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One Week in Oman: A Road Trip Itinerary Guide

Updated March 2024, One Week In Oman Road Trip was originally written in July 2017

What if I told you it’s totally possible to do an epic one week trip in Oman?

Trying to squeeze in as much of Oman as you can on your all-too-short holiday break? Don’t sweat it- here is a road-tripping, budget itinerary for those looking to hit the highlights in one week in Oman.

Of course, there is so much to see in Oman that it could keep you captivated for months on end, but if you have a mere one week in Oman to spare, don’t despair! You can see a nice chunk of the beautiful country in a short amount of time.

This is following Dan Flying Solo, my friend Jeremy, and my itinerary when we spent one week in Oman in November of 2016, road tripping the country. This Oman road trip will cover the northern part of Oman closest to Muscat.

The crazy thing is: these stops are the usual tourist attractions for those visiting Oman, however, there are so few people at them that you’ll feel you’re off the beaten path at most all of them. #thebeautyofoman


Need some inspiration? Check out Dan’s 10 Reasons to Visit Oman Video Guide!


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Check out my 12 Best Adventures In Oman post


1 Week Oman Road Trip Map
Click the map above to view on Google Maps

Day 0: Arrive in Muscat

Welcome to the modest capital city of Oman, from which you’ll kick off your one week Oman road trip. Pick up your rental car from Muscat Airport, and take off.

We arrived late in the evening, so our first glimpses of the city were its dazzling lit-up mosques. Plan to stay in a hotel tonight and get a good night’s sleep and shower before taking off tomorrow.

Muscat Hotels

Budget

Hotel Golden Oasis
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

Midrange

Hilton Garden Inn
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

Splurge

Al Bustan Palace
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

Day 1: Muscat To Quriyat

Muscat ➤ Wadi Dayqah ➤ Quriyat

140 kilometers

2 hours

Muscat to Quriyat Map, 1 Week Oman Road Trip Map
Click the map above to view on Google Maps

Grab any odds and ends in Muscat, stock up on food, grab a late brunch at a local eatery, and set out for your one week in Oman road trip. There is a Carrefour in Muscat where you can grab almost anything you may need.

Kick off your week in Oman by heading southeast from Muscat toward Sur on Highway 17 to the picturesque fishing village of Quriat. Roughly an hour and 15 minutes later you’ll find yourselves on the narrow streets of the small fishing village.

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The beach at Quriyat

After having a look around Quriyat and enjoying the beach, drive into and explore several nearby wadis (trust me there are heaps in the Eastern Hajar!). Then from Quriyat, take Al-Hasn Street to Wadi Dayqah to see Oman’s largest dam.

After an afternoon of sightseeing in Quriyat, checking out wadis, and a dam, head back out toward the east. When the road forks, follow the unnamed roads through wild Oman out to the coast. From here start looking for an empty beach to camp on.

Day 2: Quriyat To Ras al Hadd

Quriyat ➤ Bimmah Sinkhole ➤ Wadi Shab ➤ Wadi Tiwi ➤ Sur ➤ Ras al Jinz ➤ Ras al Hadd

280 kilometers

5 hours

Ras al Hadd Hotels

Midrange

Salem Fish Guesthouse
Booking.com |

Turtle Beach Resort
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

Quriyat to Ras al Hadd map, 1 Week Oman Road Trip Map
Click the map above to view on Google Maps
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Bimmah Sinkhole

Bimmah Sinkhole

Get an early rise and continue south toward Sur. Today you’ll be cruising with the Arabian Gulf on your left and the craggy Eastern Hajar Mountains on the right. Early in the drive, you’ll run across signs for Bimmah Sinkhole. Do not skip it.

Bimmah Sinkhole is a small lake filled with amazingly clear turquoise waters in a limestone depression. Although the local legend holds that the Sinkhole was created by Hawaiyat Najm- meaning falling star.

