I am writing this blog about an ‘One Day Travel Itinerary to Muscat, Oman’ because throughout my life I felt this kind of one day travel guide is very important. During our journey across the world we often needed to take long/ short stop overs for various reasons. Beside, often we choose to take stop overs, essentially for two reasons; one is to travel cheap and the other one is explore something new en route. As you already know by now that today we are going to know about Muscat for one day tour. Let us consider that we have a full day from the morning till the night.
Every time I think of our trip to Oman I think of my friend Sufyaan. An Amazing guy. He really resembles Oman. Calm, quite, helpful and a generous man with outstanding human qualities. We always thank him from the core of our heart for his extraordinary support in Oman. Without his support our trip would not have been such nice and smooth.
Getting There/ Transportation
In muscat both public bus and taxi services are available. However, they are not always readily available. Sometimes, you have to wait for your taxi which will cost you time and for one day tour you cannot afford to waste any time. Moreover, if you rent a taxi for whole day it will cost you too much. On the other hand public buses are very minimal and may not serve your purpose. So, best thing to do to tour around Muscat is to rent a car from the airport from airportrentals or rentalcars. Few essential tips are given here:
You have to have an international driving license for renting car in Oman. However, you may also drive car in Oman with your country’s driving license subject to renting companies accept that. As per direction of Royal Oman Police you are good to go with your own country’s driving license.
Do not forget to carry your license with you. Because renting company will keep a copy of your license.
If you have GCC driving license, you will not an international license.
You will need a credit card to rent your car because beside charging the rent they will block some amount from your credit card to cover up any traffic violations. This blocked amount will be returned after 21 days if there is not violation by you.
Always book your car ahead. I mean before travelling to Oman. Otherwise you may end up finding that no cars available with the agencies.
I would prefer and recommend you to rent from any of the international agencies. You may get from any local agencies with cheaper price, but they are not always as professional and supportive as the international agencies are. I am saying this because I have experienced both the sides.
Places to Visit
Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
This is one of the major tourist attractions in Oman. The magnificent architecture blended with Muslim heritage and modern art will mesmerise you. However, be very particular about the time. Non-Muslims can visit the Grand Mosque from 8 AM to 11 AM (Saturday to Thursday), while the library is open from 9 AM to 2 PM and 4 PM to 9 PM Saturday to Wednesday (On Thursday the library is open for the morning session only). Be respectful towards Muslim culture about your dress. Well, do not forget to come back at night to watch the spectacular view of the mosque at night with all the lighting and decoration. You may spend one hour to one and half hour here.
Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House, Muscat is the probable next destination you should go. We recommend you to go to this location after the mosque as it will be on the way to Mutrah (Check the map at the end). This is also an spectacular facility that anyone who is going to Oman should explore. There are two sides of the Opera House. One is the Box Office (main hall room) and the other part is the exhibition gallery. Gallery is situated on the other side of the road and you have to go there through the mall. You will need tickets for both the gallery and the box office.
The night view of the Opera House is also fascinating. If you want some quick bites, there are good restaurants available. Well, they are quite expensive. To cover both the places you will need approximately one and half hour. In the box office, you will get guide who will describe the facts about the Opera House.
Mutrah Souq
Mutrah souq can be your next destination if you are interested in walking through the shops with full of traditional arabian products. If you want get some staffs the first shop ‘Silver World’ is a good option for you. However, if you are not good at bargaining then you are going to lose. So, bargain. Do not be ashamed of it. Well, if you have been to already Grand Bazar of Istanbul, you know how these places run. Unlike, Grand Bazar rarely anyone will come to you and bug you to buy their staffs. You will have a decent walk along the alleys of the souq.
Mutrah Corniche
By the time you finish your tour around the Souq, I resume it will be afternoon. Depending on your time and preference you may walk along the Corniche or you may also decide to take the walk during late afternoon. Because you may not like to walk under the direct sun in hot and humid weather. However, what time you are traveling to Muscat is important in this regard. Well, you must take a walk in the evening along this Corniche.
Al Alam Palace and Forts
Al Alam palace is the ceremonial palace of Sultan Qaboos. It’s a huge property with two forts at two flanks. Neither the palace nor the forts are accessible for the tourist. However, you can have a walk around the premises of the Palace. After walking around the Palace drive/ walk to the seaside of the Palace to see the reverse view of the Palace. You will love the view I guarantee. Then drive all the way till the end of the road (see the map here). There is a parking. You may park your car and enjoy the beauty of the place.
