I have always known what got me coming to Oman has been the mountains and canyons. Jabal Akhdar. Jebel Shams. Al Hajar Mountains. Then there are the Wadis, and the story of Oman’s new Renaissance which I have come to know. Nature, coupled with culture and heritage, this would be a rather comfy Budget Itinerary for Oman.
Comparing to the other Gulf Cooperation Council countries and their major cities, Muscat is the odd one out. Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait City, Manama, and Riyadh have skyscrapers, a jagged city skyline and huge transit airports. On the other hand, the tallest building in Muscat is a 16 storey hotel, although this may change within the next few years with Trump International having investments in the city. The Airport is also on a smaller scale, and much calmer. Correspondingly, the city exudes a more laid back vibe compared to its neighbours. Touting in the souks is minimal and there is no pressure sales.
Add a day each for the following extras:
- Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve. To control budget, only join the tours to see the turtles.
- Sharqiya Sands. Dune bashing and glamping may bust the budget.
- Day trip out to the Daymaniyat Islands.
8 Days Budget Itinerary for Oman
The following is a content and summary of this itinerary:
- Why go?
- How to get around and about?
- When to go?
- Where to start and what’s there to see?
- Day 1: Muscat
- Day 2: Muscat
- Day 3: From Muscat to Sur
- Day 4: From Sur to Jabal Akhdar
- Day 5: From Jabal Akhdar to Nizwa
- Day 6: Forts and Necropolises
- Day 7: Jebel Shams
- Day 8: From Al Hamra to Muscat
- My total expenditure
- Links
Why go?
Mountains and Canyons; world class hikes; historic forts; necropolises; a fascinating history and new Renaissance, a welcoming culture. Oman is also good for a week long trip. Add Salalah in the Dhofar region, as well as a combine a trip with the United Arab Emirates and head over to Musandam if you do have more time
How to get around and about?
It is necessary to get around with a car, and to get a 4WD for access up Jabal Akhdar. There are police checkpoints to ensure that you do have a 4WD. The police will also advise you to put the car in full 4WD mode. Despite this, the drive up Jabal Akhdar isn’t as steep and daunting as I thought it would be. The road up were some of the best gradient roads that I had driven on. Always 2 lanes uphill in any direction, this allows overtaking even though the speed limits discourages that. Though not mandated, there are other locations requiring a 4WD:
- The drive between Hat and Wadi Auf at the Al Hajar Mountains. There’s some two hours of unpaved driving in this stretch.
- A 20km stretch of unpaved roads between Al Ayn and Bat Necropolises.
- The drive up to Jebel Shams after passing the T-junction to Jebel Shams School. The unpaved road lasts all the way to Al Khitaym for the 35mins drive.
Having done the balcony walk, as well as having driven from Al Hamra across the Al Hajar mountains, I would think that it would be an easier drive to do the itinerary clockwise rather than anti-clockwise, on that it is less challenging to drive downhill from Hat than uphill on the unpaved road for two hours.
Fuel
Budget-wise, it costs about OMR16 to fill the Mitsubishi Outlander tank to full. The total cost of gas for the entire 1500km drive is a cumulative OMR30 for 95-octane. Oman is the world’s 12th largest exporter of petroleum. Like the rest of the gulf countries, the fuel is heavily subsidized at a regular rate of OMR0.239 for 95-octane.
Directions
Again, I did not rent a separate GPS unit and relied on Google Maps which works pretty well. However, be aware of your phone overheating, especially during the day when the sun shines through your vehicle. The irradiation from the sun has caused my phone to heat up and stall. I also had to get creative to suspend my phone from a convenient position.
When to go?
Oman is a good respite away from places that celebrate Christmas and lunar new year. The weather is also coolest during the winter, with February potentially having lesser crowds. Winds are strong up Jebel Sham and it gets really cold at night at high elevation
Where to start and what’s there to see?
Muscat is the best place to start if you are coming from an international destination. Dubai is the other place to start, though there are exit fees and if you be driving a rental car across the border, be aware that there will be associated border crossing fees.
Budget Itinerary Oman Day 1: Muscat
Arrive at Muscat Seeb Airport
Sultan Qaboos Mosque
Head eastwards to Sultan Qaboos Grand mosque. The mosque grounds are usually open to visits during non prayer hours. The mosque interior is open to non-Muslim visitors from 8am to 11am daily. If you are Muslim, you can enter the mosque at any time during prayer hours. Sultan Qaboos was the beloved ruler who ruled Oman for half a century till his recent passing in 2020. He is widely respected as the person behind Oman’s Renaissance. May peace be upon him.