Regardless of a mythical meteorite or limestone depression we can all agree, it’s beautiful and likely a highlight of your one week in Oman.

Not to fear, for those not in prime physical condition: the surrounding municipality created Hawaiyat Najm Park around Bimmah Sinkhole, including a staircase to access the lake. Showing up to Bimmah Sinkhole early in the morning will allow you to have the Sinkhole completely to yourself, or at least close to it. 

Once you are done enjoying Bimmah Sinkhole, continue only a short distance south to arrive at Wadi Shab.


Plan the perfect visit: Everything you need to know before going to Bimmah Sinkhole


Wadi Shab

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Wadi Shab

There is a parking lot just under the Highway 17 bridge. Park, take a good look around and wait for one of the small boats to take you across the river to the other side for 1 OMR per person. You’ll be dropped off at a small dock on the opposite side of the river.

After hopping off the boat, follow the trail along the river. You’ll walk along the bed of the canyon for a bit before the trail begins to climb up along the steep wall of the wadi with views down into the turquoise water.

Eventually, the trail leads back down to a rocky beach where you can jump in for a swim. This is an area popular with tourists and locals alike. If you’re adventurous and a decent swimmer you can swim up to a secret waterfall.


Know before you go: The Ultimate Guide to Wadi Shab


The Secret Waterfall

*Only go if you’re confident in your swimming abilities.

Swim upstream until you reach what looks like a giant rock pile. You’ll see a tall, narrow slot between the rocks, swim through it. The narrow slot will eventually give way to a giant cave formed by large boulders fallen long ago.

We were mindblown by this secret cave. There’s even a waterfall inside, and a rope to hoist yourself up onto one of the boulders, where you can cliff dive into the deep cavernous pool.

My only regret? Not bringing a GoPro. This was the highlight of Wadi Shab in my opinion, I would have loved to share a photo with you. 

After spending an afternoon exploring the wadi make your way a little further down the coast to Ras al-Jinz and Ras al-Hadd. This was my favorite adventure on our one week in Oman road trip.

Ras al Jinz

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Sunrise at Ras al Jinz

Ras al Jinz Beach is a Turtle Reserve. Every year thousands of turtles migrate to the Sultanate of Oman’s shores, the best time to see them being between July and October. We arrived in Oman in early November and saw hundreds of turtles the night we went out to Ras al-Jinz.

Ras al-Jinz is also a fishing village, but it is most famous for being the nesting site for one of the world’s largest concentrations of the endangered Green Turtle as well as being the official easternmost point of the Arabian Peninsula.

When Dan, Jermey, and I arrived at Ras al Jinz, we first came across a couple of men working- they were collecting tiny baby turtles and putting them in a kids swimming pool. They worked for the Ras al Jinz Turtle Center and were gathering the babies that were headed in the wrong direction. The babies would later be brought to the sea by the workers.

The men working told us that it would be best to use the red lights on our headlamps to search the beach for nesting turtles as normal light disorients the turtles*.

Not long after we set out into the pitch-black darkness we began to hear what sounded like someone digging in the sand. It was an enormous Green Turtle digging her nest to lay eggs. She was well over a meter in length- I’d never laid eyes on a turtle so big!

*Did you know that light confuses turtles? Nesting turtles are typically most active at night and instinctively, they use light to find their way back to the sea. Long before humans came along bringing light pollution in cities and towns, turtles relied on the moonlight reflecting off of the ocean’s surface to find their way back to the water. This is why it is recommended to use red lights (many headlamps have this setting), the narrow spectrum of light red lights emit is less intrusive to the turtles #neature.

After our encounter with a nesting turtle, we walked back down to the water, only to find that the sands were dazzling with glittering blue light as the waves crashed onshore. This was phosphorescent plankton.

I have encountered phosphorescent plankton in Koh Rong, Cambodia; Gili T, Indonesia; Herathera, Maldives; and Puerto Rico– trust me there’s nothing else like it. I could kick around for hours feeling like a fairy surrounded by the shimmering greens and blues.

