Mobility challenged visitors in Oman - 10 things to do and see
Oman is all about the outdoors, hiking and adventure - not your typical destination for a mobility challenged person. If we did not live here, my mum probably would had never visited Oman - but since we are here, she decided to come and see us. She went through a complicated knee surgery and she has been recovering the past 2 years - she still needs sticks to walk and she certainly cannot hike. She stayed here for 2 weeks, so we needed to come up with some ideas about what to see and where to go - also considering that in March the weather slowly started to get warmer. I wanted to show her how beautiful this country is and I also wanted her to move so I set the target to walk in average 3km every day. The visit was very successful, she had a great time - she had time to relax, but she was active at the same time. We did walk in average 3km per day, in fact in many days we walked much more than that. She also gained confidence in herself and her abilities - she managed to do much more than she ever thought!
Here are the things we did, scroll down for details!
01. Explore the culture and history: Grand Mosque, Opera, Al Bustan Village, Muttrah Souq and the Sultan's Palace
02. Be blown away by the stunning coastline around Muscat
02. Be blown away by the stunning coastline around Muscat
03. Experience Omani history and heritage - explore ancient mud brick settlements
04. Marvel at the sunset, sunrise and the stars in Wahiba Sands
05. Wander around in an oasis
06. Get lost in the wadis of Oman
07. Search for the powder-blue pools
08. Get your heartbeat up with an off-road-thrill
09. Hunt for thousands of years old rock carvings
10. Indulge in luxury
There are many more locations we could had visited if we had more time. Jabal Shams or Jabal Akhdar are both obvious altough there are few drawbacks. Accommodation in Jabal Shams is basic and it is too far a convenient day trip - we were thinking to stay at The View and drive up Jabal Shams to see the gorge, maybe visit Misfat Al Arbayeen but post Covid rates at the The View just became a bit crazy. Jabal Akhdar is a better option for a daytrip, but than when one cannot hike it is a lot of driving to see some pretty views.
Other sites which can be suitable for bit less agile visitors are: Wadi Bani Kharous , Wadi Bani Hany and Wadi Al Hoqain, Samail oasis, Nizwa.
Here are all the details you need to visit these places:
1. Explore the culture and history: Grand Mosque, Opera, Al Bustan Village, Muttrah Souq and the Sultan's Palace
This is a staple Muscat program we do with all of our visitors and it is always very popular. The Grand Mosque never fails to impress anyone (even younger kids!), the Opera is so pretty with the blue sky background. We usually go to the mosque first thing in the morning, then head over to the Opera where we have brunch in Fauchon. We walk off the food in Al Bustan village and finish the day visiting the Sultan's Palace and Muttrah souq. The only difference with my mum was that we did all these in 2 days.
This is a staple Muscat program we do with all of our visitors and it is always very popular. The Grand Mosque never fails to impress anyone (even younger kids!), the Opera is so pretty with the blue sky background. We usually go to the mosque first thing in the morning, then head over to the Opera where we have brunch in Fauchon. We walk off the food in Al Bustan village and finish the day visiting the Sultan's Palace and Muttrah souq. The only difference with my mum was that we did all these in 2 days.
2. Be blown away by the stunning coastline around Muscat
We visited Bandar Al Khairan but there are plenty of other options to choose from: Yitti, Yenkit, Qantab just to name a few. My mum is not that keen on going into the water and certainly not one to go under to snorkel, but for those who like swimming it can be great.
We visited Bandar Al Khairan but there are plenty of other options to choose from: Yitti, Yenkit, Qantab just to name a few. My mum is not that keen on going into the water and certainly not one to go under to snorkel, but for those who like swimming it can be great.
3. Experience Omani history and heritage - explore ancient mud brick settlements
There are many of beautiful ruin-towns all around Oman, some bigger some smaller. Basically in every oasis you can find a few old scrambling houses. We choose to visit the Al Minzafah neighborhood in Ibra on the way to the desert. This is probably one of the lesser known sites but the houses are just stunning - the details and decorations are amazing. Other similar sites are Birkat Al Mouz, Al Hamra old town, Manah, Imti just to name a few.
There are many of beautiful ruin-towns all around Oman, some bigger some smaller. Basically in every oasis you can find a few old scrambling houses. We choose to visit the Al Minzafah neighborhood in Ibra on the way to the desert. This is probably one of the lesser known sites but the houses are just stunning - the details and decorations are amazing. Other similar sites are Birkat Al Mouz, Al Hamra old town, Manah, Imti just to name a few.
.HEIC)
.HEIC)
4. Marvel at the sunset, sunrise and the stars in Wahiba Sands
The desert is a fascinating place and the best way to experience it is to stay over. Camping is not an option for my mum but we also did not want to go for one of the luxury resorts - swimming pool sounds just not right in the desert. We choose the Nomadic Desert Camp - a Bedouin family turned their compound into a desert camp and they did it wonderfully. The huts are basic, there is no air-condition and the toilets and showers are in a separate building but everything is clean and the people are super nice and friendly. Abdullah took us to a chilling dune-bashing and we did go for a short camel ride what my mum skipped. In the evening we gathered around the fire, where Abdullah's brother made fresh flat bread and shared stories of their lives - it was very cozy. My mum and our daughter had to go to the toilet in the middle of the night and they said it was absolutely magical to see the stars studded sky - felt like being in a snow globe!
