Oman – Muscat

Muscat, Oman

Muscat is in my top 5 favourite places to see in the world. There is so much more to do than just visit the city – beautiful as it is – so use it as a base to see the rest of the country. Just down the coast are harbours where you can book trips out to sail with the dolphins, and see the amazing mountainous coastline (and catch a glimpse of the Sultans private Palace). If it takes your fancy you can go fishing 0r just laze on a boat to watch the sun set behind the hills, with the warm sea breeze brushing past you. Head into the dunes and craggy rock formations for some adventure where you will encounter craters, wadis, mountains and wildlife. If peace and tranquillity is all you need  then just laze on a sandy beach, in the heat of an Arabian sun …bliss. The city areas with the fabulous Mosque, marble Opera House, traditional Souks and wonderful restaurants are unmissable too.

Muscat Oman.

I Visited Muscat, Oman as part of my 4 country, 5 city tour of the Southern Gulf area, specifically to  Abu Dhabi in U.A.E (click here),   Dubai in U.A.E (click here), Manama in Bahrain (click here) and Doha in Qatar (click here).

Muscat, Oman is one of my top 3 destinations in the world. It vies with Singapore and Valletta in Malta for top place and if I am truly honest with myself, I guess I would say it is my all-time favourite.

Why I hear you ask? Well, that is a tough question because so many places around the world are unique in themselves and every city has something I like, but Muscat combines some unique features that once lined up and counted gives it the edge for me.

Why is Muscat not a skyscraper city?

I love the fact that despite being near to the somewhat artificial and ultra-modern UAE and its mega cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, it totally resists the “build ’em big and bold” vibe prevalent in these cities.

I’ve heard there is a policy that buildings must not be over a certain height. I’ve heard that Muscat is so spread out with only a population of 1.5 million residents that it has more than enough land and thus has no need to build upwards. Also, I’ve heard that they do not want to lose the charm of Muscat, Oman as a low lying, white coloured buildings, human size city and do not want to become a replica New York/Dubai.

All seem plausible and all I totally agree with that and they all contribute to this feeling of a city with affluence but style and reason too. The massive, tall and rocky Western Al Hajar Mountains dominate the backdrop to the city and the building of skyscrapers would just obliterate the views of these majestic natural formations that can be seen from most parts of the city.

They would also form a jarring edge to nature and spoil one of its most attractive features (there are no mountains in NY, Dubai, Singapore, Shanghai and all the other similar metropolises to block, so let them build as high as they want there!).

So, where is the centre of Muscat?

The city of Muscat, Oman is spread out and actually contains several districts that are almost self-governing within the municipality of Muscat and each has it own “look”. I remember looking at a map of Muscat, Oman when I was first planning my trip here and trying to locate the “centre” of town to get my bearings and find a hotel near it.

I was totally confused at how buildings were spread out over a huge area and people were talking about the Mutrah area of Muscat and then the Seeb area as if they were one city (which they kinda are) but they were separated by miles of land and even travel through small mountain passes to get from one to another.

This was so unique and so foreign to me as a concept I delayed booking a hotel for weeks till I could work out how this city operated. Guides talked of catching a taxi to take you from e.g. The Grand Mosque to the harbour – yet they were 20 km away from each other and I would go through a mountain pass and along a coast area to get to it with no mention that I was somehow going out of the city boundary (which I wasn’t).

I eventually booked my hotel, still somewhat confused but with the mentality of “what the heck, I’ll just have to work it out when I get there”. So, to anyone reading this – there is no real centre to Muscat, Oman.

There are groupings around the Opera House and down to Qurum Beach and hotels. Another up at Qurum in the hills, another near the Grand Mosque, another at Mutrah, another around the Chedi Hotel area etc, etc. If you want mountains and coast it is Mutrah, if you want being near the airport it is Seeb, if you want beaches it is Qurum.

Taxi travel is the best transport option.

Wherever you base yourself be prepared to catch a taxi (transport is getting better recently with bus routes that were not there when I visited a while ago).

Taxi’s are not expensive, are frequent, safe and modern, but unmetered so you have to negotiate with what I found generally friendly and non-rip off drivers. They also pick up along your route if someone hails them so be prepared to have a passenger as a norm at some point!

I loved the friendliness of the people – some of the most welcoming I have met anywhere, loved it that English is so widely spoken and that the quality of life, maintenance of buildings and streets and general ambience is safe and clean.

They have a large immigrant worker population but more Omani’s actually work than in e.g. U.A.E, Bahrain, Qatar etc i.e. nearby similarly wealthy countries.