We weren’t aware that Omani beaches were home to bioluminescence. Dan and Jeremy had never seen it before, so I showed them that going out into the water and kicking around will light the plankton up.

After playing around in the water we all walked back to the Landcruiser in our sopping wet clothes to take off to Ras al-Hadd to set up camp.

One thing to note: you cannot camp on the beach at Ras al Jinz because it is a reserve. However, you can camp at nearby beaches at Ras al Hadd and Finz. We opted to camp over at Ras al Hadd.

Ras al Hadd

Ras al-Hadd is just two miles north of Ras al-Jinz. We drove past the small village and drove out onto the sandy beach and set up camp just off the road and fell asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. The next morning we did return to Ras al-Jinz to go watch the sunrise.

This Day Can Easily Be Split Into Two

Especially if you’d like to visit Wadi Tiwi you can easily split this itinerary into two days for those of you wanting to take in the sites a bit slower.

Day 3: Ras al Hadd To Wahiba Sands

Ras al Hadd ➤ Omani Beaches & Coastline ➤ Jalaan Bani Buhassan ➤ Wahiba Sands

110 kilometers

2 hours

Wahiba Sands Hotels

Budget

Al Asala Resort
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

Midrange

Legend Desert Camp
Booking.com |

Splurge

Safari Dunes Camp
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

Ras al Hadd to Wahiba Map, 1 Week Oman Road Trip Map
Click the map above to view on Google Maps

The Rugged & Wild Omani Coastline

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Continue south from Ras al Hadd along the coastline exploring the cliffsides and beautiful beaches. Oman has a lengthy coastline with beaches of varying sand colors from white to an iron-rich, burnt orange. Just pull off the road as you approach anything of interest and go check it out.

We made a stop at a nice powdery beach where we met a large group of Omanis siesta-ing for the afternoon. Of course, they welcomed us with open arms.

As you continue down the coast you’ll pass village after village and will stumble across numerous fortresses. (Some of which I didn’t even track down the name of #ImACrappyBlogger).

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Make your way to the village of As Suwaih. As you near the south end of the town you’ll turn right. You will pass a petrol station on the road, continue to head west on the road for roughly 15km where the road will end- at this point, turn left.

Continue along this road until you go just past the villages of Fulyaj and Al Qutayirah where you’ll turn right onto Highway 35. Stay on Highway 35 until you reach the town of Balad Bani Bu Hassan.

If you are looking for a break you can wander about the Jalaan Bani Bu Hassan Fort.

There is a petrol station in the town here and it would be advisable to top up before heading into the super remote Wahiba Sands if you plan to head out very far into them. Head west on the dirt road across from Jalaan Bani Bu Hassan Fort and cross the Bani Khalid River and turn right after you cross the river.

When the road forks, head toward the left to arrive at Fulayj al-Mashayikh village. Fulayj al-Mashayikh is your jumping-off point into the Wahiba Sands.

Wahiba Sand (Sharqiyah Sands)

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Dan in the Wahiba Sands

From Jalaan Bani Bu Hassan head northwest on the dirt road leaving the village, the road will dead-end where you’ll turn left and continue along the dirt road until it ends. Take a minute to stop here and take a look out over the seemingly endless sand dunes. This is the Wahiba Sands.

The drive time from Ras al Hadd to this point is about 2 hours. From here you can drive as far or as little as you want into the Wahiba Sands.

*Driving on sand can be tricky. A 4WD is definitely recommended and sand plates + shovels to help you dig yourself out if you get stuck. Make sure you bring enough food and water in the event you do get stuck out there and must wait for help. The local Bedouin women cruise these sand dunes regularly and will check on you if they see you stopped somewhere along the tracks. 

There are many routes into the Wahiba Sands to follow.

The main thing to keep in mind is to stay on the dirt tracks and keep your speed up, slowing down will make you sink into the sand.