Royal Opera House of Muscat (ROHM)
Continue on to the Muscat flagpole which one can see from the expressway to save time stopping for a detour. Then head over to the Royal Opera House of Muscat. Tours to the opera house would be closed if there is a performance. My schedule coincided with the last performance of the Lion King. Do check the website before arriving. I had to return the next day. The tour itself lasts less than 20mins though visitors are not prohibited to linger on for a while more. In this Opera complex, there’s also the Opera Galleria and the Royal Opera House Music Library. The latter has a library museum with quite a number of interactive exhibits, which can lengthen your stay.
Mutrah
Head over to Mutrah for the evening where the souk comes alive. Be aware that there will likely be a jam leading to the souk. As such, finding a separate parking location could save you time. The Mutrah fort is open till 11pm and may have some live performances happening. The top of the fort also offers a view to the surroundings.
Budget Itinerary Oman Day 2: Muscat
National Museum of Muscat
Continue eastwards to the National Museum. Do take a jacket as the air conditioning is pretty cold. Quite a number of visitors were either sneezing or having a runny nose.
Al Mirani Fort
Right opposite to the National Museum, take a short walk to the Al Alam Palace. Marvel at where royalty is residing. Standing outside the gate may not be satisfying, so head over the Al Mirani Fort. Though Al Mirani has the one of highest admission prices in Oman at OR7.7, it offers an aerial view of the palace and its surroundings. It also have a nice roof terrace to watch the sun go down.
Head back to Mutrah to do any remaining shopping or start driving towards Quriyat if you have time.
Budget Itinerary Oman Day 3: From Muscat to Sur
Start driving out of Mutrah early. Decide if you want to stop by at Quriyat Castle, which was closed when I got there at 10am. The people resting outside told me that it would only open at 3pm . I decided not to wait and continue on to Bimmah sinkhole.
Bimmah Sinkhole
Entry to the sinkhole is free. One can soak in the sinkhole though the water is at a colder than room temperature 24degrees Celsius. It was a fascinating spot and the first of many nature spots to come.
Wadi Shab
Head over to Wadi Shab, and it will be a stretch to find parking in the area. Consider parking further and make up the remaining distance with a walk to save yourself time to find parking. The boat crossing costs OR1. If you do not have cash, it is possible to pay in the cafe first. The Wadi Shab hike would take about 45mins one way. The hike can be summarized as 15mins sectors.
15mins to the first shallow pool; another 15mins to another pool, and a final minutes to the final deeper pool. The walk transits from a flat ground to a cliff edge walk in the second 15mins. It gets more comfortable but rocky towards the final stretch.
Qalhat
You can head over to Wadi Tiwi which is just a short drive away if you have time, but I chose to head over to Qalhat. The UNESCO world heritage site of Qalhat consist of some structures, where some may find rather underwhelming. I was the only person there. The very kind staff who was stationed there allowed me a closer look of the 13th century Bibi Maryam Tomb and Mausoleum. In a distance, there were also some ancient graves/tombs near to the beach.
Sur or Ras Al Jinz
Head over to Sur for dinner. The forts in the vicinity of Sur were all closed when I was there late afternoon. It is possible to drive an hour to the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve to reach by 830pm for a 9pm tour if your budget allows.
Budget Itinerary Oman Day Day 4: From Sur to Jabal Akhdar
Wadi Bani Khalid
Start driving early to reach Wadi Bani Khalid. I reached early and had arguably the best parking lot. The walk into the wadi was pretty easy and in 20mins, one can pass by pools, and also reach the Muqal Cave. Entering the Muqal Cave was quite a workout. Duckwalks, leopard crawl in places. The guide will bring you to three caverns. One with cold water, another with steaming warm air from the hot water system, and the last with hot water. The hot underground water gets mixed with the cold surface runoff and the water feels somewhat like 32 degrees Celsius.
For the above reason, it is pretty comfortable to soak in the pools at Wadi Bani Khalid. Be warned though that it gets chilly when the wind blows. There are much small fish in the pools and they will not hesitate to feed on your dead skin cells. Be aware though that while likely harmless, these fish are two or three times larger than those at urban spas in most foot reflexology pools.
Dunes of the Desert
After lunch, head over to Wahiba Sands or Sharqiya Sands if you like to experience the sand dunes, do some dune bashing or stay over night glamping. As I have done so before in Morocco, I chose to spend time to drive towards Jebel Akhdar and ascend the mountain for the sunset views.
Jabal Akhdar
Perhaps most grand is the Anantara Jabal Akhdar. Viewpoints were named after Princess Diana who arrived by Helicopter in 1986.