The countryside has so many opportunities to go on an adventure too. From jeep drives to wadis and mountains, paragliding in the deserts, visits to ancient mountain forts and villages, sea diving and boat trips out to see the dolphins, hill trekking, water sports and trips just to see the desert mountain flora and fauna.

I kept to the city on my trip as there is just so much to do that I would have to explore outside on another trip.

Where I stayed in Muscat, Oman.

I opted for the Park Inn in Muscat, Oman. They had a great deal at the time and I knew the brand from Europe and knew it would be good – and it was, Superb modern, comfortable rooms with a fabulous array at breakfast in stylish surroundings.

It had a rooftop bar and pool, an adjoining excellent restaurant and a concierge service that organised all my boat trips, mosque visit etc trips and gave well informed advice.

Even better is that it has its own taxi rank outside so there are always taxis to get around. Staff were unbelievably helpful and friendly, always a welcome whenever I entered and they couldn’t do enough for me. Truly loved the stay. They organised my taxis to and from the airport – there is limited public bus service – with ease and it was all so affordable too.

What to see and do in Muscat, Oman.

There are not a lot of places to visit here, being a small city and more distant geographically from the big centres of politics, commerce and Empires but what there is, is good.

Opera House

Paradoxically one of Muscat’s most famous buildings is the sumptuous Opera House. Built in 2011 and opened with a production of Turandot with none other than Placido Domingo himself. It was built on instructions from the, recently deceased, classic music and arts loving Sultan Qaboos. It still has world famous conductors and players presenting here. He also built the famous Grand Mosque.

The building itself is an Arabic /Italianate design – think Moorish arches, decorated stonework but white marbled colonnades and you get the picture. The white marbles sheens the sun to the point that you feel the reflective heat from the marble walls and outside floors on a hot day. Its design is opulent and huge and set in the most green luscious gardens around with tendered lawns, shrubbery, fountains and walkways. It even has its own public, but very exclusive brands, shopping Mall.

It was closed when I visited but seeing the outside alone gave me a great insight into how ornate the interior must be.

Qurum Beach area in Muscat, Oman,

If you walk through the shopping mall attached to the Opera House, walking away from the building you exit at a road junction. From here, take the road on the right leading down away from the Mall. This leads you directly to the beach after about 12 mins walking.

This is Qurum beach with several small shopping and restaurant areas and much frequented by foreigners who want to sunbath and swim away from a hotel complex. I walked the length of the beach, gloriously paddling in the warm water as I went and looking out to sea.

Iran was over the horizon – too far away to see of course, but it reminded me that my flight into Muscat took me through Iranian airspace and this was the nearest I was to get to that country that has been on my list for future visits for a while.

The beach has a backdrop of small rocks and palm trees and in several areas there are built in BBQ areas complete with stands and shelters and what must make for perfect family and friends gatherings.

I did see a lot of groups here both bbqing and picnicking on the green lawns and and generally enjoying the great weather and sea breeze.

It was apparent these must the some of the guest workers to Muscat, Oman and this is a favourite hang out of theirs. Idyllic and captivating was the scenery and I got some great shots of the palm fringed beach and parkland that I have used in my travel blog’s features areas.

 Wander the golden sands and bbq areas

I returned to my starting point, walking along the paved promenade this time, and jealously noticed the houses that had been built alongside the beach. thye had clearly been located here to get the sea views and direct access to the beach.

Back at the Mall area I skipped down to the beach again and walked the other way, along Qurum beach towards the distant hillock that I could see. The water was refreshing, the sun hot but the breeze was cooling, the palm trees enchanting and I was in bliss.

I took a pic of my feet in the water, yep those are my stubby toes, just to capture the moment. I then realised further along there were small holes dug into the sand. Approaching them, I looked further and was amazed to see crabs, just smaller than my hand, were scurrying in and out of about 6 -7 nearby holes .

The wildlife was enjoying the beach too! I’d never seen crabs burying holes and sharing a beach with the scant number of beach enthusiasts.

The numbers of people now were dwindling, in fact there were only a few dozen on the beach at the beginning anyhow but as I went further, I virtually had the beach to myself for over a mile.

Qurum Nature Park, Muscat, Oman.

The beach came to an end when it met the small wide shallow river draining out of the Qurum Nature Park across the bridge. I walked up the bridge embankment to reach the top and was met with a glorious view of the distant mountains as a backdrop to the city and a view over the wetland nature park and mangroves stretching into the horizon.

Wildfowl and fish were abound and the walk across the long bridge was now a vista of the sea and nearby beach to one side and the park, lake and mountains to the other. A picturesque sight indeed!

