After a quick stopover in Kenya, I made my way to the United Arab Emirates to catch up with my friend Ashleigh, who used to live in Hong Kong. We had planned an Oman road trip and had spent several days thinking about what to do in Oman.
What to Do in Oman on a Dubai to Oman Road Trip
I was so excited to be going on a Dubai to Oman road trip that even waking up early wasn’t enough to dampen my spirit. After three months in Africa, I was happy to be on well-maintained roads where it was easy to cover 100km in an hour.
That meant that the drive from the Sharjah Emirate, near Dubai, to Muscat would only take 5 hours! I was very thankful for air conditioning too, as the outside temperature was around 45 degrees.
Along the way, We saw shifting sands trying to encroach on the road and found out that it can sometimes be a huge problem during sandstorms. There are people employed solely to remove this sand from the road. Although it was kind of flat and boring at the start of our drive, we soon got some lovely views of desert mountains. They have a beauty all of their own.
Once at the border, we ran into a slight problem with insurance. Oman requires all cars within its boundaries to have additional insurance on top of the insurance from the country of origin. Although Ashleigh had this, the officer wouldn’t accept the paperwork and therefore wouldn’t stamp us in until additional insurance had been purchased.
If it weren’t for the time spent dealing with that and people constantly trying to jump the queue, it’s possible that passing through this border would’ve been relatively quick.
Short Stop in Sohar – What to Do in Oman
Sohar is a small coastal city around 200 kilometres from both Muscat and Sharjah, making it a great place to break up our Oman road trip. If you’re wondering what to do in Oman, consider visiting Sohar. The city had, at one point in history, served as the Omani Capital, but is now the fifth most populated area in the country. My friend Ashleigh had a friend living there, so we all decided to head out to the local mall for some food.
The Safeer Mall, as it’s known, is one of 2 malls in Sohar. It looks very flashy from the outside, which made it all the more surprising to walk into the restroom and see women with their legs up on the bench while washing their feet in the sinks. I had figured that a country with a majority Muslim population, would’ve had some kind of foot cleaning facilities next to the prayer rooms in their malls.
While chatting at the cafe in the mall, I got the feeling that Sohar was a rapidly developing city. Ashleigh recalled how much it had changed in the months since he had been there last, while his friend informed us of many other projects that were currently, or soon to be, under construction. I guess I’ll have to visit again to see how much different it looks! With our tummies filled, it was time to continue on our Oman road trip.
Onto Muscat on an Oman Road Trip
On the drive to Muscat, Ashleigh had joked that there were no right turns in the newly developed parts of the city and that you just had to keep turning left to get where you want to go. It turns out he wasn’t really exaggerating that much. It was rather strange that the only access point for a mall on the right-hand side of a highway, was an offramp on the left-hand side of the highway. How convenient!
Muscat is a very spread-out city with only about 5 buildings that have more than 5 floors. They are all hotels, of course! I like the low-rise idea, but the positioning of some of the roads in relation to some buildings can only be described as odd. If you approach a building from the wrong side, you may have to take a several kilometre detour to turn around and access it from the correct side.
The city is definitely not geared toward pedestrian traffic. In fact, it’s downright impossible to cross a lot of roads as a pedestrian. I guess with the price of fuel being so cheap and the scorching summer temperatures, locals are inclined to drive everywhere, even if it’s just across the road.
While there are road rules in Oman, it seems that the penalties for being on the wrong side of them are so minuscule, that many locals are willing to openly break them. This makes Omani roads fun, in the nail-biting kind of way. If you intend to do an Oman road trip, keep this in mind!
Old and New on a Dubai to Oman Road Trip
Road traumas aside, Muscat is a beautiful city. Once passing through the city gate, Old Muscat lies near the waterfront, surrounded by barren mountains and sea. It is a lot more pedestrian friendly, but a little less car friendly, than New Muscat and it seems to be quite lively.
At the centre of the old town is the Muttrah Souq, which I’m told could be one of the oldest marketplaces in the Arab world. The old-style buildings in the area are delightful to look at and it almost feels like you have stepped into another time. It’s definitely one of the top things to do in Oman.
Down on the waterfront, you’ll find some relics from bygone eras have stood the test of time.
They are open and free for people to explore.
One such relic is a small watchtower, high above the promenade.
A 4-5 minute walk up a lot of stairs will get you to the top.
From there you can not only look out over the sea, but also over the whole of Old Muscat.
