7/8 days in Oman itinerary help, please

[fancytoes]

I’ve booked three nights at the Shangri-La Al Wada. And that’s all.

Planning on hiring a car to visit other places.

I’d love some tips on where to go and would like to do:

Snorkel trip
Turtle watching at sunrise
Wadi Shab (unless there are better ones
Not hugely fussed about sleeping in a posh tent but could be persuaded (slightly wary of any wheeling in local cultures to perform for westerners type stuff)
Mountain forts

Have two bouncy boys 8/9 who would just like to jump in a pool all day.

Heading to Dubai for a few days at the end to do revolting theme parks and excessive stuff!

We loved Oman - Muscat is all traditional low rise architecture. DH didn’t find driving in Muscat difficult; and it’s easy in the countryside.

We enjoyed the Grand mosque (named after a Sultan), the Mutrah Corniche and souq. It’s the only mosque in Oman, non Muslims can visit. (Women need to wear long sleeves, long trousers and a head scarf. Men need to wear long trousers and possibly long sleeves) .

We went on a boat trip from the port of Muscat on the sea, to see dolphins - there were lots!

We stayed with a relative, who lived in a gated compound with a private beach 10 minutes walk away; but we also went to Qurum beach, a public beach with a Starbucks overlooking it. (DH wanted to watch the birds in a closed nature reserve from the Starbucks).

We went to Qurum park several times. We had lunch and a walk there.

I don’t know what your DC like, but our relative took us for brunch on a Friday at the Al Bustan palace, a big hotel with its own beach. It’s an all you can eat buffet with numerous cuisines, and an optional drinks package. Not cheap, but an experience! Alternatively you can go for Friday brunch in a big hotel in Dubai.

We hired a car to go see the Bimmah sink hole and stayed overnight in Nizwa to see the souq and mountain forts around there.

The dolphin trip, they picked customers up from the big hotels in Muscat

That list from @BlueandWhitePorcelain is pretty perfect.

Make sure you go for a traditional meal too - we had a fabulous dinner near the Souq.

Oh thank you all so much. It seems I am on the right track with an itinerary, how exciting.

I’ll look into Nizwa hotels now. Hopefully something cheaper and more traditional!

Hope you don't mind me jumping on this witb a question. This is very interesting thread to me because I have only heard very good things about Oman.

Is it a good place to go as a lone female? I'm late 50s.

@dizzydizzydizzy personally, I'd go there on my own BUT I lived in the middle east for many years.
I've got a single female friend living and working in Oman currently. She's having a blast.

If you are a confident traveler, go for it. If this would be your first trip outside the UK, maybe go somewhere else first.

Thank you! I am a confident traveller but have never been to the Middle East .

Yes, our relative is a single female in her 40s. She always says, she feels safer in the ME as a woman, than she does in London!

Having grown up in an Arab country ( admittedly never been to Oman) , I’d say that as a 50 something woman you would probably be fine and safe, as long as you dress modestly and take care to be somewhat formal and a bit distant with local men, and overseas workers of which I believe there are many in Oman ( mostly from Muslim countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh with a shared cultural
views on female modesty etc).

@fancytoesI’d love to go Oman, are you booking everything separately yourself? What are flights like?

We have friends in Dubai and it was actually cheaper and more convenient at this end to fly to Dubai and then get a side trip up to Oman.

Went ages ago with work 8 years, loved Muscat, and really enjoyed Sultan Quaboos Mosque, and the Souk / Corniche. I stayed at the crowne plaza (which is expensive, but was there for work) and they ran the tours to the above named free of charge in their minibus, so worth looking up what the hotels do, as often minibus trips are included. It is no problem for 50+ single women but to visit the mosque for the OP who has asked, you need what I would describe as "more than the average amount of coverage", no ankles, no wrists, no hair. They have a shop if you don't fit the bill (they decided that despite a long to the floor dress, and a cardigan, my wrists might offend) so had to buy or rent another thing to wear, not expensive and lovely fun women, and they helped me with my Hijab (head covering, but they know how to put it on WITHOUT any clips which was amazing), Given I was already in a dress and a cardigan, and then another outfit on top, and it was 40degrees, take water, I was boiling. The souk was less strict, but it is better to wear the right gear otherwise you really do look like a tourist. I wore a Hijab with long sleeved black top and trousers, had a great time. The best way to deal with a Hijab if you are not used to putting one on is just to take one of those really small crocodile clips so you can fasten it under your chin, or watch youtube if you fancy doing it properly. Everyone I met there was lovely. The major hotels are used to international tourists and serve great food, and you can have a drink at night if you wish. My only other points would be that Oman airport was crowded, and the whole place (Muscat) was hot. So hot that you were keen to not be in it for long, and I have been all over.