There is a café at either end of the bridge that are suitably raised to take in the scenery and these were both busy with people sitting outside and taking in the views but my planned rest was just a bit further along.

Qurum, Muscat

At the other end of the bridge, I was to enter into Qurum, a small residential and hotel area built up a rocky mount. It passed through a small riverside bathing area, where I noticed locals had their boats moored on the shore, with a few beach huts/shelters nearby.

The walk ended when I arrived at the place I had been heading to – coffee and cake at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The hotel is situated on a high mount with a view out to sea and back down the beach, to where I had triumphantly been walking for the last 1.5 hours.

A fabulous walk that I thoroughly enjoyed, even though my legs were telling me otherwise! Sea breeze, sun, sand, nature, wildlife and peace – a walk I shall never forget.

Sea trip in Muscat, Oman.

Next day I had pre booked a sea trip with https://muscatseatours.com (click here for their website), from my hotel.

The Park Inn receptionist was so helpful in arranging it all, calling the Company, getting the itineraries for my two trips and even negotiating with them to drop me off at a different point rather than return to the hotel. The sea trip Co I used was great.

For my first trip costing around £23 I was picked up from the hotel lobby exactly on time in a comfortable clean and modern large minibus that had several other passengers already collected from their hotels.

We were driven the 30 mins from Muscat, over the city mountain ridge (amazing mountain and sea views on the way), past the beautiful Omani Parliament building near the coast and into the large Marina Bandar Al Rowdha.

We disembarked and waited at the offices of the company here along with several other minibuses that had arrived for various sea trips. The promenade nearby overlooks the grand yachts and speedboats moored alongside and we were then divided into which tour we were going on and escorted to the boat.

I was doing the dolphin watching trip so we had a fast, large and very modern boat to get onto and we immediately set out to sea through the harbour gateway.

Race with the dolphins

The boat sped up the coast and we were immediately greeted by the huge coastal backdrop of the mountains. Various shades of brown glistered off their slopes and the high sun, cooling breeze (we were going at a fast pace) and sea of crystal blue was exhilarating. I was enjoying the speed and sights and we hadn’t even seen the dolphins yet!

We approached several other boats out to sea – some larger, some smaller and the captains were communicating to each other rapidly about where the dolphin shoals were.

Then suddenly a shout went up from a passenger who had immediately seen a dolphin and the boats roared into action towards the now large shoal skimming along the water and leaping into to air as we approached. The boats kept a safe distance between them and did not get too near the dolphins either but they were clear to see.

Dozens of them skimming the water, then suddenly they disappeared.

The boats stopped and lookouts scanned the horizon and immediately another radio blast of chatter indicated they had reappeared to the left-hand side and off we charged again.

The boat’s speed was amazing and now we raced to the side of the dolphins – not getting in their way as they again leapt and skimmed along the water. Everyone madly taking pics in the seconds they leapt out in time. I was not quick enough but got a few shots as they disappeared and re-emerged sporadically.

Then quiet again. Half the fun was everyone on all boats looking out to catch a new viewing of them and then the chase recommenced and the kiddies on my boat were squealing in laughter as we raced then stopped and then raced again trying to keep pace with the dolphins who could easily out pace and manoeuvre any of the boats.

The dolphins seemed to enjoy this as often they headed towards us and ran alongside the boat rather than us chasing them.

Coastal sea forts

We did this for a while and it wasn’t until about 30 mins later that I looked up to the horizon where we had come from and realised that we were now several miles out to sea and had moved so far along the coast that a small town was visible on the shore.

The time spent watching was quite exhausting and we had all had our fill of dolphin watching so the boats decided to return nearer the shore. I also think that the captains had decided we had gone as far as we should away from the coast and it was time to return.

The boat carried on further along the coast and we passed several small inlets with small fort like structures on them, amazingly almost hanging from the cliffs but so picturesque and unusual.

We saw small fishing boats hauling up what seemed to be crab or mussel pots and waves crashing against the rocky cliffs that tumbled down into the sea. I was mesmerised as I had never been so up close to this type of scenery before – ok, so I’m easily pleased – and I was internally nervous and excited at the views.

The boat had a huge ice box full of various cold soft drinks and water and we were invited to take anything we wanted as often as we liked so rehydration was easily achieved. The cruise back was at a more steady pace so we could see the shoreline and the numerous rock formations, small fortified settlements, forts etc so the trip was a scenic one as well as just a dolphin watching one.

Arriving back at the Marina, the big airconditioned modern mini-bus was waiting for us and we re-boarded and were ready to be sped back to our respective hotels.

