We had our first ever guest in Oman - they came for 5 days and we tried to give them a sneak peak to what Oman has to offer. Thankfully they both like nature and hiking, so it was not difficult to come up with great ideas ti entertain them!
Here is our suggestion for a 5 days itinerary in Oman, with some off the beaten tracks for outdoorsy people! Do not forget to check out the short video at the end of the post.
1. Day: Off-roading to forgotten mountain-villages 2. Day: Grand Mosque, Qurum beach and dinner at Al Mouj 3. Day: Swimming in the wadis - Wadi Shab and Bimmah Sinkhole
4. Day: Ruins and falaj-walking 5. Day - Snorkeling at Daymaniyat Islands
1. Day: Off-roading to forgotten mountain-villages
Wadi As Sahtan is basically a huge bowl where Jabal Shams, the highest mountain in the Middle East provides the backdrop. Stunning. We had visited it before (here ) and now, since we had a daytrip only, we concentrated on the drive and we picked to Wujmah and Madruj to visit . The dirve to Wujmah is a chilling off-road drive with stunning views and when the village and its terraces all of a sudden pop up after one of the hairpin turns, it is a special experience. For the this trip 4WD is required and only drive to Wujmah if you are a confident driver as the road is very steep and you will need your lower gears! Madruj is a lived-in village with terraces tended by the locals and the drive is much less difficult. For more details on these drives check our post here.
Start of the drive: 23.3421,57.4932 - this first part is in Wadi Bani Awf and you will drive on asphlat Turn to Wadi As Sahtan: 23.2577,57.4409 - the drive through the narrow gap is pretty stunning! Turn Wujmah: 23.2381,57.3316 - you will drive on the ridge-line with pretty dramatic views! Turn to Madruj: 23.2827,57.3339 - if you have time do a de-tour at 23.2600, 57.3108 (if you are driving direction village, turn left here) to see Jabal Shams in all her glory - it is also a great camping spot.
The ever stunning Wujmah
2. Day: Grand Mosque, Qurum beach and dinner at Al Mouj
The Grand Mosque always delivers - it is jaw dropping. You can read more about the history and the facts here. On the day we visited he heat was bearable and we could stroll around for a long time. Once done, we headed to the Opera House where had some cake and drinks and continued to Qurum Beach. Dinner at The Wave in the evening - Shakespeare never disappoints!
For us this was a rest day since the day before we only had a few hours sleep but if you are more energetic do not miss the kayaking in the mangrove in Qurum Beach - Wave Summit offers great tours and rental options, check their Instagram @wave_summit!
If you do not want to be without hiking, you can try the Sidab Coastal trek or the Mutrah geotrack for some local trekking, they are both fantastic!
3. Day: Swimming in the wadis - Wadi Shab and Bimmah Sinkhole
It is not without reason that Wadi Shab is one of the most popular wadis - it has everything from dramatic rock walls, to falaj and pools andeven a secret waterfall! It is easy, not too long and close to Muscat. Left the GoPro at home, so no pictures unfortunately. Well, at least we truly concentrated to embrace the experience! When we were done we still had time, so we headed to Bimmah Sinkhole for a quick dip and strolled around Fin's beach. For more details cilck here for Wadi Shab and here for Bimmah Sinkhole.
We ordered take away for dinner and had Arabic mixed grill and the usual appetizers (hummus etc)
4. Day: Ruins and falaj-walking
We headed towards Nizwa to explore the ruins of Birkat Al Mouz (more details with exact locations are here) and tried the café there at the foot of the Harat As Sibani ruins - cake and coffee were both five star. On the way back to Muscat we stopped at Wadi Qurai (more details here) and the girls had a blast! In fact they said it was more fun than Wadi Shab - and certainly felt more authentic because we were the only ones there minus the goat herder. It is a fun wadi where you basically only need to follow the falaj, the ancient irrigation channel to reach the cold pools.
We headed to the PDO camp for an evening walk to see the sunset and had dinner at the beach restaurant.
Birkat Al Mouz and the oasis from the distance
It is worth to explore the houses, there are stunning details hidden among the ruins
Wadi Qurai - a lesser known, easy but fun wadi not far from Muscat
5. Day - Snorkeling at Daymaniyat Islands
The islands are protected and special permit needed to visit them therefore best is to go with a tour company - we always go with Daymaniat Shells.
In the evening we headed to Mutrah Souq for some shopping and strolling around. We wanted to have dinner at Bait al Luban, a traditional Omani restaurant to try shuwa (meat wrapped and banana leaves and buried and slow cooked in the ground for days) but sadly they were full. When leaving, one the taxi drivers suggested to try Ubrah, close to the Royal Opera House and it was absolutely fantastic! The food and the service were both great - so much so that we put them on our regular take away list!
Comments
Post a Comment