Oman

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque: The scale and the handwoven carpet are extraordinary, but plan your visit strictly before eleven in the morning, since that is when non-Muslim visitors are admitted.

Jebel Shams: The country's grand canyon is best seen from above on the balcony walk, which is the only way to grasp how far down the drop goes.

Wadi Shab: This gorge gives you a walk through water and a swim in the emerald pools of a hidden cave after a short trek in.

Wahiba Sands: The desert with its hundred-metre orange dunes sits only a couple of hours from the coast and is accessible even to complete beginners.

Jebel Akhdar: The frankincense plantations and terraced fields are best explored with a 4x4, stopping at the viewpoints along the mountain road.

Nizwa Fort: The huge round tower gives the finest overview of the date oases and the old town from above, and it is the single best history stop in the country.

Currency: The Omani rial is among the most valuable currencies in the world, pegged firmly to the US dollar and divided into a thousand baisa.

Cash: Bring US dollars or euros issued after 2013, since older notes may be refused outright at banks. Small denominations are useful for markets and rural fuel stops.

Cards: Visa and Mastercard work in hotels, malls, chain restaurants and car hire, and ATMs are plentiful in the towns. Amex is much less useful, and a Wise or Revolut card is the cheapest way to draw rials without your bank's markup.

Carry rials: Always keep physical rials on you for guesthouses, souqs and the small filling stations out in the desert, where cards simply are not accepted.

Tipping: Restaurants expect about ten percent if a service charge has not already been added to the bill.

Item	Price (USD)
Street shawarma	2.5
Lunch in a cafe	7.0
Cappuccino	4.5
1.5l of water	0.4
Hostel night	15.0
Guesthouse in Nizwa	45.0
Litre of petrol	0.6
Car hire, per day	35.0
Fort entry	13.0
Bus ride	1.0
Taxi across town	6.0
SIM card with 5GB	13.0
Grand Mosque entry	21.0
Dinner in a restaurant	30.0

Getting here: Muscat airport is well connected, with direct flights from London, Frankfurt, Zurich and a dense web of one-stop routings through Dubai, Doha and Istanbul from anywhere in Europe or North America. Fares are lowest outside the November to March high season.

Coaches: Comfortable Mwasalat buses run between the main cities and you buy tickets on the operator's website.

City buses: Muscat has scheduled routes, but they follow only the main arteries and leave most residential districts a long walk away.

Car hire: This is the best way to see the canyons and wadis, the roads are superb and driving here is genuinely enjoyable.

Mountain roads: For the climb up Jebel Akhdar the police will only let a 4x4 through, and ordinary cars are turned back at the checkpoint.

Taxis and flights: Use the OTaxi app for fixed fares, because drivers hailed in the street will always quote a visitor high. Domestic airlines link the capital with Salalah in a little over ninety minutes, which saves a full day of driving.

Budget options: Muscat now has modern hostels with shared rooms, which make an excellent base for independent travellers.

Guesthouses: In historic towns like Nizwa, book one of the old houses in the centre that have been converted into clean, characterful small hotels.

Booking: The usual platforms work reliably, but in the mountains and smaller places owners often prefer payment in cash rials.

Camping: Wild camping is permitted almost everywhere in Oman except private land, which saves a great deal of money on accommodation.

Desert camps: A night in the tented camps among the Wahiba dunes is worth the money for the sky alone, plus a traditional dinner by the fire.

Checking in: Simple town hotels occasionally ask couples for a marriage certificate, though the larger chains take a far more relaxed view.

Shuwa: Try this lamb, slow-cooked in an underground oven for a full day until the meat falls away from the bone by itself.

Everyday food: Mandi, spiced rice with chicken, arrives in portions large enough for two hungry travellers.

Sweets: Omani halwa, made with rose water and saffron, is the dessert to have, and it is traditionally taken with strong coffee and nothing else.

Kahwa: A small cup of cardamom coffee will be offered to you in any house or shop, and declining the first sip is impolite.

Fish: On the coast in Sur or Muscat, order mashuai, whole grilled fish stuffed with local lemon and spices.

Alcohol: Drink is sold legally only in bars attached to the more expensive hotels, and you cannot buy it in ordinary shops or supermarkets.