Leaving from the dirt road you’ll eventually roll up onto a Bedouin settlement with a giant fenced-in area full of goats. From here you can continue just about any direction.

Start looking for a good spot you want to set up camp for a night in the desert, or if you want some amenities you can attempt to reach the Wahiba Desert Camp which is located roughly 30km from the end of the dirt road.


Read about my experience in the Wahiba Sands and plan your DIY visit too


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The beginning stages of sunset in the Wahiba Sands

We opted to set up camp just off one of the dirt tracks right below a towering sand dune, which of course, we all scaled for sunset. The Wahiba Sands are a magical place, plus it doesn’t get much better than camping under the stars.

If you’re into astrophotography or love stargazing the Wahiba Sands will be a delight on your one week Oman trip. There is very little light pollution out in the Wahiba Sands, especially if you explore deep into the sand dunes so the night will be extraordinarily dark.

Your time in the Wahiba Sands can easily be extended longer than just the overnight trip we took out here.


Looking To Spend More Than One Week In Oman?

Check out my full-on Oman Travel Guide


Day 4: Wahiba Sands To Izki

Wahiba Sands ➤ Wadi Bani Khalid ➤ Ibra ➤ al Musinifah ➤ Izki

285 kilometers

4 hours

Ibra Hotels

Budget

Tafadal
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

Midrange

SAJ Farm Inn
Booking.com | Agoda.com |

Wahiba to Izki Map, 1 Week Oman Road Trip Map
Click the map above to view on Google Maps

You’ll probably be woken up to the sunrise in the Wahiba Sands as we were. Shortly after we had gotten up a little pickup truck came zooming down the dirt tracks that we were camped near.

It was two local Bedouin women, they saw our vehicle and wanted to make sure we were okay, and to lend some help if we were stuck, and offer us tea. Of course, this was all sorted out via hand gestures as none of us had a common language. Omani hospitality is one of the greatest aspects of traveling in the country.

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Camels in the Wahiba Sands

We turned around and left the Wahiba Sands the same route we came in on. However there are many routes to get out of them, so you can always choose your own path.

After you arrive back to the town of Balad Bani Bu Hassan, continue northwest on Highway 23 for about 60km (40 mi) to the turn off onto الرميل road, which will take you to Wadi Bani Khalid- don’t worry it’s well signposted in both Arabic and English.

Wadi Bani Khalid

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Wadi Bani Khalid

Wadi Bani Khalid is a series of pools and caves in the Eastern Hajar Mountains that are very popular with tourists and locals alike, particularly on weekends.

The pools are filled with crystal clear waters year-round, which makes Wadi Bani Khalid popular as many wadis are bone dry come dry season. You can continue to hike up further into the wadi to find more pools and eventually, a cave with an underwater stream.

Swimming is a popular activity here, although note that conservative dress is the most respectful.

Women should swim in loose-fitting clothing- (I wore a pair of harem pants and a loose t-shirt over my swimsuit), however, there were some foreign women swimming in bikinis here that were not hassled by anyone.

If swimming isn’t your thing you can always kick back and watch the local boys cliff dive.

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Omani boys cliff diving

After a nice afternoon soaking up some sun and exploring Wadi Bani Khalid, continue northwest on Highway 23 to Ibra.

Ibra

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Ibra is an old city that predates the calling of the prophet, with many of the ancient mud buildings still standing. Ibra has a souq to check out that is most bustling on Wednesday mornings. A unique feature to the Ibra souq is that there is a women-only souq on Wednesdays and men are not permitted (neither is photography).

If you continue past the souq and turn right you’ll arrive in Al Munisifeh, the ruined village of Old Ibra. This is the part of the city that is still stacked with the crumbling old mud buildings from days past. The area does eventually give way to parts of the old city that are currently being restored. 

The ancient mud buildings reminded me of Sana’a, Yemen in a way, just without the icing-like designs painted in gypsum. Another feature that made many of the old mud buildings stand out was the addition of colorful doors.

