For us a wonderful aspect of our lifestyle is that we often have no idea where we will be at any specific time in the future. We ended up exploring this particular corner of the globe simply due to the fact that we had managed to secure a house sit in Abu Dhabi over Christmas and New Years. This led to a discussion about Karen’s cousin John who works in Oman. In our world that is a glaring indicator that we need to go check this country out as the proximity to our planned route cannot be ignored.
If you are not familiar with Oman, hopefully the map helps. We spent all of our time in the east end of the country.When we landed in Muscat we picked up our rental car and headed out on a four day road trip to get a grip on what this country had to offer. The easiest way to sum it up is, “What a gem”.Our 1300km route was highly influenced by the suggestions of Karen’s cousin. Nothing beats a local insight as to what to visit. The first stop was Wadi Shab. There are wadis all over Oman, however Wadi Shab is unique because it has water all year round. Most wadis are dry except for when the rains come.We took 3 hours for our round trip up the wadi to the hidden pond and waterfall. Hidden because you have to swim through a very narrow tunnel to reach it. I had about 1.5 cm on each side of my head as I went through. The photo does not do it justice as the crystal clear water literally glows with reflected sunlight.Luckily we arrived mid morning and had the inner pond to ourselves. The ropes allowed you to climb up the waterfall and jump into the deep pond below.The start and the end of the trip up Wadi Shab involves a very short boat trip. The reasonable fee of 1 rial allowed you to walk the first section with dry clothes which is nice. We felt a bit like salmon swimming upstream as we made our way out due to the midday crowds just starting to arrive. When you go there, go early.We ate at some lovely local restaurants during our road trip. Typically there was usually only one or two small tables and then plenty of pillows and mats for sitting on the floor. The Omanis eat while sitting on the floor. My knees were appreciative of the chairs. The food was inexpensive and delicious.
We spent our first night in a guest house in Ras Al Hadd on the eastern most point of the country. This area is known for the turtle sanctuary located there. We chose not to go to it based on the reviews stating it was more like a circus sideshow and a bit abusive of the turtles. We don’t know if this was true or not, but we chose to skip it.
We did however get to meet some wonderful Omanis. As I was driving the car to the shoreline to do some sunset photos I demonstrated my ignorance of driving in sand and managed to get the car stuck. Within 10 minutes a kind fisherman backed his pick up truck to us and had us out of our mess in no time. It was very apparent he had done this many times before as he knew where to find the towing eyelet and how to attach it. There are no photos of this event as just talking about it is embarrassing enough.
As we made our way down the southeast coastline we came upon some beautiful fishing boats. It was a bit like stepping back in time.Our second night was spent glamping in the desert. That experience deserves its own blog post so stay tuned for that.
A quick comment about the highways in Oman is necessary. The major roads are spectacular. With a speed limit of 120 km/h and street lighting along their entire length you are tempted to really put your foot down. They have tempered that desire by having speed cameras every few kilometres. Literally we went by hundreds of speed cameras. Still they were lovely to drive on and very well signed so it was difficult to make a wrong turn.
It was a bit weird to see 3 or 4 houses in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. It just made us wonder, why?Less surprising was the impressive mosques that appeared in nearly every small settlement.We spent our last night in a remote hotel that was located 6 km up a dirt track. The drive was entertaining, but the view from our room was quite beautiful. Sadly we missed our chance to do the ‘must see’ Balcony Walk at Jebel Shams. We misread the map when planning our route. The good news is now we have an additional reason to return.Our last day we drove down part of the east coast. There were hundreds of these small shelters protecting the fishing boats from the relentless sun.One of the conditions of renting a car here is that you have to return it clean. At first this kind of irked me. However, as always, it turned into a great experience. There are hundreds of little car wash bays along the highways. As we approached Muscat we randomly picked this one. These Omanis were awesome. When asked how much he indicated 1 or 2 rials. I could decide when they were done. After watching them detail the inside, wash and polish the exterior, it was a no brainer how they get paid the higher rate.
Our road trip was a wonderful experience and I would recommend it to anyone curious about coming to Oman. The variety of the landscape can only be appreciated by travelling through it. From the shorelines, to the desert, to the incredibly rugged mountains, it is a country that has a bit of everything. The other point I’d like to make is that without any reservation or condition, Oman was the safest country I have ever been in, bar none. From the remote mountain roads, to the small rural villages, to the metropolitan Muscat there was never a time when I felt the least bit uncomfortable or the need to raise my awareness due to my surroundings.
I look forward to sharing more of our experience in Oman in the next couple of blog posts. I hope you enjoy them.
Leave a Reply