Crime: Oman counts among the safest countries in the world, and you can walk any district at night without concern.

Traffic police: Officers are consistently polite to visitors but fine strictly for any speeding, and even for driving a filthy car.

Flash floods: Never camp in a dry wadi bed, because a sudden downpour in the mountains turns them into torrents within minutes.

Heat: Summer temperatures in the desert and the mountains go off the scale, so always carry five litres of water per person in the boot.

Animals on the road: Be extremely alert on highways at night, since camels and goats step onto the carriageway without warning.

Getting stuck: If you bog down in sand, locals will often pull you out for nothing, but carry your own tow rope and a shovel, and check your own government's travel advisory before you travel.

Dress: Oman remains a conservative country, so shoulders and knees stay covered even in the fiercest heat.

Mosques: Visits are permitted in the morning hours only, and women need to cover their head, arms and legs completely.

Photography: Do not photograph local people, especially women and children, without asking permission first from them or the head of the family.

Ramadan: During the fasting month, eating, drinking and smoking in public during daylight are forbidden, so plan your meals accordingly.

The left hand: It is considered unclean in local etiquette, so hand over money, gifts or food with your right hand only.

Personal space: Men should not offer a hand to an Omani woman first; a polite nod is the correct greeting.

Respect: Public criticism of the ruler or of Islam is a serious offence and is prosecuted, so keep those conversations to yourself.

On arrival: The local operators have desks at Muscat airport, though queues there can run to thirty or forty minutes.

eSIM: The simplest approach is buying an eSIM through a provider like Airalo before you fly, so data and navigation work the moment you land.

Coverage: 4G is excellent along every highway and in the towns, but it can disappear completely deep in the desert.

Calling apps: Voice and video calls over WhatsApp and similar apps are usually blocked, so install a reliable VPN before you arrive if you need to call home.

A local number: Worth having if you plan to use food delivery apps or to stay in regular contact with guides and camp operators.

Language and Wi-Fi: English is very widely spoken in Muscat, in hotels and by younger Omanis, and road signs and menus are bilingual, so an independent traveller manages easily. Wi-Fi in city cafes and hotels is stable enough for downloading offline maps and planning a route.

English	Arabic	Pronunciation
Hello	السلام عليكم	as-sa-LAAM a-LAY-koom
How are you?	كيف حالك؟	Kayf HAA-lak?
All good (slang)	زين	Zayn
Thank you	شكراً	SHOOK-ran
Please	من فضلك	Min FAD-lak
Yes / No	نعم / لا	NA-am / Laa
How much is it?	كم السعر؟	Kam as-SIR?
Very expensive!	غالي جداً	GHAA-li JID-dan!
Where is the toilet?	أين الحمام؟	AY-na al-ham-MAAM?
I don't understand	ما أفهم	Maa AF-ham
Water	ماء	Maa
Friend	صديق	sa-DEEQ
Wait a moment (slang)	لحظة	LAH-za
God willing	إن شاء الله	in-shaa-ALLAH
Thank God	الحمد لله	al-ham-du-LIL-lah
Goodbye	مع السلامة	Maa as-sa-LAA-ma
Enough, that'll do (slang)	خلاص	kha-LAAS
No problem	ما في مشكلة	Maa fee MUSH-ki-la
Okay, fine	طيب	TAY-yib
Beautiful	حلو	HIL-w
Do you speak English?	تتكلم انجليزي؟	Tit-KAL-lam in-gi-LEE-zi?
Coffee	قهوة	QAH-wa

When to go: Plan your trip between October and March, when the heat drops and you can spend long stretches outdoors without risk.

Power: Oman uses British type G sockets with three flat pins, so buy an adapter before you leave unless you are coming from the UK.

Navigation: Waze is more accurate here than the usual mapping apps, especially for picking the right exit on complicated city interchanges.

Mountain clothing: At night in the desert and on the summits the temperature falls to around ten degrees, so warm layers are not optional.

Fuel: Deep in the Wahiba there is only one filling station, and it takes cash rials only.

Insurance: Choose a policy with extended adventure cover if you plan canyon trekking or snorkelling around the islands.

Camping gear: Gas canisters and burners for independent camping are sold in the large hypermarkets across the country.