While there is definitely a visible difference between the old and the new city in Muscat, it seems that some architectural themes flow effortlessly through both.
For instance, the colours of buildings are pretty much the same in both.
Mainly off-white, cream and beige.
These colours aren’t really awe-inspiring, but they are quite earthy shades.
The advantage of this is that they tend to blend in more with their surroundings.
Both residential and commercial premises seem to have sleek designs with smooth facades, high ceilings and grand Arabian-style arches.
This means that every building you walk into feels big and airy.
I probably noticed this more because I live in a cramped and crowded city, but I still think it’s lovely.
Laws Unique to Oman
Now that we’ve talked about what to do in Oman, let’s take a look at what not to do in Oman.
Oman is definitely a conservative country by many standards. That doesn’t mean it’s not a fun region to explore though.
As long as you don’t inadvertently find yourself on the wrong side of some of Oman’s more unique laws, you’ll be just fine.
** Don’t talk about the Sultan’s private life**
You probably know that Oman is a majority Muslim country, ruled by a Sultan. What you might not know, is that there is a law against talking about that sultan’s private life.
Yes, a LAW. You could be formally charged or even land yourself jail time.
If caught, you can’t leave the country until all court proceedings are finalised. Courts are never fun, so keep the gossip to yourself while in the country.
** Don’t show anger in public **
I guess this is the Omani attempt at legislating civility. It certainly explains why all the Omanis I encountered were very friendly and even-tempered.
You don’t want to go to court for shouting at someone, right? Obviously, it’s just better to be nice.
** Don’t Show signs of Intoxication in public **
You might be surprised to know that it is not illegal to drink in Oman. They have pubs!
You could get yourself in a whole heap of trouble for seeming to be intoxicated in public though. Having a few drinks with dinner, or drinking in your hotel room is fine as long as you can look and sound sober when you go outside.
** Don’t share a room with someone you’re not married to **
Officially in Oman, it is illegal for non-married people of the opposite sex to share a hotel room. Unofficially, leniency will often be shown towards foreigners when it comes to this law.
Most non-Omanis would see it as a gross invasion of privacy for a hotel to request proof of marriage at check in. hotels generally won’t ask, because who carries that kind of information with them when they’re travelling? There’s a small chance, however, that they could refuse to let you check in to the same room.
I’ve not heard of this law being enforced on foreigners in practice, but it some people find it easier to book separate rooms to avoid any uncomfortable questioning.
Is It Safe to Travel to Oman?
So, while reading this, you may have been wondering, is it safe to travel to Oman? If you exclude the rollercoaster ride that is Omani roads, then yes, it is safe to travel in Oman!
In fact, locals are quite approachable, especially if they speak English.
Winding up Our Oman Road Trip – Unexpected Things to Do in Oman
As mentioned above, drinking is not against the law in Oman. Therefore, if you run out of things to do in Oman, you could always get a drink.
Many establishments, like hotels and bars, are licenced to sell alcohol. It is completely legal to imbibe at those places! What is illegal is acting drunk in public. It’s generally more prudent to stay sober when abroad in any case. Thus, when in Oman, it might be best to just have a few quiet ones if you find a bar while you’re out and about.
Ashleigh and I were quite pleased when we found a cute little Irish pub near the beach, where we could sit down and have a quiet drink, guilt-free! We ended up having a great chat with the foreign owner of the pub, who had been in Muscat for many years, whilst digging into our delicious Irish pub grub.
🇴🇲Oman Summary🇴🇲
In a few words – old and new
Language – Arabic and English
Currency – Omani Rial (OMR)
WiFi availability – 📶📶📶📶📶
Wifi is widely available in shopping centres, cafes and restaurants
Transport – I would presume that the transport in Oman is not that great, as everyone seems to own cars and I didn’t really come across many tourists while I was there.
Roads – 🛣🛣🛣🛣🛣
Omani roads are immaculate and all look like they are brand new.
Scenery – 🏜️⛰🏜️⛰🏜️
A lot of desert and dust with some baron mountains thrown in for good measure.
Prices – 💰💰💰
As a fairly developed country, many high-priced items can be found there, but if you eat more local fare, prices tend to be a lot more reasonable.
Border efficiency – 🛂🛂🛂
Except for a small insurance issue on entry, passage through the Oman immigration area, on both entry and exit was fairly smooth.
Overall – 👍👍👍👍