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A colorfully trimmed door in Al Munisifeh

It will likely be getting dark as you leave Ibra since it was a long day of exploring and driving today. I would personally recommend looking for a place to camp nearer to Ibra.

We had opted to head to Izki to camp for the night to be a little closer to Nizwa in the morning. We had difficulty finding a good place to set up camp. We did find a strange lot outside Izki to sleep and woke up to what appeared to be a goat sacrifice, some old burnt clothing, and a construction yard.

Assuming with Oman being such a peaceful and safe country, I’d say it was just a spot where people dumped old crap they didn’t want anymore. There look to be many more options for good camping nearer to Ibra as you actually aren’t too far away from the soft Wahiba Sands.

Day 5: Izki To Jebel Shams

Izki ➤ Nizwa ➤ Jebel Shams & Wadi Ghul

130 kilometers

2 hours 30 minutes

Jebel Shams Hotels

Budget

Jabal Shams Stars House
Booking.com | Agoda.com |

Midrange

Al Misfah Hospitality Inn
Booking.com | Agoda.com |

Splurge

Sama Heights Resort
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

Izki to Jebel Shams map, 1 Week Oman Road Trip Map
Click the map above to view on Google Maps

Nizwa Fort

In the morning head toward Nizwa to check out the Nizwa Fortress and Nizwa’s Souq.

The Fortress is Oman’s #1 most visited national monument, so expect it to be fairly busy. The entrance fee is 1 OMR per person for admittance to the entire fort, hours are 9 am-4 pm Saturday-Thursday and 8 am-11 am on Fridays (Friday is a holy day in the Islamic world if you don’t know already).

On most days there will be stalls set up where you can try out all sorts of traditional Omani foods, and other stalls where you can see Omani handicrafts being made. The Souq is also worth wandering around to purchase spices, traditional clothing, and souvenirs. This is one of the best souqs to pick up an Omani Khanjar- the traditional daggers worn by men throughout the country (also called Jambiya in neighboring Yemen).

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Inside Nizwa Fort

Not to miss is the date market in the Nizwa Souq. Delicious dates are grown all over the country and can be purchased here. Prices tend to be around 1 OMR per kilo roughly.

The Nizwa Souq was also the place I was first introduced to the sweet Omani treat: Halwa. Halwa with a cup of Omani Arabic coffee (kawa) is a perfect breakfast if you ask me.

If you happen to be headed to Nizwa over a Thursday or Friday, get up early and stop by the goat market. It takes place at the souq and begins at about 7 am and continues until around 8:30 am. Omanis come to see and buy goats and haggle away.

After a morning spent (okay, maybe longer for some of you…) wandering the souqs and fortress of Nizwa head out west on Highway 21 toward Jebel Shams and follow the signage.

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Looking out at the dome and minaret of Al Qala Mosque from Nizwa Fort

Jebel Shams & The Al Hajar Mountains

Jebel Shams is Oman’s highest peak, it rises from the Al Hajar Mountain range and is near Wadi Ghul, better known as the Grand Canyon of Arabia. If at this point you feel like you need the comforts of a hotel room, there are several hotels in and around Jebel Shams. However, there are plenty of great places to camp. We camped on the plateau right next to Wadi Ghul.

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Looking across Wadi Ghul

Day 6: Jebel Shams To al Musnaah Beach

Jebel Shams & Wadi Ghul ➤ Balad Sayt ➤ Wadi Bani Awf ➤ Rustaq ➤ al Mussanah Beach

180 kilometers

4 hours 30 minutes

Mussanah Beach Hotels

Midrange

Barcelo Mussanah Resort
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

Jebel Shams to al Musnaah map, 1 Week Oman Road Trip Map
Click the map above to view on Google Maps

You’ll likely wake up at sunrise as the light starts beaming through your tent. Get an early start because this will be a long day. It is best to start your hike down into Wadi Ghul early before the temperatures start to get uncomfortably hot.

