The Middle-East was a destination that I hadn’t really covered before. Oman always appealed as a rustic and unique destination to travel to with spectacular mountains, wind-blown deserts and a pristine coastline.

We had a week to explore the third-largest country in the Arabian Peninsula. Online itineraries and tour operators have a very popular route of Oman covering Muscat, Sur, Wahiba Sands, Jebel Akhdar and Nizwa and we planned this exact route with our own 4×4 self drive vehicle together with Alex, Pinny and Prince.

Prior to starting the road trip, my sister Pinny and I spent a week working remotely from Sifawy Boutique Hotel, located 50 minutes from Muscat. The concoction of delicious food, exercise, warm weather and family time made me the happiest and also most productive I’d ever been at work.

Below are my Top tips and recommendations for a one week road-trip in Oman.

Muscat: 1 or 2 Nights

Pinny and I arrived very early on a Turkish Airlines flight to Muscat (this seems to the case with most major international carriers, flights arrive in the early morning hours from the UK). We went on a half day city tour stopping at the Royal Opera House, National Theatre, Mutrah Souq and Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. I’d recommend Muscat City Tours as they picked us up immediately upon arrival at the airport to start the city tour.

Sur: 1 Night

Sur served as a good ‘pit stop’ destination between Wahiba Sands and Muscat. The main appeal for going to Sur is to visit the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve. Oman is an important area for green turtles in the Indian Ocean, we decided against the experience of going to the beach at night and instead enjoyed a delicious meal at Alhawash Restaurant commanding beautiful sea views.

If you were to omit one location from the ‘classic loop’ of Oman, Sur could be removed, although Sur does serve as a good stopping point to visit the famous sinkholes of Oman, such as Bimah sinkhole. Please note that I found Bimah sinkhole to be a little overrated, geologically it was an incredible formation but the area was crowded and the water was pretty dirty.

Wahiba Sands: 1 Night

From Sur, we had one night at the Starry Domes tent in Wahiba Sands. The Wahiba Sands is a incredible desert in Oman, it is a vast mass of undulating sands dunes rising up to 655ft (200m). The ever-changing patterns, colours and textures of the dunes are a photographer’s delight.

We chose Starry Dome as we loved the idea of staying in a windowed dome in the middle of the desert. We were provided dinner in tiffin boxes and loved the isolated beauty of Wahiba Sands. I’d advise that one night is enough time in the desert as there isn’t much to do, it’s just the experience of witnessing the barren beauty of the dunes.

Jebel Akhdar: 2 Nights

The Jebel Shams/Jebel Akhdar area has stunning views over the Grand Canyon of Arabia from Jebel Shams, the highest mountain in Oman. We had two nights in the mountainous region and loved completing the W6 Balcony Walk (you go back the same way you enter). The walk is about 9km in total and it takes you around the western side of Oman’s ‘Grand Canyon’ offering some of the best views in Oman.

Whilst in Jebel Akhdar, I recommend paying a visit to Bahla Fort, the only Unesco-listed fort in the country.

Nizwa: 2 Nights

Nizwa was one of my favourite places in Oman. We visited the impressive Nizwa Fort, built in the 17th century to defend the city. The souq is renowned for intricately handcrafts and the cattle market on Tuesdays mornings. It felt like walking through the scenes of a video-game whilst exploring the Middle Eastern Forts.

Trip Tips

• I paid £573 per person for flights with Turkish Airlines into Muscat. Car hire was £94 per person for one week. I would recommend Europcar as the most competitive car hire firm in Oman
• Oman is visa free for stays that are less than 14 days on FCDO Travel Advice
• The accommodation is either lavish 5* properties such as Anantaras and Grand Hyatts in Oman or they are entry level guest-houses. We went for guest houses and stayed at Sifawy Boutique Resort (Muscat) Arkan, Al Barzah Hotel Apartment (Sur), Starry Domes Desert Camp (Wahiba Sands) Jabal Shams Villa (Jabal Shams) and Omani Guest House (Nizwa). Accommodation was £220 per person for the week.
• £1 was approximately 0.5 Omani Rial, I would describe Oman as a middle ground destination, everyday costs were not expensive but it wasn’t a cheap destination either, we withdrew money from ATMs which were widespread in Oman. Meals were approximately £10 / 5 Rial per person.
• I loved exploring canyons, seeing deserts and swimming in wild pools in Oman, its a varied and exciting destination to travel to
• I would recommend for women to bring long sleeve items as your head/hair and forearms need to be covered for visits to the Grand Mosque and other religious sites
• We travelled during Ramadan in April and found this to be completely fine, I would advise approaching travel with a level of sensitivity due to local fasting for the entire day during this period
• We travelled in April and it was already getting very hot, my advice is to travel between November and April otherwise the summer temperatures are too warm for sightseeing
• I downloaded the Otaxi App for arranging the taxi from Muscat to Sifawy Boutique Hotel, I highly recommend it