Exploring Oman › All places
Places to visit in Oman
67 wadis, beaches, mountains, forts, souqs and places to eat, from a licensed Omani tour guide.
- Wadi Bani Khalid, The face of wadis in Oman.
- Wadi Shab, The famous one, and for once the hype is real.
- Snake Gorge (Wadi Bani Awf), The most adrenaline you'll find in an Omani wadi.
- Wadi Al Abyad, The white wadi, milky-blue pools an hour from Muscat.
- Wadi Al Arbeieen, One of the best wadis for photoshoots in all of Oman.
- Wadi Al Hoqain, the trenches, Sulfur-blue water in carved rock channels, and it's easy if you can swim.
- Wadi Al Khoudh, Muscat's own wadi, one of the closest to drive to.
- Wadi As Suwayh, Where emerald pools meet rugged cliffs.
- Wadi Damm, Holds water all year, almost no wadi here does.
- Wadi Dayqah Dam, The easy family day, kayaks, not scrambling.
- Wadi Hawer, For people who want an adventure, not a viewpoint.
- Wadi Mibam, The most beautiful wadi in Oman — the top of the Wadi Tiwi valley.
- Wadi Tanuf, A ruined village, a gorge, and almost nobody there.
- Marjan Beach (Ras Al Hamra), Turtles grazing metres from the sand, inside the city, for free.
- Qurum Beach, The city's beach, and better than a city beach has any right to be.
- Ras Al Jinz, One of the rarest turtle experiences globally — watch sea turtle species only found in Oman.
- Sidab & its hidden coves, The 100/10 coves. My favourite hike in Muscat, with some of the most beautiful views.
- Al Bustan Beach, A mountain-framed bay ten minutes past Old Muscat.
- As Sifah, A long, pretty, empty stretch an hour from the city.
- Bandar Khayran, The snorkel and kayak playground near Muscat.
- Fins Beach, White sand, turquoise water, mountains behind.
- Pebble Beach, Tiwi, The relaxed stop on the Tiwi coast everyone drives straight past.
- Qantab & its ten beaches, One fishing village, ten beaches, three rials.
- Ras Al Hadd beach camp, Camp at the easternmost tip of Arabia, first sunrise in the Arab world.
- Sifah Beach, The easy wild beach an hour from town — with a famous surprise in the shallows.
- Yiti Beach, The easy bay 30–45 minutes from the city.
- Bimmah Sinkhole, A natural blue swimming hole right off the coast road.
- Daymaniyat Islands, Oman's best reef, a boat ride from the city.
- Mutrah Souq & Corniche, Old Muscat, best at dusk.
- Royal Opera House Muscat, Arabia's opera house, worth seeing even with no ticket.
- Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, The one thing every visitor should do in Muscat.
- Wahiba Sands, A night in the dunes you won't get back home.
- Ain Al Kasfah hot springs, Rustaq's natural hot bath, and your post-wadi recovery plan.
- Bioluminescence at Qantab, The night the sea glows blue. Sometimes.
- Birkat Al Mouz, Ruins, banana groves and a UNESCO falaj, the gateway to Jabal Akhdar.
- Dhow cruise from Bandar Al Rowdha, Muscat's coast the way it was meant to be seen, from a wooden deck.
- Hijrat Al Sheikh, A 300-year-old village where the falaj still runs the show.
- Matrah Fort & the corniche, The little fort with the best free view in old Muscat.
- Museum of the Frankincense Land, The museum inside Al Baleed that explains the whole south.
- Old Muscat & Al Alam Palace, The Sultan's palace, two Portuguese forts and the oldest quarter in the capital.
- Oman Across Ages Museum, The billion-dollar museum in the middle of the country, worth the detour.
- Rose season on Jabal Akhdar, Three weeks a year, the Green Mountain turns pink.
- Sur old town & corniche, The dhow-building capital, still building them.
- The dhow yard at Sur, Watch thousand-year-old shipbuilding happen in front of you.
- The Romantic Cave, Tiwi, Beautiful enough to name, dangerous enough to respect.
- Whale shark season, Summer's consolation prize: the biggest fish on Earth, off Muscat.
- Azura, The Coffee Company, The roastery. For people who care about the bean.
- Bait Al Luban, Shuwa, with a view of the harbour.
- Batch, Al Khoud's cute one. Also has a branch in Mall of Oman.
- Bin Ateeq, Eat on the floor, like you're meant to.
- Café Farah, Coffee on the sand at Azaiba.
- La Miel Specialty Coffee, The pre-wadi flat white.
- Najmat Sur, The 2-rial lunch of the Wadi Shab day.
- Omani halwa, Mutrah Souq, Watch them stir it in the copper pot.
- Qaha Specialty Coffee, Omani coffee culture, modernised.
- Rozna, Dinner inside a fort. The design does half the hosting.
- Al Sharaa Mills & Dates, The shop I send everyone to before they fly home.
- Amouage Visitor Centre, Oman's world-famous perfume house, at the source.
- City Centre Muscat, Closest big mall to the airport.
- Mall of Oman, The biggest one, with an indoor snow park.
- Mutrah Souq, The oldest souq in Oman, go at dusk.
- Oman Avenues Mall, Central, calm and easy.
- Seeb Souq, Where Muscat actually shops, fish, dates and zero tourists.
- The Wadi Shab Day, One day, the famous swim, timed to the hour and costed to the rial.
- The Muscat Day, The capital done properly in one day. No 4x4, barely any driving, home for dinner.
- The 3-Day Muscat & Wadis Escape, The long weekend that covers the classics.
- The 5-Day Grand Tour, Forts, islands, wadis, Nizwa and the sands. One hotel, two speeds.
- The 7-Day Ultimate Oman Loop, Mountains, wadis, desert and coast, the full circle.
From Exploring Oman, a guide to Oman by Hussain, a licensed Omani tour guide
(@hussain_explores).
67 places and 5 day-by-day plans, all of them free to read.
All places · Wadis · Beaches · Mountains · Things to do · Food · Shopping · Itineraries