Jebel Akhdar, Wahiba sands are worth a visit. So is Salalah, would be a long trip to squeeze in as is Musandam.

We go to the Middle East in November. We find the weather lovely - we came back from Bahrain on Saturday. It was about 28 degrees C there last week! The unheated swimming pool at our relatives’s villa was a bit cold!

It was about 30 - 32 degrees C, when we went to Dubai in November 2017 - which I preferred.

I didn’t have to put an abaya on in the Grand Mosque in Muscat - I wore a t shirt, long sleeved cardigan, long trousers and a headscarf in 2023. I wore the same for the Grand Mosque in Manama last week, and had to put on an abaya!

We’ve just got back and LOVED it

We started in Muscat at the crowne plaza to see Muscat - Grand Mosque etc, went on the coast rd to the wadi shab and walked to the pools and cave. Then into the desert - camel ride (camels very well looked after and healthy), 4x4 sand dune rides. On to Nizwa fort and stayed locally before heading to do the balcony walk in Jebel Sham. Back to muscat and the Shanghai la. We went on a boat trip to a nature reserve and snorkelled with turtles and saw hundreds (really) of dolphins.

Omani food better at the Crowne Plaza and the local food was better out and about, I think the Shanghai la is a bit big, but nice enough (if spendy)

My fave Omani resident!

Oh and pay VIP to get through the airport, the queue was about 2 hours apparently.

I'm in Muscat at the moment - glorious sunshine (as usual!) I'm on holiday here but lived here for 7 years recently so if you have any more questions fire away.

Dress code for public spaces: cover shoulders and knees (same applies male and female)

Loose, full length clothes for any Mosque visits + headscarf for when inside.

Public beaches: women tend to wear a t-shirt/shorts to swim in.
Hotel/resorts (like Al Waha): swimsuits/bikinis absolutely fine.

If you want to drink alcohol, make use of the duty free allowance on arrival. Hotels can be eyewateringly expensive unless they are running specials/happy hour.
Allowance is 4l of alcohol per adult. This can be bottles of wine or spirits. 12 cans/bottles of beer = 1 litre!
Cheapest wine in duty free is deBortolli 3.5rial (£7), cheapest sparkling I could see was ~7rial (£14). DP got 12 bottles of Corona for around 10r (£20)

Oman is extremely safe. I used to live alone and felt far safer here than UK. No street crime. I used to run and had absolutely no hassle, only an occasional friendly 'keep going!'

Omanis love kids and welcome them everywhere.

Definitely do the 'Rustaq Loop' for forts - Rustaq, Nakhal and al Thawara springs (stick your feet in and the nibbler fish take the rough skin off!)

Get a 4x4 if you are planning on going up the mountains as you won't be allowed up some routes without. Also - over winter the temp will be substantially cooler overnight at altitude- you'll need fleeces and layers

Thank you all! So helpful.

Oh wow Oman is one of my favourites!
Definitely the Rustaq loop for the forts. And there are hot springs somewhere along there too - ain a'thawwarah.
The souk and mosque in Muscat as some have already mentioned.
The Children's museum in Muscat is small but so lovely and quirky.
There are camels wandering around the beach in Seeb!
Good idea to book the Shangri-la because otherwise swimming is a bit impossible. It's so weirdly western at the resorts. The beach and pools are amazing there.
I would absolutely travel there as a lone female, and it's my top recommendation for travel with kids, everyone loves and looks out for kids, there are soft plays in every mall... Oh I want to go back now!