Oman: What to Do
Dear lilioftheworld.com reader, here is Lili, your co-editor. We continue our journey in Oman to tell you about what is outside Muscat. Eventhough we were there just for a long weekend, we decided to visit some other parts of the Sultanate. If you have missed the first part of this adventure where we talk about Muscat and what to do in Muscat, you better have a look first there. Besides the main points of interest, you will also find our useful tips when travelling to Oman.
Oman is the oldest independent state in the Arab world. It is also one of the biggest ones on the Arabian peninsula- much bigger than the neighboring Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We would have been too naive to think that we can see everything in just three days. The programme for the weekend was challenging and yet we couldn’t visit as many places as we wanted to. The canyons for example, where the name “Norway of Middle East” comes from, will be something we will have to visit next time we come to Oman.
We decided to focus more on the Eastern part of the country (we went there for one night). The last two nights we spent in Muscat from where we travelled to Niizwa.
Here are our recommendations on what to do in Oman (besides visiting its capital Muscat):
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Al Sifah Beach
I had a very nice plan for the first day in Oman. We land at around 8:00 in the morning, we rent our car and we head east. Our end goal was a bit after the town of Sur and we had to drive around 300 km to get there. I found one very nice beach club at around 120 km in East direction from Muscat. The beach club was at Al Sifah Beach, so we could combine having breakfast there and visiting this attraction. Everything was according to the plan and in 40 mins after landing we were already on our way.
We were driving for more than one hour and we were getting closer to the beach club. However, things did not look optimistic- the roads were small and there was almost no traffic. It didn’t seem we were approaching a lively resort. We finally got to the beach and the club, but for our surprise there was not a single person there. It was CLOSED… due to Ramadan.
It looked exactly like on the pics I’ve seen on the Internet, but unfortunately Google did not say that it is closed for one month during Ramadan. Well, we just took a couple of nice photos and headed back to the other points of interest.
The only pity was that we couldn’t continue further East. At first it looked as if the road just goes by the sea, but unfortunately we had to drive back to Muscat suburbs in order to get to the main road to Sur.
The attempt to visit the beach club was the first moment in which we realized that it was actually Ramandan and what it meant for our journey. In the next days we had to buy meals at the gas stations which were the only open shops during the day. Everything else was closed.
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Bimmah Sinkhole
Around 200 km in east direction from Muscat, you get to Bimmah Sinkhole. This place is simply surreal. It reminds of the cenotes which are very common in Mexico. It is a water-filled hole, 50 m by 70 m wide and approximately 20 m deep. Bimmah Sinkhole is only about 600 m away from the sea. The sinkhole was formed by a collapse of the surface layer due to dissolution of the underlying limestone. However, the locals believe that it was created by a meteorite. They gave it the name ‘Hawaiyat Najm’, which means ‘The Falling Star’ in Arabic.
In order to protect the sinkhole the Government had created a park around it. I’m not sure whether it was because of Ramadan or because of the heat, but again there was no one at the entrance and also not a single visitor. We could have it all for ourselves. There was just one guy who was swimming in the turquoise waters. We think that swimming in sweet water is not the smartest thing you can do (due to the fact that bacteria like sweet water). That is why we decided just to admire this nature wonder from the outside.
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Dagmar beach
On our way back to the road we decided to stop at the beach which was around half kilometer away from the Sinkhole. The rocks and the turquoise water were like a movie decor. It was a bit creepy though as it was completely empty, extremely hot and everything around was a a desert landscape. I had the feeling that at any moment a snake, a lizard or a deadly bird will pop-up from somewhere. That’s why we headed back to the comfortable air-conditioned car and continued to our end destination for the day.
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Ras al Jinz Reserve
This is our highlight of the whole visit to Oman. When doing the research about Oman, I read that there is a place where turtles come and lay their eggs which is worth visiting. Then I saw that it is 400 km away from Muscat. Coming here for just a long weekend, it was too much of a drive. I wanted to see this place so desperately, so I managed to convince Dimo.
We were happy to see that the reserve actually had a hotel where we can stay. Then we decided that we will stay here overnight, do a morning tour to where the turtles nest and then head back to Muscat.
The hotel Ras al Jinz is located in the middle of nowhere (literally) or in other words- at the entrance of the reserve. There is nothing nearby. The closest town- Sur, is 20 km away. I was really wondering where some of the people who came for the evening tour, are staying. The hotel is nothing special, but fully adequate given its remote location. It comes with a buffet breakfast and you have the possibility to order lunch and dinner.
We arrived around 19:00, so just in time for dinner. The price of the hotel accommodation included one evening and one morning guided visit of the reserve. We decided that we will skip the evening one as at night we could see the turtles only with a torch.
The morning visit to the beach
The morning visit to the beach started at 4:30, but we are used to such early get-ups. There weren’t many enthusiasts for the visit. We were around seven people in total which made the whole experience more private. We started walking in the dark towards the beach. At some point someone saw a baby turtle. The guide took it in order to bring it back in the sea. The guide explained that the turtles see lights during the night (coming from the hotel which is 600 m away from the beach) and they start going towards the light. As the road is too long, they end up getting half way and when the sun comes up, they cannot survive the hot day.
