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In the desert areas of Oman such as the Wahiba Sands and the Empty Quarters, the camel is still a very important animal in the life of the Bedouins (nomads of Arabia), including a form of transportation. When you are in the desert areas of Oman, you will have an opportunity to take a ride on a camel to really have a good Arabic experience.
Because Oman is a rugged country and some of the attractions can only be reached via rocky roads, you need a 4 wheel drive to be able to reach these places. You can either get a guide to drive you around in a 4 wheel drive or you can self drive. The former is a better choice as the locals are definitely more familiar with the terrain and can offer you introduction to the various sites. 4 wheel drive rental will cost about 40 Omani rials or more per day.
If you require a tour of Oman and is looking for a tour guide cum driver, you can contact my Omani guide called Nabhan. It will cost about 80-100 Omani Rials per day including vehicle (therefore will be cheaper per person if you can get about 3-4 people). His handphone number is 968-99418395 and he is a very knowledgable, responsible and friendly guide.
Oman is relatively new to mass tourism, so it does not have the infrastructure that some other Middle Eastern countries have (which could be part of its appeal!). This means that there are few options in regards to tours and guides. Renting a car is probably your best way to get around, and the majority of the roads are in good shape.
In 2001 we visited the United Arab Emirates.The roads we took, passed often Omani enclaves.From Al Ain, a twin town with the Omani Buraimi, to Hatta, we made a longer short cut of more than 100 KM through Oman.In the Netherlands we got an itinerary with this short cut, without a really good description, but nobody in the UAE or Buraimi could give us more and better information about this route. So we had to find out and try out ourselves.The sky was blue, no clouds, so no rain to be expected, we hoped, because we had to pass some wadis.It was a stunning route. From Buraimi we drove to El Mahdah and Al Juwayf. Here the tarred road ended. For the real shortcut we had to take the sideroad to the right to Al Fay.A normal car, the first one, with local people passed us into that sideroad. So that encouraged us, that we could drive this unpaved mountaineous road too. And we made it to Hatta,...
We go to Oman with a Kuwait Airways flight. It goes first to Kuwait, there we change the plane and go to Muscat fia Dubai. The whole flight whis this airline was very comfortable and friendly. And, the best, this was the cheepest flight we could get.
The number of paved kilometres in Oman are limited. Some of the coolest places to visit require climbing steep or rocky hills, going through foot deep water or just driving across the sand dunes. We had more fun with our 4WD truck than we ever imagined possible. It certainly was necessary for the places we visited.
There are direct flights from the United Kingdom to Muscat. Reading the different web sites, it is confusing with regard to the visa and No Objection Certificates (NOC). I think some of the sites are a little out of date now, and as soon as I hear from the Omani Embassy in UK I will try to make things more clear for UK visitors. USA visitors seem to have less of a problem.Not having been there for over 20 years, I expect an ordinary air conditioned car is OK for the coastal towns and larger cities. I was always amazed just how far a Mazda pick-up could get into the interior regions!. Even now I would expect to have a 4x4 vehicle for the really remote - and the best - areas.
This tip was correct when we wrote it (Mar 2004) but apparently it's not uncommon for the requirements to change with no warning.Also, we checked with the Omani government website and its advice didn't match with our experience, and that is also not uncommon!A relative in Dubai is fairly certain that the exact requirements depend on the day you go!We flew from Dubai to Oman (we had already entered Dubai for one night - we weren't in transit).Visitors from the EU need an Omani tourist visa which you get at the airport. However, the visa will cost you 6 Omani Rials per person, and you must have exact money in local currency.We'd been organised and got our money - but we didn't have small denominations. There is a Travelex bureau on the arrival side of the airport, but there is also a HUGE queue.Our advice would be get your money before travelling, and the minute you get off the plane (if...
Our plan had been to drive from Dubai to Oman, which should take about five hours.We'd checked it out on the web before we left and everything looked good - hire car no problem, if you want to go to Oman just let the hire people know.Because there was a chance we might have been able to borrow a car from a family member we didn't book the transport before we left...Once in Dubai the first hire company told us we couldn't hire to Oman at all.We tried Hertz, and at first they said everything was ok, but then we got a call to say there was a problem and that the Omani border point wouldn't let a hire car through with Dubai insurance.With three minutes until the Emirates Airline offices closed we managed to buy flight tickets for the 37 minute trip by plane (see our separate tip about flying to Oman!)Once in Oman we met someone who lived in the area and said it wasn't uncommon to take up to...
InterContinental Al Bustan Palace Muscat Muscat
16 Reviews and 186 Opinions If you have a chance to visit this prestigious hôtel , you will not regret it. Outstanding...
Hilton Salalah Salalah
6 Reviews and 99 Opinions The minute I entered this hotel I knew something was special and it did not take me long to discover...
Sur Beach Hotel Sur
4 Reviews and 23 Opinions This hotel is a three star option and in my opinion the best you can choose in Sur. Having stayed...
Reviews and photos of Oman attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Oman sightseeing.
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Q: who could inform me about a really good local travel agency or tour operator in oman, in order to book with them a 15 days round...
A: I recommend Nomad Tours in Oman. We stayed at Nomad Guest House in Muscat- it was excellent, and Lorna (the owner) can organize any tour that you might like to...
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