I love Oman – This is Authentic Gulf Culture 🇴🇲

This trip was taken in late November of 2024, along with time in Jordan.

My time in Oman was wholly based around my staying in Muscat for 5 nights. I rented a car and can't stress enough how easy it was to drive throughout Oman. Every morning, I woke up with another destination in mind and had absolutely 0 issues driving in the country. Roads and highways were well-paved, well-illuminated at night, and other drivers were safe and respectful. I've rented cars and driven in multiple countries worldwide, and Oman was as easy and joyful as any of them.

Oman is a bit of a sleepy country, which I think makes it super charming in hindsight. When most people think of this part of the Middle East, places like Dubai and Doha come to mind, large metropolises with bright skyscrapers that guzzle power. Muscat and Oman as a whole don't fit that bill, which I love. Oman felt authentically itself and more culturally rich, not pandering or changing itself for tourists, but embracing its history and identity instead.

Muscat, the country's capital and largest city, is located in a stunning, mountainous section of Oman's northern coast. While the city is the center of the country's economy and culture, it is still relatively small, especially compared to its neighboring countries' notable cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha. You could really "do" all of Muscat in a day or two, but I realized quickly that part of its charm is simply slowing down and not doing much while taking it all in. The hotels and resorts are on the beach, and most feature anything you could ask for during your trip. I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Muscat, one of the more interesting hotels I've ever stayed at, and while the pool/outdoor area was unfortunately closed for renovation, I still loved my stay.

While still part of Muscat, Muttrah is the "old" section of the city and where most "attractions" are in the city. About a 15-minute drive from Qurum, another section of Muscat where most higher-end hotels are located (including mine), Muttrah is really the only happening part of the city really, but that's not a bad thing. You'll find the Muttrah Souq here, just an "okay" market in my opinion. Great for loading up on frankincense to take home, as well as some Omani people-watching, but unsurprisingly, a lot of Chinese-made cheap goods. Worth your time exploring, still. My advice: don't purchase anything from someone non-Omani. Morocco still has the best souqs I've been to.

Muttrah is just a great place to spend an evening. Omanis and foreigners can be seen walking the waterfront and enjoying the views and overall vibe of the country's most popular urban spot.

Muttrah Fort is a must when visiting Muscat. A short climb up gives you absolutely fantastic panoramic views of the city.

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is another must-see when in Muscat. Considered one of the most beautiful in the world (and formerly featuring the world's largest rug and chandelier), the mosque is absolutely stunning, especially the interior.

Muscat is a great city, but it's not the only reason you come to Oman. The country is perhaps more notably known for some of its smaller and less populated areas.

I notably drove to two other areas in Muscat, Nizwa (and the surrounding mountains), which is south of the city and famous for the Nizwa Fort, and Sur, which is on the eastern part of the country. It was a lot of driving, and if I could go back and plan the trip again, I'd probably stay a night or two around Nizwa (specifically at the Alila Jabal Akhdar).

Nizwa is a small-ish town just south of Muscat, most notably known for Nizwa Fort, a centuries old castle and one of the country's most popular attractions.

I will also quickly shout out the Oman Across Ages Museum in Nizwa. I'm not really a museum person when traveling, but this was one of the better museums I've ever been to. If you're near Nizwa, it's definitely worth stopping at for a couple of hours.

It's truly a history of Oman (not just since it's been a country, but the land itself) and does a fantastic job at keeping your attention. Not to mention the building's extremely unique architecture.

This area just south of Muscat is one of Oman's most mountainous, and a drive through the mountains of Jabal Akhdar is a must for any Muscat itinerary. Everything you'll read online will say driving a 4x4 is a necessity, but despite renting one, 95% of the roads would have been fine in anything standard, in my opinion. If you've spent any time in an American state with semi-steep hills, the drive here will be nothing new. Despite this, you are at the discretion of whoever is manning the checkpoint prior to the ascent, so it's in your best interest not to push it and rent one. You'll be glad you did when you find a secret wadi to drive through later on as well...

My advice when visiting Jabal Adkhdar is to just give yourself time. The drive is beautiful, and you'll want to get out to take pictures, potentially hike, hydrate, etc.

Don't try and fit Jabal Akhdar in with something else, in my opinion. I wish I had stayed at least one, maybe two nights in the area as well. The Alila Jabal Akhdar looks fantastic. I would have loved to see a sunset here.

I ran into this area above, Wadi Bani Habib, at the end of the main road I was taking when I was up exploring Jabal Akhdar. I didn't plan on stopping, really – the road I was on ended, and I saw some other foreigners heading down from their cars. Super fun impromptu hike and a great look at some Omani countryside from above.

In addition to my drive to Jabal Akhdar and Nizwa, I also woke up early one day to head east out to the town of Sur, a coastal city towards the far eastern edge of the country.

Sur was a bit further of a drive than the Nizwa area, clocking in at around 2 hours each way from Muscat. Again, thankfully, the roads and highways are in fantastic condition and the drive out was stunning.

As far as I could tell, there isn't much to "do" in Sur. It's a super unique and beautiful place, but you can really adventure around the coast and see the old parts of the city in a couple of hours. And again, that's not a bad thing. If there's anything this Oman trip thought me it's that trips can be fun just being slow and taking things in.

As you can tell, Sur is known for the production of the country's traditional boats, known as dhows.

I can't recommend driving in Oman enough. On the way back to Muscat from Sur, I pulled off the highway to take a quick look at something on my phone. I saw a gravel dirt road branch off from an underpass, and an SUV come flying down it. I decided to go down the road and was pleasantly surprised with a spontaneous semi-offroad drive through another wadi that was apparently a fairly popular driving detour for those with cars that could handle it.

I drove for about 45 minutes down the gravel road and encountered maybe 4 or 5 other cars seemingly wandering too. Passing small homes built at the base of the wadi's walls was really cool to unexpectedly see. As someone who tends to like somewhat rigid travel plans (at least during the day), this was a welcome lesson in sometimes going off the beaten path, literally.

I left Oman and felt like it was a place that I couldn't wait to return to. It was slow and hot, but at the same time exciting and refreshing. It really changed my perspective on this part of the world. Sure, other wealthy Gulf cities and countries can be hectic, but I think I much prefer the true Omani experience to the mostly fake and inflated Dubai or Qatari one.

The entire time, Oman and its people felt very authentic and unapologetically themselves. No skyscrapers, no influences, just a kind country with kind citizens. I can't wait to go back.