The turtles which come to Ras al Jinz beach are swimming thousands of kilometers in order to lay their eggs exactly here. Step by step the light from the sunrise lit the beach and we saw it… we saw the first turtle. It had already started its way towards the water. This is what they do every day. They come at night on the beach and with the first rays of sun they go back to the sea.
The turtles
We were very lucky- we saw four turtles. There might be days when you don’t see even one. It might happen that this day none of the turtles came to lay their eggs. This is their natural environment and not an amusement park. When the sun rose completely, we could see that the whole beach was full with dead baby turtles. The guide explained to us that one turtle lays around 100 eggs and it is lucky if at least one of them survives. This explained the dead bodies.
The beach was simply magnetic. The fact that we were alone there made it even more special. We stayed a bit longer (the guide went back to the hotel) and on our way back we saw one rock formation which was worth visiting. I have never seen such gold colours and interesting shapes. This was one of the most incredible sunrises I have ever experienced.
After the delicious breakfast (rich in choice), we headed back to Muscat. I can definitely recommend that you spend at least one night in this hotel- Ras al Jinz Turtle Reserve. In addition to the accommodation one can visit the small in-house museum and souvenir shop. When you book, keep in mind that the hotel offers also huts, but they aren’t in the main building.
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Sur
Sur was on our way and we decided to stop by. Historically, the city was an important destination point for sailors. Nowadays the sea still plays a role in the life of Sur. The city though was as empty as any other place during the day.
If you have more time, the guide says it has a nice corniche, a souq and two mosques. We just enjoyed the tranquility of the port (with the Beach pavillion) and the picturesque Al Ayjah Bridge where the road to Muscat was passing.
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Wadi Shab
This together with Wadi Tiwi are two of the most famous wadi in the region. Wadi in Arabic means a valley, ravine, or channel. This is a place where the mountain has formed a rocky valley which is full with water at rainy season or just have some lakes on the way.
These are popular ourdoor attractions where people go either to swim, do a small trek or just have barbeque close to its entrance.
The treks are not long- in about 40 mins you reach the top, but you need to have the right clothes for getting a bit muddy. Unfortunately we were not expecting to have a short boat ride and then to walk in the muddy soil for half an hour. That is why we decided to leave this visit for our next time coming to Oman.
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Wadi Bani Khalid
This is another valley in the mountain which I put on the list for next visit to Oman. Neither we had the proper car for mountainous ride, nor we had the time to go up. I leave it here though in case you have more time and you would like to do some trekking.
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Nizwa
Nizwa is one of the oldest cities in Oman and it was once a center of trade, religion, education and art. It acquired its importance due to its strategic location inside the country. It connects Muscat with other parts of the Sultanate. Today, Nizwa is a diverse prosperous place with numerous agricultural, historical and recreational aspects. The town stays a center for date growing and is the marketplace for the area. You can see in one of the pictures how they used to preserve dates.
One of the main places of interest in Nizwa are Nizwa fort and the mosque. They are located close to each other and the main souq is also in the vicinity. In order to get into the fort you need to pay a small fee (I already forgot its price though).
Nizwa fort is the most visited Oman’s national monument. It was the administrative seat of authority for the presiding Imams and Walis in times of peace and conflict.
The main bulk of the fort took about 12 years to complete and was built above an underground stream. The fort is a reminder of the town’s significance through turbulent periods in Oman’s long history.
One interesting thing which captured my attention. Some of the stairs has wooden planks that could be removed to expose deep, gaping pits which were certain to put an end to anyone unfortunate enough to fall into them. They were also used to poor warm date juice on enemies.
Nizwa souq remains very important trading place for Oman. Besides all touristy things, you can see that there are chambers for vegetables, fruits, meat and fish- a sign that the souq is still an important venue for Nizwa citizens.
Falaj Daris
One more thing which is worth visiting when in Nizwa is Falaj Daris. This is the biggest of over 134 aflaj (plural for falaj). Falaj is an ancient irrigation system which people still use nowadays in Oman. There are 113 aflaj which are still in use. Locals restored a short section of this falaj and turned it into a little park and picnic area about 7km north of Nizwa.
The tabelle in the park where this small part of the falaj is visible says that Nizwa owes its prosperity to this system. The ingenious system uses gravity in order to channel water over long distance from its source in Hajar mountains. The falaj Daris is the largest one and the water comes from two different “mother wells”. The water coming from this stream is used in everyday activities of the locals: to drink, to supply mosques, to fill bathing areas, watering of plantations, etc.
It was truly amazing that they had built this sophisticated system back in the days. It reminds us about the aquaduct concept used in the Roman empire. On a sunny day like the one we visited Falaj Daris, the locals just came and used it as a refreshing pool.
For sure this is just a tiny portion of what Oman has to offer. We hope you enjoyed the trip to Oman together with us and you will plan a longer stay in this hidden touristic gem.
For more Weekend Escape inspirations, visit our other articles.
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