We recommend you to come back at night at the palace and the rear side of the palace to see the night view and take photos. There are guards all around. They will not stop you for anything. But make sure you are not breaking any rules or making any chaos.
Kalbuh Park
We listed this place within one day travel itinerary because you will see a spectacular sunset from this place. Please be informed that you have option of driving to Corniche opposite to Riyam park also to watch sunset. But our recommendation is this place. You arrive here in the late afternoon but sufficiently before the sunset and enjoy your time. You can walk around and get some snacks from the food kiosk.
Arabian Sea from Kalbuh Park
Night at Kalbuh Park
Night Photography
After the nightfall, you can again go back to the Al Alam Palace both the palace complex and the rear side to do some night photography of the palace, forts and seaside view of the whole area.
From the palace complex you may drive to Mutrah, Souq area to walk around do some night photography. Please do not miss walking all the way end of the jetty opposite to the Mutrah Fish Market (check the map at the end).
Mutrah at Night from the Fish Market
From Mutrah you may drive to the Opera House and do night photography of Opera House at Night. The view is amazing. Try to walk to all the corners and sides to have photos from different angle. It is difficult to get a photos with no unwanted people inside the frame. But well, if you wait you will surely manage to get one.
Royal Opera House at Night
Royal Opera House at Night
From the Opera House you may drive to the Grand Mosque. However, calculate your time meticulously. Depending on your place of staying the night you may alter the place and go to the Mosque before the Opera House. Well, I am not sure whether you will be able to get inside the mosque complex or not if you are non-muslim. There are securities all around. But I hope you will be able to walk around and get through the main entrance.
Food
There are plenty of options for food. For any quick bites you will find fast-food chain restaurants in all the gas/patrol station. During your visit at the Opera House you may dine in Oman Sultan Chef. They provide good turkish food. In Mutrah there are plenty of options of Arabian, Chinese, Indian, Bangladeshi, etc food. We would like to make a special mention about ‘Royal House‘. We took our lunch/ dinner number of times here and they are amazing. They have good sitting arrangements outside the building. If the weather is good you may sit outside. The interior is also fascinating.
Dress
In Oman it is better to be little concerned about your dress. The people are very friendly but they are sensitive. So depending on your destination please be respectful to the tradition and culture of the locals.
Best Time to Travel
Oman is a country in the middle east with a vast coastal line. However, weather can turn very rough with extreme heat and humidity in the summer. If you have option of traveling to this country during the winter, better take that option. Well, whenever you travel, take usually traveling precautions e.g. carry water and drink a lot of it, wear dresses considering the weather, do not expose yourself to too much sun, do not sweat too much, etc.
Itinerary Map
Route Plan for One Day Travel Itinerary to Muscat, Oman
Hope this write up helps you in planning your trip to Oman or anywhere in the world with a long stop over in Oman. If it helps you please share and let others to be helped. Thanks for being here.
Spending a day deep inside Sharqiya/ Wahiba Sands in Oman is a must-to-do thing if you are traveling to Oman. There are numerous tour operators/ agencies who can book a desert safari for you. However, if you want to make the most of your money and time it is always better to do things by ownself. Well, before sharing our experiences and travel tips let’s know a little bit about Sharqiya/ Wahiba Sands.
Sharqiya Sands also Know as Wahiba Sands Just Before the Sunset, Oman 2019
Sharqiya Sands also Know as Wahiba Sands Just After the Sunrise, Oman 2019
“The Sharqiya Sands formerly known as Wahiba Sands, or Ramlat al-Wahiba is a region of desert in Oman. The region was named for the Bani Wahiba tribe. The area is defined by a boundary of 180 kilometers (110 mi) north to south and 80 kilometers (50 mi) east to west, with an area of 12,500 square kilometers (4,800 sq mi). Royal Geographical Society has documented the diversity of the terrain, the flora and fauna, noting 16,000 invertebrates as well as 200 species of other wildlife, including avifauna. They also documented 150 species of native flora.” (Source: Wikipedia). The area is approximately 200 km from Muscat through route 23.
Getting There
The best option for traveling to any place in Oman is a rented car. You can rent your car directly from airport once you arrive and again return before your departure. It’s better to book your car online from any of the rental agency like rentalcars, airportrentals, etc. Instead of going to the desert straight from Muscat it’s better to take a route like Muscat-Sur-Bidiyah-Nizwa-Muscat or vise-versa (Check map in TIPS). However, this route may vary depending on your available time in hand or your overall plan. I would recommend you to reach to your camp by afternoon from wherever you start. Coordinate with your hotel/ resort representative and manage your timely arrival. Do not forget to coordinate for your guiding arrangement. It’s a must do thing. Do not just rely on the Google Map. Signposts are of great help here.