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Wadi Ghul

The (W6 Route) al Khitaym to as Sab hike is an easy gradual trek down into part of the canyon that brings you to the terraced abandoned village of As Sab (also known as Sab Bani Khamis).

It starts at the village of al Khitaym- park your vehicle and walk past the couple tables of souvenirs the villagers have set up (Best to purchase any items on the way out) and continue along the trail marked with red, white, and yellow. If you have a little more time and enjoy a challenging trek you can try the (W4 Route) Jebel Shams Summit Hike.

Expect this hike to take you 10-12 hours roundtrip and is pretty steep and demanding. Read more information about Jebel Shams hiking routes.

After spending the morning exploring the Grand Canyon of Arabia, brace yourself for a bone-crushing adventure to some of the most picturesque bits of Oman.

Head toward Al-Hamra and once you arrive take Ø·Ø±ÙŠÙ‚ الروضھ – الحمراء‎ (the Mountain Road) which will bring you to Balad Sayt.

The road begins paved but quickly changes to a dirt road. It’s advisable to only go in a 4WD, the road is very windy, narrow, and in parts can be difficult to navigate as you are driving down the steep edges of a canyon. The whole drive is extremely scenic and you’ll pass many villages as well as lemon and date crops on your way.

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The Mountain Road to Balad Sayt

Balad Sayt

One unusual feature you will pass along the way is a football pitch in the middle of the valley- you can’t miss it. It stands out from the rocky cliffsides surrounding it.

Continuing on, you’ll start seeing brown signs point you to Balad Sayt village, just follow the signs. Balad Sayt is what Dan described as the Cinque Terra of Oman, with the colored stone and mud buildings rising up from the green terraces below. Balad Sayt was one of our favorite places from our one week Oman road trip.

You can easily explore the village on foot- the streets are very narrow. There is a small shop where basic items can be purchased and there is a spigot in the town too along the main street where drinking water can be collected.

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Balad Sayt

From Balad Sayt head back out onto the main Mountain Road and continue. You’ll pass several more small villages set in impossible landscapes as the sun is setting over the canyon.

The dirt road will eventually give way to Highway 10. A word of warning: In November 2016 there was road construction taking place on Highway 10. With little warning, you did have to get off the highway for a several mile stretch and drive on dirt roads again until you got past the construction.

Follow Highway 10 to where it intersects with Highway 11, where you could either turn right to reach the city of Rustaq and look for camping or turn left and continue to the coast and search near Al-Musanaah for camping on the beach. If you want to splurge on your last night you could opt to stay at the Barcelo Musnaah Beach Resort.

*If it is raining or has rained recently DO NOT ATTEMPT THE MOUNTAIN ROAD. It does flood with water back in there. If you are unsure ask locals in Al Hamra or At Tabaqah Village if approaching from the opposite direction.

Day 7: al Musnaah Beach To Muscat

al Musnaah Beach ➤ Seeb ➤ Muscat

110 kilometers

1 hour 30 minutes

Muscat Hotels

Budget

Hotel Golden Oasis
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

Midrange

Hilton Garden Inn
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

Splurge

Al Bustan Palace
Booking.com | Hotels.com |

al Musnaah to Muscat map, 1 Week Oman Road Trip Map
Click the map above to view on Google Maps

This is your last full day wrapping up your one week in Oman road trip. Give yourself a little time to check out the city of Seeb just north of Muscat before heading back to the capital.

Once back in Muscat, you can freely spend the day however you like. We had opted to check out the Mohammed al Ameen Mosque and the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. Another great option is to head over and visit the Muttrah District of Muscat with its souq, fish market, and bay parks.

Al Zulfa Mosque, Seeb

Grab some coffee in the morning at a cafe or if you wanna splurge head to the Millennium Musanaah Beach Resort where you enjoy a coffee right next to the beach. Head on out to Seeb first to visit the emerald-green-adorned Al-Zulfa Mosque.

