Oman certainly has huge potential. Firstly, there are the Omanis themselves. In 2016, they were voted the “nicest people on the planet”, but “nice” is such a bland word, so let’s go with “welcoming”, “warm-hearted” and “hospitable”. Visitors will be greeted on the streets and can expect invitations to private homes for kahwa (traditional coffee) without fearing for their safety. Crime is almost unheard of in these parts.
The capital, Muscat, is an easy-going introduction to the country. Local men dressed in spotless white dishdasha robes stroll along the corniche after prayers and Filipino guest workers mingle with Burmese and Bangladeshi expats. Tourists make a beeline for Muttrah Souq, a centuries-old bazaar where they haggle for ceremonial silver daggers and ornate brass coffee pots. It’s also a good place to stock up on gold, frankincense and myrrh. Well, someone you know is bound to be having a baby sooner or later.
Lacking the dazzle of Doha or Dubai, Oman has other, less glitzy tricks up its sleeve. Scenic drives through stark desert landscapes deliver visitors to honey-coloured beaches lapped by the sparkling Arabian Sea. Guidebooks and blogs include GPS coordinates to help motorists track down ancient villages in the mountainous interior and the inviting emerald waters of oases such as Wadi Damm and Wadi Bani Khalid.
Many towns boast a castle or fort, in most cases painstakingly restored and ridiculously photogenic. Surrounded by lush date-palm plantations, with the jagged Jebel Akhdar Mountains glinting in the distance, Nakhal Fort looks so authentically Arabian you can’t help wondering if it’s a Hollywood film set.
Don’t miss Nizwa Fort, Oman’s most visited monument, or Bukha Fort, on the Musandam Peninsula, an enclave separated from the rest of the country by the United Arab Emirates. Here, wooden dhows take tourists to Khor Sham, a dramatic 16km-long fjord hemmed in by crumbling craggy peaks. Iran shimmers on the horizon and dolphins skim and somersault alongside the boat.
Winter is the best time to visit Oman. High-season festivals and fashion shows, sailing regattas and cycling races are all helping raise the national profile. For those wanting to participate rather than spectate, activities include scuba diving and sandboarding, kitesurfing, climbing and canyoning.
The Arab state prides itself on keeping old traditions alive in the face of sweeping modernisation. But that doesn’t stop open-minded Omanis from embracing the new, including solar power. Mind you, it helps that 82 per cent of the country is sun-baked desert.
The Bad
Oman is a winter destination for good reason. As summer temperatures approach a brain-boiling 50 degrees Celsius, open-air eateries empty as people retreat indoors and water from cold taps is as likely to scald you as that from hot taps. The Khareef (Arabian monsoon) offers some relief from the heat and transforms the desert around the southern city of Salalah into a lush, green landscape from June to September but come at another time unless you enjoy cloudy, damp weather. Swimming is off-limits in the wet season due to strong currents and camping in wadis (dry river beds) is a no-no as the risk of flash flooding is high.
Off-road camping trips require planning – even in the dry season. Carry extra fuel and water, obviously, and inform friends of your itinerary if possible. Travellers moan about losing phone reception in parts of the vast Rub’ al-Khali Desert, the so-called Empty Quarter, but accidentally crossing the border into war-torn Yemen would ruin your day far more. Fear not, however, there are plenty of guided tours that leave the driving to someone else, although you’ll pay for the privilege. A strong rial makes Oman an expensive place to visit.
Another reason for letting someone else get behind the wheel is that Oman was ranked the world’s 10th most dangerous country for driving in a World Health Organisation road-safety report. One accident occurred on Oman’s roads every three hours in 2018 but that’s an improvement on 2017, when there was one every two hours. No athlete from Oman has ever won an Olympic medal – if only the International Olympic Committee would introduce banger motor racing as an event.
If you’re still determined to drive off into the desert, be sure to keep your eyes peeled. Omani camels are responsible for the deaths of an average 41 people a year. It’s also worth bearing in mind that if you hit one, you’ll have to pay the car-rental company for the damage and the owner of the animal for their loss.
Oman is one of the more liberal Gulf states but it is a Muslim country; tourists are expected to show consideration for its customs. Flouting dress code regulations can lead to fines and, in extreme cases, jail. So will eating in public during Ramadan. As in many parts of the world, public shows of affection won’t endear you to the locals, either. And when the 5am call to prayer interrupts your sleep for the umpteenth time – or you’re told you’ll need to apply for a licence to buy alcohol – think of it as a trade-off. Sure, aspects of life in Oman are different to those in Hong Kong but traditional Arab and Bedouin codes of hospitality do much to compensate.
The Ugly
The easing of tourist-entry requirements forms part of Oman’s goal of increasing the number of visitors from three million last year to a whopping 11 million by 2040. Admittedly, the sultanate has plenty of space but, as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. The inundated citizens of Venice and Barcelona would no doubt agree.
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