Beautiful Road Towards Bidiyah from Nizwa, Oman 2019
Our Experiences of Desert Safari
Our planned route for our trip was Muscat-Jebel Shams-Nizwa-Wahiba Sands-Sur-Bimmah Sinkhole-Muscat (Check map in the TIPS). Accordingly on 23 January 2019 we went to Sharqiya Sands from Nizwa. However, in the morning we drove to Jebel Al Akhdar. After returning from Jebel Al Akhdar we had our breakfast. Thereafter, we quickly packed up and went to Nizwa Souq. By 12:30 PM we have started for the Al Wasil. The road is amazing and the view en route was also spectacular. Well, we booked our room with Arabiyan Oryx Camp and reached there by 3:30 PM. Their guiding (signposting) arrangement was ok and anyone would be able to reach the camp from Al Wasil.
Signposting Towards the Camp
Arabiyan Oryx Camp Entrance
Remarkable hospitality and professionalism of the staff of the camp amazed us at the first impression and it continued till the end. Here, I would make a special mention of Mr Arshad, the manager of the property. After doing necessary formalities we went our room and quickly got ready for the afternoon events. Meanwhile we fed our daughter and then started for enjoying the dune bashing and sunset over the sand dunes. Our guide Hamad was really an expert guy with good english communication skill. He gave us a wonderful experience and we will cherish our memories of the desert camp.
After all the bashing experiences we went to the view point for watching sunset. The sunset moments were magical and we all enjoyed it. Arwaa was so happy that she was running and crawling on the sand. We were so enchanted by the sunset view that even I forgot to take much photographs. Soon after the sunset we returned to the camp and started preparing for the evening.
After necessary refreshments we came to the common space in the centre of the camp. This common space had the arrangements of free tea, coffee and obviously free wifi. After spending some time there we moved for the dinner once it was served.
Common Space in the Centre of the Camp
Delicious Dinner Served by the Camp
After the dinner camp authority arranged a musical session in the common space. We all enjoyed that musical session. Everyone in the room enjoyed the amazing music of arabia. Well, our good time came to an end for the night. We returned to our room from there and slept for the rest of the night. Though, I had plan to do some star trailing at night but fortunately/ unfortunately it was a moonlit night.
Everyone Enjoyed the Traditional Arabiyan Musical Performance by Local Artists
In the morning, I woke up early to see the sunrise over the pristine desert landscape. However, seeing the sunrise was not easy. I practically had one of the hardest experiences of my life that I encountered for photography. In the early morning there was a crust of almost iced sand over the sands. With every single step I was breaking the crust and my legs were going deep in the sand up-to the knee. After fierce struggle at last I could reach the top of the sand dunes and within few minutes saw the sun started appearing in the sky. It was a magical moment. There were only 4/5 people on the top. And we all were mesmerised with the beauty of the morning sun. All the pain that I endured was really meaningful. However, descent was quick and easy.
That’s How I Climbed to the Top
Magical Sunrise Over Sharqiya Sands
I returned to our room, took shower and we all got ready for our next destination Wadi Bani Khalid. You may have a look on the article to know about the most beautiful wadi of Oman. Well, we had our breakfast then and thereafter we quickly depart saying good bye to all the amazing people of the Arabiyan Oryx Camp. Fortunately family of Mr Arshad was there in the camp and before departing we could say bye to his family as well. Thanks to Mr Arshad for his extraordinary support and the precious souvenir as well.
Mr Arshad Handing Over a Souvenir to Tahsin
Thank You Arabiyan Oryx Camp
Special Travel Tips for Desert Safari
Instead of directly going to Sharqiya Sands, take a circular route through Muscat-Nizwa-Bidiyah (Desert safari)-Sur-Muscat or vise versa. You may add or deduct places considering your priority.
This is the Route Plan That We Took. You May Take the Reverse One As Well
Try to reach the camp/ hotel/ resort before afternoon that means at least 3:30 PM. So that you do not miss the afternoon and evening activities.
Clarify from your hotel/ resort/ camp regarding your guiding arrangements to reach there. Whether it’s free or paid! Some resort/ hotel/ camp charges 20 to 30 OMR for one way guiding arrangement. Thats huge. On the other hand some offers free guiding arrangements from some point at Al Wasil at some given time. If you miss to get the convoy timely you may have to manage paid guiding arrangements.