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Al Zulfa Mosque

Al Zulfa Mosque is more commonly known as Royal Guard Oman Mosque. It was built in 1992 and is open to non-muslims.

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Al Zulfa Mosque

Grab a quick lunch in Seeb before making your way back to Muscat to do some final sightseeing and to grab any items you may want to bring home with you.

Mohammed al Ameen Mosque

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Mohammed al Ameen Mosque

Mohammed al Ameen Mosque was opened in June of 2014 making it one of the newest mosques in Muscat. It is also referred to as the Bawshar Mosque as well as the Bahwan Mosque depending on who you ask. The mosque is easy to locate as the entire outside is bright white set against the dusty mountain backdrop outside the city.

Sultan Qaboos Mosque

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Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque at sunset

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque’s construction began in late 1996 and was not completed until 2001. It’s a lovely spot to catch a final sunset over Oman before you depart, and once the sun finally drops below the horizon the mosque’s lights will be turned on- you can see its dazzling dome across the city.

Depart Home After Your One Week In Oman Road Trip

After a week in Oman, Dan and I’s flights departed in the middle of the night, so we headed back to Muscat Airport around 10 pm to return the Landcruiser and check in. If you do not fly out until the following morning there are several hotels situated near the airport.

You can shop for Muscat hotels on Booking.com here, or search on hotels.com.

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Practical Tips For One Week In Oman

  • Conservative dress is best. For men trousers that at least cover the knee and a t-shirt is perfectly fine in many settings. For women long, loose-fitting trousers or long skirts and a loose-fitting top are most respectful for sightseeing.
  • Dress for visiting mosques: Women should have on a loose, floor-length skirt or trousers and loose-fitting long sleeve top. Many mosques open to non-muslims do not require the headscarf for women, although it is most respectful to wear one. Men should be in long sleeves and long trousers.
  • Swimming for women: Outside beach resorts that cater to foreigners it is best to just swim with clothes on.
  • May through September are the hottest months and daily temperatures can sizzle well above 30ºC/85ºF and even to 40ºC/100ºF+. If wanting to take on a one week in Oman road trip you may want to reconsider if planning a visit in the months of June, July, and August.
  • English is widely spoken in Oman, however learning a few words of Arabic can be helpful such as, hello=salam or salam-aleykum, thank you=shukran, yes=na’am and, no=la.
  • The most current exchange rate as of February 2024 is 1 Omani Rial to $2.60 US Dollars or $1 USD to 0.39 OMR. The abbreviation used for Omani Rials is OMR.
  • For further travel planning in Oman, I recommend picking up a copy of Bradt’s Oman guidebook.
  • Most shops in Oman have signs outside that clearly state what is sold in the shop and are always written in Arabic as well as English. If it says ‘Sale of foodstuff’, they literally will be selling food, drinks, and produce.
  • Alcohol is not widely available in Oman, being an Islamic country. Foreigners can purchase alcohol in duty-free stores upon arrival at airports, and drinks can be bought at hotel bars catering toward foreigners at a high price, of course. Each visitor can bring in 2 liters of alcohol when arriving by air.
  • Want to visit by organized tour? You can! Check out Viator for various one day to one week Oman tours.
  • There are hotels available in Sur, Ibra Nizwa, Jebel Shams, along the coast, and more, as well as desert camps in the Wahiba Sands if you decide you need a night off of tent camping.
  • Muscat (sometimes referred to as Seeb Airport as well) and Salalah have international airports.
  • It is possible to drive to or from the UAE to Oman- just check with your car rental company about if you are allowed to drive in both countries.

Check Out These Oman Tours

From day tours, city tours, hiking & camping, cruising to full on multi-day Oman tours there’s surely something for everyone. Start shopping Oman tour on Viator

Have Questions About This One Week In Oman Road Trip?

