels in the country, live from Hostelworld. Supply is concentrated in Muscat — elsewhere, guesthouses, desert camps and wild camping are the norm.
Oman travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Do I need a car in Oman?
Effectively yes. Buses run between cities but are infrequent and do not reach the wadis, mountains or beaches that are the point of the country. Hire is €25 to €45 a day, roads are excellent and fuel is cheap.
Can I really camp anywhere?
Wild camping is legal and normal almost anywhere away from private property — beaches, wadis and desert — and Omanis do it themselves at weekends. Never camp in a wadi bed, though, because of flash floods.
Is Oman expensive?
More than most of Asia, less than the UAE. Dorms from €15 with thin supply outside Muscat, car hire at €25 to €45 a day, and alcohol at €8 to €14 a drink. Camping and sharing a car brings a day to €40 to €70.
When should I visit?
October to April. Summer inland reaches 45°C. Salalah is the exception: its khareef monsoon from June to September turns the southern hills green, and that is when it is at its best.
What is Wadi Shab?
A canyon reached by a short boat ride and a forty-minute walk, ending in a swim through a slot in the rock to a waterfall inside a cave. It is the single best few hours in Oman.
Do I need a visa for Oman?
Over a hundred nationalities now enter visa-free for up to 14 days, with e-visas for longer stays. The list and durations have been revised more than once, so check the official Royal Oman Police portal before booking.
Is Oman safe?
Among the safest countries in the world, and consistently ranked above most of Europe. The real dangers are flash floods in wadis, summer heat and mountain driving rather than crime.
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