Oman is a unique and exciting destination, with adventure around every corner for those who choose to visit this desert oasis. It’s probably unlike any other country you’ve been to, and you’ll encounter many novel experiences while here. But to ensure a smooth trip, there are certain things you absolutely need to know before visiting. Here are 9 unique and important things to know before traveling to Oman.
1. Camels Everywhere
One of my favorite things about Oman, is that animals are respected and have the freedom to roam. It is not uncommon to come across some camels on your road trip, crossing the road, bathing in the wadis, or even cutting off a 18 wheel truck on the highway with not a care in the world!
Yep, welcome to Oman! The camels rule the roads here. It only took 2 hours on our first day on the road to encounter our first traffic jam with some camels blocking the intersection.
With that said, you should take extra care to not hit any wildlife when driving here, especially at night when it becomes harder to spot them from further away.
This isn’t limited to camels either. On our trip we also encountered wild donkeys and goats, who all seem to be unafraid of oncoming traffic. So, drive with caution.
2. You Will Need a 4×4, Maybe
Before traveling to Oman, you should think about what type of car you’ll need to rent.
A lot of travelers we saw, rented a four wheel drive. Many travel blogs will say it’s absolutely necessary. And I agree..kind of.
Oman is essentially one large desert, making it an off-road playground for those who have the proper car.
While you can take your trip to the next level by having a 4 wheel drive, it’s actually not necessary. Due to the huge difference in cost, we chose to rent a standard 2 wheel drive.
We had no issues with any part of our planned itinerary, and we drove all the way to Selalah, further than most travelers will go on their road trip.
I’d suggest doing at least some light research on where you want to go in Oman. If the places you plan to go, can be reached without a 4 wheel drive, go ahead and skip it.
We were able to travel to the following places with a 2 wheel drive:
- Sur
- Wadi Shab
- Wadi Ben Al Kalid
- Wahiba Sands (not on the sand, just to the entrance of the desert)
- Selalah
- Mughsail Coast
- Wadi Darb
- Jebel Shams
- Nizwa
The only place we personally went to, and could not enter without a 4 wheel drive car, was Snake Canyon.
3. You Can’t Drink Alcohol in Public
As part of the religious customs, alcohol is generally prohibited. But as a foreigner, it is still legal for you to drink. The only catch is that you are limited to doing so in specific areas, such as in resorts and hotels.
Furthermore, drinking alcohol is limited to only certain indoor areas even on hotel property. Two places you are permitted to drink are in restaurants, and in your hotel room.
Some places drinking is not permitted, are by the hotel pool or on the beach, or anywhere outside.
Another thing to note, are the prices of buying alcohol. It’s expensive, with a Heineken beer costing as much as $6 for a small bottle, or $12 for house wine. Cocktails are even more expensive. Prepare to be charged 2 – 4 times the normal price for a beer or cocktail.
4. Unique Bathing Customs
Something you can’t miss while in Oman is a visit to a wadi (or several). Before traveling to Oman, I’d never heard of a wadi, but they are now easily my favorite part of our trip!
Wadi, means valley, and these unique desert oases provide an opportunity to cool off in that Omani heat. Each have something different to offer, from waterfalls, to caves, to mermaid lagoons like the one above.
In traditional Omani culture, it’s not appropriate for women to bathe in just a bikini. Women are generally expected to cover up.
At a minimum, this means wearing a t-shirt and shorts to the knees when swimming in the sea or in the wadis.
Some wadis, had an exception to this rule, such as Wadi Shab. It seems that they adapted their rules to the ever increasing number of foreigners that visit each year.
However, in the wadis that are more frequented by locals, you should adhere to the local customs and cover up. One example, is Wadi Bani Khalid, where all women swam with shorts and a shirt.
5. It’s Hard to Find Omani Cuisine
What we began to realize halfway into our trip, was that most people you meet here are not Omani, but migrant workers, typically from India or Bangladesh.
Because of this, you will find an abundance of relatively affordable eateries, but most are selling Indian cuisine. I myself never having been to India, thought I was eating Omani food for the first few days.
Don’t get me wrong, the food is great, and you can typically find biryani (chicken and rice dish) or shawarmas on the cheap that are quite nice.