If you are interested, you may select camps deep inside the desert like above 30/40 km. However, I have chosen Arabiyan Oryx Camp and I found that to be perfect. Not too isolated and again not again in the heart of the city. They had electricity, internet, hot water and all other amenities. So, before selecting your night stay arrangements please clarify every single details from the authority.
Hotel/ resort/ camps are looking for business. So, they are providing all the services in exchange of money. Please, clarify and be specific; which service you want and be sure how much you gonna pay.
In my opinion, taking a sunset ride is a must-to-do thing. However, you may also watch the sunrise. If you are ready to bear the pain of climbing the sandy hill in the freezing morning, you will be able to save some money. However, do not blame me for the pain though :).
If you have time take a two days tour here. Please, I repeat take a two days tour if you have time. I missed it. And I am sincerely thinking of going there again and hopefully will take a two days tour. In 2nd day you will have options of going 80/90 km deep inside the desert and spend a day with Beduin. If you want, you may spend a night with them as well. On completion, you will be brought back to the camp driving through the junction between the coast of the Arabian sea on one side and the empty desert on the other side. I wish I would know about this option before planning my trip to Oman.
You should get a scarf like any of the following for this safari in the desert. It’s really useful.
Hope this post will assist you in planning and executing an amazing desert safari in Sharqiya/ Wahiba Sands in Oman. If it does so, please share and let others to know about this post.
Jebel Shams also known as Mountain of Sun is located in northeastern region of Oman and north of Al Hamra town. The highest point of this mountain is the third highest peak in the Arabian Peninsula and is the highest peak of Oman. At the highest point (2997m to 3009m) there is a military base which potentially means that the highest point is a restricted place and not open to tourists for sightseeing. However, there are number of viewpoints at varying height that allow tourist to enjoy the magnificent view of the region. Though the name emphasises the heavenly beauty of the range during sunrise, but in reality it also offers mesmerising view during the sunset as well. This is also known as the Grand Canyon of Arabia.
View of the Canyon from Jebel Shams Viewpoint
The place is approximately 240 km from the capital Muscat. And like every other place it has excellent motorway upto the main viewpoint except for 7 km. Our driving experience from Muscat to Jebel Shams was amazing. Starting from Muscat till you reach the viewpoint of Jebel Shams you will come across numerous spectacular places. We have stopped in almost all the viewpoints on our way up to Jebel Shams.
Valley Necrosis on the way to Jebel Shams Skyline from Jebel Shams Ascent Start Rest Area
It’s better to start to Jebel Shams early morning from Muscat with more time in hand. That will allow you to stop at the places, relax for a while, and do some photography. If you are travelling to Jebel shams, it’s better to plan to stay a night up there. For staying at night there are numerous hotels and resorts at Jebel Shams. If you love raw travelling, camping and adventure, and want to save some money; you may also plan to do some camping at the campsites as well. If you have a big car, you may also make your car a hotel room for the night.
We found a couple in the morning who camped the night here at viewpoint 3 of Jebel Shams
There are reasons for which I am emphasising to stay the night up there. Reason one is I do not want you to miss the sunrise view of the region from here. Other reason is I do not want you to take unnecessary risk of driving all the way from Al Hamra or Misfat in the dark in the early morning.
Now let’s talk about our experience at the Jebel Shams. We arrived the viewpoint before the sunset and we discovered the amazing view of the Canyon during the sunset. Let me give you a secret of the place. Do not stuck only at the viewpoint near Canyon. Walk just a couple of hundred meters to the opposite direction of the viewpoint and see the amazing sunset (check the map/ image at the end). As I love photography, I loved my time up there. Thanks to Almighty, I was there at the right time, at the right light.
Sun is setting behind the hill range. View from top of the mountain opposite to canyon (see the map at the end)
By the time it was dark, we started for our resort. We were lucky that we booked with Jebel Shams Resort (JSR). The best part of the resort is its location. It’s just in between Jebel Shams Viewpoint, and viewpoint 5 & 3. There service were amazing. There are couple of Bangladeshi guys working at the resort who all were really professional and they know their job. The dinner they served was delicious and menu was very good. However, breakfast menu was quite good.
Jebel Shams Resort (JSR) under the umbrella of stars just before the sunrise
In the morning we woke up early and went to the Jebel Shams Viewpoint (see the image at the end) to see the sunrise. It was freezing cold at the viewpoint. I am happy that Arwaa could sustain the situation. Like the sunset, during sunrise also you must go to the opposite side of the viewpoint. That view was one of a lifetime view. After spending few moments up there we drove to the viewpoint 3. We met few more tourists at the viewpoint who all camped there for the night. View from the viewpoint 3 was as beautiful as the view from main viewpoint. However, after spending about an hour we returned to our resort and had our breakfast at the resort.
