Oman – A beauty on the Arabian Peninsula

I wanted to go to Oman for years and in 2020 it finally happened. The seven 7 days before my trip had been crazy and I was glad I was finally there. It was a very nice reward, also because I felt so good there.

I was supposed to fly out of Thailand on Tuesday, March 3rd. My flight got canceled 35 hours before departure. I wasn’t able to contact the airline. My friend was and found out they had canceled all flights until May because of the corona virus outbreak. I was running around Bangkok to get some help to solve this but wasn’t getting anywhere. I had to cancel another (local) flight myself without getting a refund and I had to buy a new, more expensive ticket to Oman. I didn’t want to cancel my holiday plans.

A day after I had booked a new ticket, my flight out of Oman was canceled. I couldn’t believe it. Fortunately, I could rebook the flight free of charge hoping that flight wouldn’t be canceled, too. But it was. As a result of all the cancellations my adventure in Oman was cut short by 5 days. I was going to spend 14 days travel, but was left with 9. Still it was a great trip.

Oman offers different places of interest mainly historic forts (there are hundreds), rugged mountains and wadis where one can go hiking and stunningly beautiful desert.

I spent two days exploring the country’s capital Muscat and its surroundings. I loved it. The capital just like the country isn’t crowded. Traffic jams are rare. The people are friendly and hospitable. Transportation is fast.

One of the highlights in Muscat was the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. It is the main mosque in the Sultanate if Oman and it’s beautiful. Another amazing place was Mutrah, a town which is a part of wider Muscat, or rather the governorate of Muscat. Mutrah boasts the so-called Corniche, or a promenade along the coast as well as a fort which offers great views of Mutrah and the sea.

After that, I spent two and a half day in he historical town of Nizwa and around. Nizwa is famous for its fort souqs (markets) and Falaj Daris, a gravity-fed irrigation systems which is listed as a UNESCO heritage site. While staying in Nizwa I also explored places around the city. As the public transportation is limited, I decided to hitchhike.

Hitchhiking in Oman is super easy and safe. I got 30 lifts while travelling in Oman and only one person asked me for money. Most of the people could speak some English so I had a chance to learn something about the country.

The day 4 was a successful first day of hitchhiking. I got nine rides. I visited the Bahla fort as well as the Jabrin castle, both definitely worth a trip. On the following day, I got 9 rides again and visited Falaj Daris, Al Hoota cave and 2 unique old villages: Misfat Al Abriyeen and Al Hamre.

From Nizwa I went on to explore the city of Sur. It took me all day to get there and I went by 2 buses changing in Muscat. I again decided to hitchhike to see all the place of interest.

My 3rd day of hitchhiking was a success. I hitched a ride to the archaeological site of Qalhat but it was closed for restoration. I just saw it from the distance. Not too impressive.

I then continued hitchhiking to Wadi Al Shab which quickly became my favorite place in Oman. It was amazing. First, you take a boat to the other side of the wadi (valley) across a small river. Then there is a 2.5 km long hike. Easy. I did it in flip flops but I’d recommend trainers at least. The valley and the river with its pools are spectacular. At the end of the hiking trail there are more pools where you can swim. Refreshing and stunning.

You can then wade and swim towards and into a small cave with a small waterfall. Not being the best of swimmers I was a bit reluctant to go there and especially inside. But I made it. Just before the cave entrance there is a fairly long and deep pool but there are some slippery rocks one can stand on a few meters in front of the entrance. You then swim to the entrance which is basically a very narrow opening between rocks where you can’t swim or walk. You just use your hands and head to hold onto rocks to get inside. Then you continue swimming inside. You can admire the cave and the waterfall while holding onto the surrounding rocks with your hands. It was a really nice thing to do. A little adventure.

On the following day, I took a bus to Bimmah sinkhole which is located roughly 80 km from Sur. I was going to hitchhike back.

Bimmah sinkhole is a water-filled depression where you can take a dip. And so I did. The water was cooler than in Wadi Al Shab and the place was amazing. It wasn’t too crowded. The sinkhole is surrounded by a nice part where one can take a stroll or just relax.

I then went on to hitchhike to Wadi Tivi, another spectacular and interesting valley. Unlike Wadi al Shab, there are 5 villages along the valley and there is a winding road leading all the way to the very last village. I was very lucky to get a ride all the way. There are waterfall and pools near the village. There were quite a few locals engaged in canyoning. I didn’t go for a swim at this place. Going back, I hiked a couple of kilometres admiring the beautiful scenery. When it got less interesting I just hitched a ride back to the village of Tivi.

There is a very nice beach in Tivi and I took a swim in the sea. It was unexpectedly cold. But I loved it. There were hardly any people on the beach and so it was very peaceful. And so beautiful.

I wanted to see more of Oman, more specifically the desert, the Wahiba Sands, but due to the travel complications I didn’t have time. Well, I have a reason to go to Oman again.