Muscat Travel Diary: Weekend in Oman
How I spent 48 hours in ~Muscat: Wadi Shab, Bimmah Sinkhole, Nizwa Fort and Souq, and Birkat Al Mouz
A few years ago, I traveled to Muscat, Oman in early June. I was traveling through the region and had consistently heard great things about Oman from fellow travelers. Although I did not have a lot of time to spend there, I assembled an itinerary for a weekend, and made my way to the capital of Oman: Muscat.
Oman is part of the Arabian peninsula in West Asia and neighbors the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Early June in Muscat was HOT and I would recommend visiting in the “Winter” season if possible (October — March).
Oman is a cultural experience and you will have the opportunity to interact with Omanis throughout your time in Oman. This is not always true in Gulf countries, especially in the very wealthy ones. In Oman, most of the small businesses, restaurants, shops, transport, and tour companies you will experience as a traveler are owned and operated by Omanis.
I stayed at the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah which is a seaside resort hotel which is a 30 minute drive from central Muscat. The location of my hotel did not matter as I had booked two day long guided tours for my time in Muscat, but I would recommend staying in central Muscat to be able to check out the city on your own.
Day 1: Wadi Shab and Bimmah Sinkhole
The first guided tour I booked was with Sunshine Tours Oman and included transportation to and from my hotel, a hike and swim in Wadi Shab, a traditional Omani lunch in a nearby village, and a stop at Bimmah Sinkhole.
Oman is known for its wadis, river valleys that are beautiful and excellent for swimming. Our group arrived at a point off the highway where we parked and took a small boat across the river to a canyon. From there, we hiked about an hour down into the wadi.
It was hot and I did not have a lot of water on me which I instantly regretted. There were points of that hike down to the wadi that I thought I may pass out. The hike itself was not strenuous; but it was early June in Oman and it was very warm.
The landscape was rugged, dotted with date palms, and the water in the wadi was a brilliant green blue color.
Part of the hike happens through the wadi. I wore active sandals suitable for both hiking and swimming and wore clothing I could also swim in for the hike.
We enjoyed our time at the wadi, got some swim time in, and then turned around for the hike back to the transport and headed to lunch at a nearby village.
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Following lunch, we headed to Bimmah Sinkhole for one final swim before we lost the light of the day. By this point in the afternoon, it was no longer as hot as it had been earlier in the day.
May-June is date palm season in the Gulf and West Asia, and there were a number of date palms full of fruit surrounding the grounds of the sinkhole.
Day 2: Nizwa Fort and Souk and Jebel Akhdar
The second day-long tour I booked was also with Sunshine Tours Oman and centered on visiting Nizwa Fort in Nizwa, the old capital of Oman. The fort was built in the 1650’s and is Oman’s most visited national monument.
The first stop we made on the tour was to take in the views in Ad Dakhiliyah (above).
We arrived at Nizwa Fort and took a tour of the fort, and learned about its history and defense systems.
Following the tour of the fort, we headed to Nizwa Souq which next to the fort.
We enjoyed a quick lunch and juice break before shopping in the souk. The shopping included a stop in a store selling all kinds of dates.
We enjoyed dates and qawah (Arabian spiced coffee) at the shop. The yellow colored dates that have been freshly harvested from a date palm.
Our next stop of the day was absolutely breathtaking: Jebel Akdhar, the green mountain. Jebel Akdhar is situated in Oman’s Hajar mountains and is surrounded by canyons and terraces.
Our next stop of the tour was at a nearby village where we learned about the Falaj water system and history and daily life in this part of Oman.
Our final stop was one final look out over the mountains and palm trees as the sun set nearby in Birkat Al Mouz. From here, my guide took me to the airport to catch my flight.
A short but sweet trip to Muscat and its surrounding areas.
Oman’s geography is very diverse and it’s a paradise for nature lovers — one of the places on my list for the future is Salalah.
I enjoyed my time in Oman and will go back for a longer period of time in the future.
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