Great day out for several hours, cheap for what I felt was a unique experience (I’ve never seen dolphins before) and well worth it for the professionalism, punctuality and high quality of the buses, boats and staff.

If you get the chance, book with this company in advance, I absolutely loved it.

What to see in Mutrah.

This company was great as they were happy to accommodate my request to be dropped off in Mutrah on the way back rather than my hotel as I still had an afternoon free and I was wanting to see this town/suburb. They dropped me right on the Corniche in Mutrah opposite the Souk (where I said I was heading), so a perfect location drop-off.

Mutrah is officially part of Muscat but because a mountain range separates it from the rest of the city it feels more like a different town. I had wanted to walk the sea promenade – Corniche – as it has scenic views out to sea and has various sculptures along the way, leading to a famous Frankincense dispenser styled monument.

I had seen the monument up close from the sea earlier so did not need to walk the full length of the Corniche for that. Instead I enjoyed the breeze off the sea, the sunny weather and sights of the sculpture and golden doomed shelters on the way. The Corniche also looks towards the harbour and also inwards at certain points to the town so the landscape is varied and enticing.

On my walk, I spied my next stop-off – the famous Blue Mosque, named because of it bright blue minaret. I headed towards it and could only get exterior pics as it was closed on arrival but the fame it has is of the outside decoration and colours, so I was not disappointed.

Mutrah Souk in Muscat, Oman.

Just further along was the Souk, an indoor bazaar of traditional craftworks, spices , clothing and tourist goods. I was fully prepared for the constant haggling and approaches from stall holders to buy, as on my previous recent trip to Marrakesh in Morocco,( see review here), I had experienced this in a bad way.

This Souk was totally different. There was no jostling for my attention or over the top attempts to sell me tacky trinkets. Stall holders were happy for me to just browse without interference and the peace actually tempted me to want to buy.

It was a great experience as I also saw few tourists, as most shoppers were local. The coloured glass ceiling of the central wooden atrium was astounding and the flagstoned flooring and wooden carved beams gave it a traditional feel.

I wandered for an hour, bought some nuts as a snack and generally enjoyed the browsing. At the end I wandered the town streets a bit more but the Souk was clearly the best place to be and after a while decided it was time to get back to the hotel.

I saw a road side café that was adorned with plants, wooden benches and a water feature and it attracted me in for coffee and a snack. There were a few other tourists here but again mainly locals and workers so I felt comfortable.

I asked the owner where I could get a taxi back into Muscat and he showed me the taxi rank across the way and at the end of my time there politely called a taxi across and explained to the driver where my hotel was and off I went.

The negotiated price of the taxi was actually a lot less than expected for the 25 mins drive it took and thus encouraged me on the integrity of the Omani people, who, at every turn, have all been friendly and helpful.

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muscat Oman.

Next day I had arranged with the hotel for a taxi to take me to one of the most spectacular mosques in the world. Taxi because there are no buses to the mosque and it is not on a walking route from my hotel anyhow. Taxis are not expensive so even though I rarely use them, this was the only option for this part of my visit.

Also, the taxi guy had arranged to drop me off and would return at my selected time to pick me back up as I had arranged another sea trip for the afternoon that he knew about. Again, the hotel booked taxi arrived on time, helped me get through the crowds to the entry point and was ready to pick me up when I came out.

He was so good I booked him to take me back to the airport a few days away and yet again it arrived exactly on time …. See why I love this place so much!

The Mosque is enormous, see official website here and despite its classic Arabic style was only finished in 2001 in celebration of the Sultan of Oman’s 30 years of reign.

Before we begin, let’s just look at a few statistics here as these will give you an impression of the scale of the massive site.

A.) It can effectively hold 20,000 worshippers, including the outside overflow area.

B.) It has a chandelier so big it has its own small staircase inside it for maintenance and weighs 8.5 tonnes. It has 600,000 crystals, 1,122 halogen bulbs, complete with dimming system and in its day was the biggest chandelier in the world..

C.) The carpet took over 4 years to make in Iran, weighs 21 tonnes, covers an area of 4,200 square metres and has 28 different colours in it.

Ok, stats lesson over, but this does not give an idea of the beauty of the edifice.

The intricate carved stonework and arches, the marbles clad walls, the colourful ceilings and geometric patterns and the wonderful out buildings all combine to make this one of the most impressive Mosques I have ever seen.

A feature for me that inspired was that the ablutions area had walls and arches that were each decorated in all the styles of Arabic tile and mosaic possible. It was fascinating to see the various styles and names displayed as you walked around that area.

There are vantage points, up long steps, from where you can see the main building from higher ground and also to see out across the beautiful gardens. For me, this Mosque needed more time than any other I had, or would in future visit.