Sunrise from the Jebel Shams ViewpointSunrise view from the mountain top opposite to Jebel Shams ViewpointSunrise view from Jebel Shams Viewpoint 3
At around 0900 hours we packed our luggage and started for our next destination Nizwa. As per our previous plan we drove to Nizwa stopping at Bait Al Safah, Al Hoota Cave and Bahla Fort.
Special Tips
Before finishing the blog here let’s have a look on few special tips which seemed very essential to me. These are:
Get a 4×4 for going to Jebel Shams. On your way up and down you will see people driving regular sedan as well. However, in my opinion it’s better to take a 4×4 as there are steep ascent and also some rough roads in between. If you are travelling from abroad get a car from the airport through airportrentals or rentalcars.
Try to get a hotel/ resort near the viewpoints. I booked the resort over phone. You may get unexpected discount in such cases. However, you may also get your hotel booked from booking.com or agoda.com or any other booking site.
You may also plan to do camping at any of the campsite. Oman itself is very secured and people are friendly. There is nothing to be worried about. However, check weather forecast. Take precaution against cold.
Be sure about your mobile data balance. You will need google map to reach the location. I am sure you do not want to get stuck somewhere en route suddenly if you run out of mobile data.
Carry dry food and water along with you. You will not find much of restaurants en route.
While going to Jebel Shams if you want you may stop somewhere at Al Hamra for lunch or a quick meal. There are good restaurants available at Al Hamra.
Finally hope this image will help you planning your visit to Jebel Shams
Everything on our way in Oman was coming as a surprise so as the Wadi Bani Khalid. Whatever we were expecting, in reality, things were turning as way more beautiful, more stunning, more amazing ways. Wadi Bani Khalid was no exception. It was one of the best travel destinations that so far we traveled to as a family.
We were quite late to start for the wadi from Arabiyan Oryx Camp. It was like 100 Km journey from the Oryx Camp to the Wadi. However, beautiful roads of Oman allowed us to arrive our destination quickly and we arrived by 1100 hrs. Once we arrived, we parked our car at the parking at walked to the site. The distance from the parking to the site is approximately 500m. First we reached to the lower pool and we were truly amazed by the heavenly beauty of the place. The color of the water so serenely green and it was so fresh that we could see fishes moving in the water. We spent some time there and gradually moved towards up stream.
Walking through slippery rocky mountain for a while we reached at the upper pool and found quite a good number of tourists in the pool. We could not resist ourselves from getting inside the pool and for a moment we forgot our time constraints. You will regret if you do not get inside the pool.
If you sit there for a moment, small fishes will give you a free foot massage. After spending almost an hour we finally left the upper pool and went to changing room to change our cloths. However, as we did not carry our extra clothing to the pool we had to do some back and forth movement for getting dry clothings. Getting to any of the pool is not an issue. However, please respect local culture while getting in to the pool. Usually people avoids the lower pool. But if you wish to get into lower pool please be cautious about your swimwear. There are notice boards. Follow the instructions. Lifeguards are everywhere, so if you are in any difficulty they will response immediately.
There’s a restaurant at the wadi which serves all sorts of food including drinks. During lunch time they serve buffet lunch as well. Arguably price of the restaurant is quite high, but my opinion is their prices are quite justified. The restaurant is looked after by some Bangladeshi guys. They are humble and generous. They will provide you all the support you need. However, if you do not want to spend any extra cash, please carry your own water and snacks. Because after all the time you will spend at the wadi, you will be thirsty and hungry. The view from the restaurant is stunning. If you are a photographer, do not miss the view of the wadi from the connecting bridge near the restaurant.
And there we came to end of our trip to Wadi Bani Khalid. When we were leaving the place, we discovered that our daughter was not that willing to leave. She really enjoyed her time at the wadi. But nothing doing. Our journey needed to be continued as we were supposed to travel all the way up to Muscat through Sur and Bimmah Sinkhole.
Our initial plan was to spend approximately one and half hours in the Wadi. But we spent almost two and half hours altogether. This place will remain in our heart for long. We wish, we will visit this place again.
Good bye Wadi Bani Khalid. View of the Wadi from the parking area
Daily Travel Qoutes
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”
Saint Augustine
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