Travelogue Oman 2019
Organization
Vehicle
If you want to explore Oman on your own, you cannot avoid having your own vehicle. If you really want to see a lot of the beautiful corners of the country, then you can’t avoid a powerful all-wheel-drive vehicle.
The contract and insurance conditions are very important. When I first tried to go through the major international rental companies, it turned out that although they rent off-road vehicles, the rental and insurance conditions regulate the exclusion of use beyond paved roads. That is useless.
After some research, we rented a Toyota Prado 4.0 AT 4WD V6 from Arabia Cars / Travelpoint . The included insurance covered almost all damage (nevertheless we bought an additional policy for extended coverage through a German provider) and the only exclusion regarding use was that the vehicle can only be driven where there are already tracks, i.e. someone else drove there already.
We were very happy about the strength of the engine as well as the off-road suitability and made use of this thoroughly.
When you come back from an off-road tour, you should have your car washed as soon as possible, as driving a dirty vehicle in cities is a regulatory offense and can be punished with fines.
And be careful with your speed: in cities and on the highways there is a speed camera every few hundred meters.
Further information about rental cars can be found in my FAQ .
Guide books
The standard travel guide for exploring the country is “OMAN off-road” from the publishing house “explorer”. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have been published since 2017. This is also why some information is out of date, but that doesn’t matter that much. If you have the opportunity, you should get this book somewhere, e.g. via ebay.
In addition, it makes sense to take one of the usual travel guides with you, which will inform you about the usual things from culture to sightseeing programs in cities. These are details that the off-road guide does not dwell on.
Language
In Oman it is pretty easy to get along with English though of course not everybody speaks it.
Visa / entry / exit / rule of law
Oman is – apart from the USA – the only country where I have needed a visa in many years. This visa must be applied for in advance, the official contact point is a website of the Royal Oman Police.
Entry and exit were completely problem-free for us. However, a certain amount of caution and preparation is advised. Oman is not a constitutional state founded on the rule of law like most European countries and so even the possession of certain medicines (not to mention drugs) or the export of shells can have serious consequences. Even in traffic there are draconian penalties for certain rule violations.
Accommodation / camping
For us it was almost everywhere easy to book a hotel for the same evening. In Oman it is also allowed to pitch your tent almost anywhere. Well, we didn’t try whether that would have been allowed in the capital on the beach or on a traffic island 😉 But twice we splept in our tent and once in the mountains we hardly found any accommodation.
Food
Food in Oman is relatively expensive as almost everything has to be imported. In the capital in particular there are large supermarkets and restaurants, although not as many as in some other countries. During the trip we often fed on food that was bought in advance and transported in a styrofoam box with ice (you can buy ice almost anywhere) or we ate at small snacks that mainly offer Indian food at low prices.
Rain / floods
If there is only the risk that it will rain somewhere in the near or further area, then caution is advised. Entire levels can then be flooded within a short time, which can be uncomfortable or dangerous in the tent and also in the car. If you are in a narrow canyon, your life is very quickly threatened, regardless of whether you are traveling by car or on foot.