The grounds are stunning and enormous and despite being there for nearly two hours, I just did not get to see it all.

The heat of near 95 degrees prevented me from being in open sun for too long and my next visit will include more of the gardens and out buildings than I was able to encompass on this visit.

It is lit up at night and when I first arrived in Muscat at night, my taxi driver kindly pulled over and explained a bit about the Mosque when I asked him about the stunningly lit up building we were passing.

Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the mosque every day, except Friday, from 8:30 – 11:00 am, but do check the Mosque’s website for any info. (Click here). Dress appropriately however- men avoid shorts n vests and women must wear head/arm coverings and long dresses. Coverings are available for both sexes at the entrance if you need them.

Coastal boat trip with sundowner in Muscat.

After my morning visit, I was whisked back to the hotel for my second pre-booked sea trip. This time it was to explore the coastline, see forts from the sea, pass by the Sultan’s Palace, sea various coastal sculptures and features and finally end at the port area of the city – Mutrah. Then, before returning back, stopping off mid-sea to watch the sun go down, in all its shimmering glory over the mountainous backdrop of Muscat.

As before, I was collected on time in the now familiar modern, clean, air conditioned mini bus of the tour company I had used before. See here for info. We arrived as before back at the same marina and professionally escorted to our ship for the journey.

This was to be on a traditional Dhow, an ocean-going ship used over the centuries for trade. This one had an engine however but still looked like the original thing.

The boat was two decked, enormously spacious, and comfortably set up with a big communal padded seating in the middle of the top deck that you could even lie out in the sun under a huge canopy. All along all sides were banks of seating to sit and look out to sea from.

Again, a free cold drinks chest was available to keep you cool and the rear area had a third level, higher big viewing platform. I loved this area best to get the best views but loved sprawling out on the padded deck area for rest also.

The boat was not overcrowded and with just the right number of people – I heard so many different languages on board that it was a UN of travellers of all world nations!

We set out through the harbour and this time kept close to the rocky coast to see the forts up close that hugged the cliffs. Famous Portuguese forts, Arabic defences and inlets with fortified walls and lookout posts came into view at several points, all being announced out for reference as we approached them.

Although I had seen some of these on my dolphin trip the previous day, this time we got up close to them and this gave a better opportunity for photo shots and to really see the structures better.

We even got as close as we are legally allowed to the Sultan’s mountainside/shoreline Palace and could see the brightly coloured main building and out-buildings and the moored boats nearby. It was certainly in a protected and defensive location up an inlet and opposite a defensive, fort strewn island. We saw the famous sculpture of the frankincense structure and the coastal road area.

The trip again had a beautifully cooling sea breeze and the protection under the ship’s awnings when relaxing and looking out to sea made it a wonderous trip. We spent time just admiring the mountainous landscape as a backdrop to the sea and saw the big container ships passing by in the distance.

I kept thinking that Iran, which I have always wanted to visit but so far proves to be difficult to get to, was just over the horizon.

The boat arrived at Mutrah harbour and we entered the outer area to get a wonderful view of the town’s corniche and outlying buildings, saw the many mega yachts and ships moored nearby and again the forts and mountains that the town is built into.

We all wondered who owned the huge mega yacht (or was it a small cruise ship) moored on the opposite side of the harbour. We were told it belonged to the Sultan of Oman and shortly we would be seeing his newer bigger one a bit further along!

That is what I call a mega yacht!

See the sun set over the backdrop mountains of Muscat.

We turned around and I noticed the sun was getting low and it was announced that we would head a little out to sea, stop for 30 mins and watch the glowing big orange sun as it dipped down over the mountain area that effectively forms the barriers between Mutrah and Muscat. A sundowner but without the alcohol!

I actually videoed the final part of the sun going down but also took pics as the giant orb glowed even more intensely as it dipped behind the mountain and the sky gently darkened in its aftermath.

Stunning to experience and now to share and again an unforgettable moment in my trip to Oman. The boat then turned and headed back to port as everyone now seated themselves, chatted and just relaxed for the next 30 mins on the way back.

That’s my review of Muscat complete and what a trip it was. If you like what you’ve seen here then I can’t recommend Muscat enough.

If you can’t do it in one trip then tag it on as a stopover or part of a combined visit to other places nearby. Dubai and other Gulf states have numerous daily flights to Muscat for a quick break if visiting those nations.

Alternatively Muscat is often a stopover if you are flying to India or Asia and Oman Air has some very reasonable prices for connecting flights.

Hope you get here one day and enjoy it as much as I did!

March 2017.