Ask your general and one week in Oman questions in the comments sections below. More and more people are getting wind of how amazing Oman is.

If you’ve never visited anywhere in the Middle East, Oman is a great first-time welcome as it’s one of the safest countries in the Arabian Peninsula. Get here before everyone else does!

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18 thoughts on “One Week in Oman: A Self-Drive, Budget Itinerary”

  1. Hi Nicole,
    I love ur itinerary and I am going to start planning for my trip to Oman. May I know how much did the trip cost u in all (excluding the flight)?

    1. Hi Tanny,
      That’s great! I hope you enjoy Oman. Our costs were relatively low as we already had camping gear and purchased our food for cooking before leaving Muscat and picked up fresh fruit and veggies as we traveled. The biggest expense was vehicle rental. You can expect a compact car to cost about $20-30 USD per day and a 4WD $80-120 USD per day depending on size and quality of vehicle. We did rent a 4WD. I’d say our costs were in the $30-40 per day per person range (there were 3 of us). This is not including the cost of accommodation, though we only spent one night in a budget apartment rental in Muscat the first night, otherwise we were camping.

  2. Hey Nicole, just wondering what you did for camping gear? Did you buy a tent etc once you landed or bring it over with your luggage?

    1. Hi Dana,
      We did fly in our own tents and flew them over in luggage (I already had one with me as I went to Oman after my first big Central Asia trip). We did buy propane and what not there in Oman for campstoves. You can get most outdoor gear in Muscat if need be.

  3. My husband and I are planning a trip to Oman for February and we are so happy to have come across your itinerary. I think we will follow it for a week of our travels, but we have 10 days so we have a bit more time. Any recommendations of where we should spend that extra time? We were thinking maybe to spend a couple nights in the Wahiba Sands rather than just one, and spend more time exploring Muscat.

    1. I hope you enjoy Oman, I think with the extra days taken on an extra day in Wahiba Sands, Jebel Shams and Muscat would be a nice option and relax things a bit, but you could easily spend 3 extra days in any one of those place!

  4. Hey Nicole,
    I’ve just had my visa to Oman granted, and one of the conditions is that I have a valid hotel booking in Oman. I guess it’s different for people from different countries, but just wandering if this was an issue for you – and how you got around it by being able to camp!
    Cheers,
    Emma

    1. Hey Emma!
      I applied for my visa on arrival at the Muscat Airport and I never had to provide a hotel booking. I think I just had to write an address of where I’d be staying (my friend Dan had flown in the night before and had booked an apartment, so I met him there and I spent night one on arrival there). My only guess is that may be something that differs dependent on nationality or possibly a new rule I’ll have to look into. However, in other countries I have had to provide a valid booking to apply for a visa, and in those cases- especially when I’m planning to camp I will book fully refundable accommodation for visa purposes and then cancel after it’s been issued, it also frees you up to book fully refundable accommodation if you’re planning a trip and then you change your itinerary prior to departure. Did you have to provide proof of accommodation for the entirety of your stay, or just show you had something at all booked? Hope you have a great time in Oman!

      Nicole

  5. This blog post is what first spiked my interest in going to Oman, which we’re heading to in one week. Thanks for such a helpful post! Silly question…if you’re camping in Oman, how did you shower? I haven’t done any camping in the US, and all my camping outside the US came with campsites with showers.

    1. Hey Carrie!
      Happy to hear this post got you interested in Oman, it’s a beautiful country. That’s the only downside to wild camping, no showers! We all didn’t really shower while we were there for a week other than using some biodegradable soap and wash
      cloths with water. I’d recommend though getting one of those plastic water bladders meant for camping that you could fill with water when you come across it so you can take a shower. I spent like half my childhood camping in the woods in Alaska and that what my I remember my Mom always used. Oh and dry shampoo! That way you can eek out a little more time between having to wash your hair.

      I’m jealous you’re going to Oman, I’m dying to go back! I hope you have the best time out there.

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