But I’m sure you want to try Omani cuisine while you’re in Oman, right?
If you want to find authentic Omani food, it will take some effort.
This may be frustrating but worth the effort, because Omani food is truly unique and really good! It’s not a cuisine you’ll typically see outside Oman, so try it while here.
We enjoyed the traditional restaurants, where you sit on the floor and share many dishes, family style.
Some Omani dishes to look for are kabouli (rice and meat), harees, and kabsa.
One Omani restaurant in Salalah was recommended to us by an Omani hitchhiker we picked up, called Bin Ateeq. We tried and tested it, it’s fantastic!
For other cities, it may be worthwhile to ask a local, or even your hotel staff, what restaurants they recommend for local dishes.
6. It’s Expensive
It may come to no surprise that Oman is an expensive destination. All gulf countries are known for their high costs, and Oman is no exception.
In 2020, the Omani Rial currently stands as the third highest ranking valued currency in the world, roughly 1 OMR equals $2.60 USD (When I was there it was equal to about $3!!!)
If you are on a budget, somes tips for you are:
- Try eating shawarma for dinner every now and then (as cheap as 0.40 OMR / $1.38 and so damn good)
- Go car camping, which is permitted almost anywhere
- In cities when needing public transport, opt to flag down the shared minivans instead of a taxi. They are safe, and cost as much as a tenth of the price of a taxi
- Avoid overpaying for alcohol by not drinking at all
7. Mileage Caps on Rental Cars
The only disappointing thing about Oman is the cap on mileage allowed on rental cars.
Almost all rental car companies will give you a 250 km (155 miles) mileage allowance per day of your contracted rental.
This means if you rent a car for 10 days, you only get 2550 km ( 250 km a day x 10 days = 2550 km) to use for your entire trip, or about 1553 miles. If you go over, and believe me it’s very easy to do so, it will cost a pretty penny.
Before traveling to Oman, I had no idea how much of a hassle this was going to be. I don’t usually plan my trips ahead and prefer to be spontaneous, but for Oman, it is essential to plan ahead to avoid huge excess fees.
Be sure you calculate your rough itinerary out before traveling to Oman. Then, you can have an idea how many kilometers you may need to cover on your trip.
This will be useful for you when picking out and agreeing on any rental plan. Sometimes it’s worth it to opt for a more expensive rental plan, that allows more miles, if you plan to cover longer distances. However, most companies adhere to the 250 km per day cap.
From our experience, I would definitely not recommend booking with Thrifty in Oman, as they seriously, wrongly overcharged us. This was something we could have anticipated had we read their reviews before traveling to Oman. Do your research, compare prices and check reviews before booking with any company. It could save you hundreds.
Overall, we lost about $300 in additional charges because we returned our car early, which we thought would actually save money. Since we returned the car early, Thrifty subtracted some of our mileage allowance, and therefore we ending up paying more, because we went OVER the reduced mileage allowance.
This was our most expensive mistake in Oman.
8. You Can Go to the Desert and Beach on the Same Day
Another unique thing about Oman is that it’s essentially one big desert next to the sea. You can get the best of both worlds, even in one day! For example, you could enjoy a morning at Wahiba Sands, then head to the coast that afternoon and catch the sunset on the beach.
9. It’s Safe
Oman is an incredibly safe country, which ranks low on petty and violent crime. In 2019, it ranked at number 23 on the global safety index, even beating countries like Japan!
It’s also pretty much free from any terrorism or political unrest, unlike some of their neighboring countries. The entire 2 weeks we spent in Oman, we weren’t met with a single unsafe incident and I never felt uneasy with my environment.
Although they are much more relaxed than their neighboring countries, you should make an effort to follow local customs to show respect and avoid any potentially unfavorable situations. These include modest clothing, no public drinking, and taking shoes off in mosques.
If you respect the local customs, the locals are much more likely to respect you.
And there you have it! The 9 essential things you must know before traveling to Oman. Have you been to Oman? Tell me about your experience below!
Nicole says
This is so useful, I’ve been considering going to Oman and a few other states that’s like Doha too. But just don’t hear that much of western women travelling there. It makes me feel safer to book