The desert is a fascinating place and the best way to experience it is to stay over. Camping is not an option for my mum but we also did not want to go for one of the luxury resorts - swimming pool sounds just not right in the desert. We choose the Nomadic Desert Camp - a Bedouin family turned their compound into a desert camp and they did it wonderfully. The huts are basic, there is no air-condition and the toilets and showers are in a separate building but everything is clean and the people are super nice and friendly. Abdullah took us to a chilling dune-bashing and we did go for a short camel ride what my mum skipped. In the evening we gathered around the fire, where Abdullah's brother made fresh flat bread and shared stories of their lives - it was very cozy. My mum and our daughter had to go to the toilet in the middle of the night and they said it was absolutely magical to see the stars studded sky - felt like being in a snow globe!
5. Wander around an oasis
The available options are endless and over the course of 2 weeks we visited two of them. Al Mudhaireb is a lesser known oasis but a great stop to or from Wahiba Sands. They have a half renovated castle, a very old souq which apparently gets filled with life on Fridays and many old houses and beautiful doors. Wadi Al Maawil is a fantastic daytrip destination from Muscat. Fort, heritage house, mud brick ruins, lush gardens, falaj - it does really have it all.
The available options are endless and over the course of 2 weeks we visited two of them. Al Mudhaireb is a lesser known oasis but a great stop to or from Wahiba Sands. They have a half renovated castle, a very old souq which apparently gets filled with life on Fridays and many old houses and beautiful doors. Wadi Al Maawil is a fantastic daytrip destination from Muscat. Fort, heritage house, mud brick ruins, lush gardens, falaj - it does really have it all.
Al Mudhaireb
.HEIC)
Wadi Al Maawil
6. Get lost in the wadis of Oman
If you say Oman, I say wadis. None should leave the country without visiting at least one - if possible more. When you can hike the difficulty comes with the decision where to go, which one to pick. But when you cannot hike and even walking is challenging than there is only one option: Wadi Al Arabeieen. This is one of my favorite wadis (the other one is Wadi Bani Kharous) for its diversity, beauty and water-pools. With my mum we drove into the village, stopped to see the pool with the small waterfall, walked a bit around. We drove in at 23.1081,58.9816 and exited at 23.0781,59.0445 - it is a nice round trip and the two routes are vastly different. It does give a good feel of what a wadi is for anyone really. The wadi has a great guest house as well. We did this as a daytrip and visited Bimmah Sinkhole, drove up to Salmah Plateu and stopped by at Al Hinn Sulphur Springs.
If you say Oman, I say wadis. None should leave the country without visiting at least one - if possible more. When you can hike the difficulty comes with the decision where to go, which one to pick. But when you cannot hike and even walking is challenging than there is only one option: Wadi Al Arabeieen. This is one of my favorite wadis (the other one is Wadi Bani Kharous) for its diversity, beauty and water-pools. With my mum we drove into the village, stopped to see the pool with the small waterfall, walked a bit around. We drove in at 23.1081,58.9816 and exited at 23.0781,59.0445 - it is a nice round trip and the two routes are vastly different. It does give a good feel of what a wadi is for anyone really. The wadi has a great guest house as well. We did this as a daytrip and visited Bimmah Sinkhole, drove up to Salmah Plateu and stopped by at Al Hinn Sulphur Springs.
7. Search for the powder-blue pools
There are few sulphur springs in Oman - the Al Hinn one is next to the road and the drive to there is quite picturesque as well. To walk to the ponds though was not that straightforward - what worked at the end was to park around 23.3212,58.2293 and walk from there. It is probably not worth to come only for this, but it is worth for a detour.
8. Get your heartbeat up with an off-road-thrill
The other must do thing in Oman is off-road driving and one of the shorter but absolutely thrilling routes is the one up to Salmah Plateau. From sea level in 45 min you are up at 1400m and if you drive further in eventually you will reach 2000m altitude. The road is steep with hairpin turns and the views are just stunning - you can see the whole coastline if the weather is clear. The plateau is home to fantastic caves, ancient tower tombs, beautiful scenery and also perfect for camping - you can read more about it here. With my mum we came for the drive, the views and walked around a bit - she enjoyed it a lot. A strong 4WD with low gear option and an experienced driver is a must!
The other must do thing in Oman is off-road driving and one of the shorter but absolutely thrilling routes is the one up to Salmah Plateau. From sea level in 45 min you are up at 1400m and if you drive further in eventually you will reach 2000m altitude. The road is steep with hairpin turns and the views are just stunning - you can see the whole coastline if the weather is clear. The plateau is home to fantastic caves, ancient tower tombs, beautiful scenery and also perfect for camping - you can read more about it here. With my mum we came for the drive, the views and walked around a bit - she enjoyed it a lot. A strong 4WD with low gear option and an experienced driver is a must!
9. Hunt for thousands of years old rock carvings
Petroglyphs in Oman date back to 5000 years and they can be found in Musandam, Jabal Akhdar, Bandar Khayran - and also around Muscat. Guess they can be found all over in the country, just not all of them are known or registered. Petroglyphs are rock carvings (rock paintings are called pictographs) made by pecking directly on the rock surface using stone chisel and hammer stone. There are 2 sites I know of around Muscat, one is close to Hamriyah which requires hiking, the other one is close to Al Qafil village in Amirat. This one is a huge site, full of carved stones and the biggest one is next to the road basically.
10. Indulge in luxury
You cannot visit the Gulf countries without treating yourself to a bit of luxury. We opted for the high tea in Al Bustan Palace - the hall of the hotel is just jaw dropping, Arabic and stylish and oozes luxury and high tea sounds super posh. Well, we did not get disappointed. This is the only high end hotel where we always leave with a good experience - food and service never disappoints. Thankfully we skipped breakfast and lunch and I can tell we did not eat much for dinner either - this high tea comes with a selection of savory and sweet. Presentation is over the top, we really felt like royalty!
Comments
Post a Comment