"The Jewel of Arabia." A safe and sincere place with open hearts and open roads-the title is well earned.
"In Muttrah is where I first experienced Omani hospitality. I had trouble figuring out how to use the street meter for parking as I did not have coins and it would not accept a foreign credit card. While enjoying the evening with his family on the corniche, an Omani man, in a brown ankle length dishdasha, watched me struggle. He walked across the street, made change at a shop and came over. With a smile, he put the coins in the meter, took the paper print out and instructed me where to put it on the dashboard. No English was spoken, he refused any money. His young son gave me a wave and his wife offered me some of their tea. Such a small gesture filled my nomadic soul with so much gratitude, I carried the positivity during my time in country."
--Luke's Journal
CITIES VISITED:
MUST DO:
FAVORITE MEMORY:
Muscat
Sayq
Nizwa
Bimma
Quriyat
Walk the corniche in Muttrah area of Muscat.
Visit the world famous Wadi Shab and hike the canyons.
Rent a car and drive to the Jebel Akhdar in the Aj Hajar Mountains then get over to Highway 17 along the coast and camp on the beach.
Driving empty, lonely, dirt gravel mountain roads and stumbling upon small villages for a cup of warm tea.
It's possible to hole up in a beach hotel in Muscat and take guided day tours but it's way more fulfilling to rent a car and hit the road. Oman is super safe and invites road tripping. It may have the nicest airport in the world.
The beauty of Oman is that it affords you the freedom to make what you want of it. You're not confided to just a hotel or just a city. Its people are considerate and helpful. Its roads well kept, its terrain never boring. Go where you wish, just don't speed, there's zero tolerance for speeding!