Budget Itinerary Oman Day 5: From Jabal Akhdar to Nizwa
Oman Across the Ages
Admire the views driving down the mountain and head to Oman across the ages Museum. If you only have time for one museum, this is the one you should spend time on. I managed to spend the whole afternoon here till closing before heading out to see the surrounds as well as the library.
Nizwa Fort
Head towards Nizwa for the Nizwa fort, then head to the Nizwa Souk.
Al Aqur Rampart
There is also the Al Aqur wall which are remnants of the Nizwa ramparts, reminding me of the one at Dubrovnik though on a much smaller scale and nowhere near the sea. I returned to see it early morning before leaving Nizwa.
Budget Itinerary Oman Day 6: Forts and Necropolis
Al Bahla Fort
Start early at the Al Bahla Fort because it is going to get really hot. This is another UNESCO site.
Jabreen Castle
Then on to see the Jabreen castle which is a labyrinth of sorts. Walking and exploring every nook and cranny can take up the entire afternoon.
Al Ayn Necropolis
Head over to the Al Ayn Necropolis by 3pm. This is to allow adequate time for the hour long drive and the short walk up to the hill well before sunset. I thought the necropolis is fenced but there is actually a walkway or driveway leading all the way up.
Bat Necropolis
Then drive over to Bat Necropolis to end the day well before sunset. Do take note that the shortest route to Bat involves some 20km of unpaved driving.
Budget Itinerary Oman Day 7: Jebel Shams
Getting to the W6 trail head
Start early to commence the drive back to Al Hamra and then up to Jebel Shams. After the coffeeshop at 64RV+MX, the road becomes unpaved. There is only one start point for the W6 walk and any others on the map should be ignored. The walk wasn’t too difficult for me and one can reach the end in about 90mins. Memorable stops would be the wreck of a car, where the owner reportedly forgot to apply the handbrake. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Do be careful along the trail as there have been other reported fatal accidents involving trekkers and vehicles at Jebel Shams.
The abandoned Village of Sab
Starring and pondering on what used to be farm terraces on the edge of the mountain, it dawned on me how ingenious the settlement is. Not only did it make sense where the village was hidden from sight deep in the trail, there was also fresh water, and adequate sunlight to support the growth of crops.
The Hidden Pool
So many of us were trying to find the pool. And we found it after some detours. No one soaked in the pool though as the water seemed still and had lots of seaweed and algae. A guide came along and revealed that the pool could be as deep as 8m. The space itself seems like a town hall of sorts as the arena-like landform promotes voice projection. I can’t help but sang a song when everyone has left. I heard some clapping overheard after.
Exploring the abandoned village of Sab, as well as the pool above will probably take in another hour. 5 hours would be comfortable though 3 hours or shorter is doable if your focus is only on walking to the end point and back. There are many who camp overnight and it will be a good chance to see the stars. I was unfortunately motivated by the lack of food options and chose to drive down right after seeing sunset.
Budget Itinerary Oman Day 8: From Al Hamra to Muscat
Al Hamra
Visit the town of Al Hamra and the Bait Al Safah was a good experience. Although the museum does try to sell oils and perfume, as well as local produce, there was no hard selling and the guides were respectful of all visitors. The demonstration of craftwork, culinary methods and also how various spaces of the chief’s house was used was eye-opening and memorable.
Al Hoota Caves
Head over to Al Hoota Caves. I was lucky to enter before they closed early due to Ramadan.
Al Hajar Mountains
By 3pm, I started headed up to Al Hajar Mountains and would reach the summit near to Hat Café in about an hour. That wasn’t too difficult a drive? Or so I had thought, until I started the descend on the other side where the paved road disappears and the road becomes bumpy. If I had done this itinerary anti-clockwise, the climb up would have been more difficult. It took me almost 2 hours to get out of the mountains on Al Barida Road to Al Tikhah, where the road finally becomes paved again.
I spent the rest of the evening getting dinner, and shopping before my flight out of Muscat next day early morning.
My Total Expenditure
I spent around OMR200 over eight days in Oman for this budget Itinerary. This includes the 4WD rental which cost about 50% higher more the most reasonable sedan, fuel, food, and admissions. This does not cover airfares, accommodation and shopping. Be aware that there may be some holding fees in the car rental and some hotel bookings.
| Car Rental | OMR 90 |
| Fuel | OMR 30 |
| Meals | OMR 20 |
| Admissions | OMR 55 |
| Total | OMR 195 |
The above works out to be about USD65 per day.
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