One week itinerary in Oman

Before checking my one week itinerary in Oman, I’d suggest reading this article about things to know before planning a trip to Oman. It will give you basic info such as when to go, what’s the currency, the weather, the language, visas, culture, specialties etc…

Moving on to this itinerary !

Note : We will remain in the North of Oman, after landing at Muscat International Airport (MCT).

• Day One : Muscat (Sultan Taboos Grand Mosque, Al Alam palace, Al Jalali fort) and Bimmah sinkhole
• Day Two : Wadi Bani Khalid and night in the Wahiba Sands Desert
• Day Three : Birkat Al Mouz and Nizwa
• Day Four : Jabreen Castle, Al Hamra and Misfah Al Abriyyin
• Day Five : Jebel Shams and Wadi Nakhr
• Day 6 : Misfah Al Abriyyin and Muscat
• Day 7 : Daymaniyat Islands

Day One

For the first morning, I’d recommend starting with the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (as it is only open for visitors from 8 a.m to 11 a.m.

It is the largest mosque in Oman, and is home to the world’s second largest chandelier. The outside is really impressive, peaceful and with lots of flowers outside.

Next on the program is the Al Alam palace. you cannot visit it but can look from the gates and stroll around the gardens.

In the area, you’ll also see the Al Jalali fort which is a 16th century portuguese sea fort :

After a lunch break, I’d suggest going straight to Bimmah sinkhole. You can expect 1h30 for the drive from Muscat to the sinkhole, with a few camels along the way.

You can park at the entrance of the park, walk 5 minutes then you will see the sinkhole from above, it’s quite impressive ! You then have a set of stairs going down to the water. We didn’t swim in there as we didn’t have proper bathing clothes, but there are a lot of little fishies ready to give you a free pedicure !

Another option would be spending the afternoon at Wadi Shab. it is 1h45 from Muscat and we originally planned on going there but because the sun sets quite early (5-6 p.m) we wouldn’t have had the best sunlight. However, if you plan on going, there’s a boat ride that takes less than one minute, and they charge 1 OMR ($2.50 USD), which also includes the boat ride back when you’re done. 

The hike up takes about an hour, and is quite easy. You follow the stream up and from the start the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.

Day Two

For the second day, we decided to go to Wadi Bani Khalid. Absolutely worth it ! You have a 30 minutes hike, the beginning is really flat and you walk on some rocks and it’s little uphill. You can swim in the water pools (the water is really warm and clear). Don’t forget to bring appropriate bathing clothes that will cover you shoulders and knees, for women as well as for men.

Then we headed back to continue our trip to the Wahiba Sands desert for a night at Legend Desert Camp. You can check my article about this experience here.

Spending a full day and night in the Wahiba Sands desert is a must do when in Oman.

We arrived there a little bit before sunset, soaked in the sunset views and had a wonderful evening by the fire under the stars.

Day Three

For the third day, after a slow and calm morning in the desert, we went back on the road to visit Birkat Al Mouz, a small village in ruins listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site houses the ancient irrigation system of Falaj as well as two sets of ruins, large banana farm and picturesque surroundings. We booked a room for the night in a very cute and traditional inn called Bait AlSabah Heritage Inn & Cafe.

After a lunch break, we visited Nizwa which is not even 20 minutes away by car. A must do is to visit the 17th century Fort, it is the most famous in Oman. The entrance is 5 OMR per person (13€) and the tour is approximately one hour if you take the time to appreciate the views and architecture.

Then, right at the exit, you can enjoy a walk through the souq, maybe even bring back some pottery and spices.

Day Four

We started the day by visiting the Jabreen Castle. Built in 1675, it was an important learning centre for astrology, medicine and Islamic law. There’s a lot to see inside such as a room dedicated for dates storage, the painted ceilings, or even the beautiful courtyards :

We then went to Al Hamra where we booked a very nice Airbnb for two nights. It’s called Paradise Gate, and it truly is a little peace haven in the old village. The host even got us breakfast in the morning and always made sure we had everything we needed.

We wondered in the village which is one of the oldest in Oman, with traditional clay houses and a palm grove.

From there, you can visit Misfah Al Abriyyin which is a 13 minutes drive from Al Hamra.

It is a 500-year-old village on the slopes of the mountains. You can expect traditional mud houses, lots of stairs, mountains and plantation in terraces.

You’ll see at the entrance of the village a map with 3 different hikes. We decided to go east and follow the W9 path which is an old donkey trail.

This path takes you to the wadi (there was no water when we got there, but it is really for the views) in about 30-40 minutes and you will have wonderful views of the mountains and the canyon (you can continue onwards for hours, we did not has we walked there for the canyons views).

The trail makes you pass next to the falajs, plantations and palm fields, always overlooking the mountains.

Here are some of the landscapes you will come across :

After this hike, the sun disappeared behind the mountains and we decided to head back to rest before dinner.

Day Five

Alright so for day five, we planned to do a hike to see the views overlooking Jebel Shams.

Jebel Shams (meaning mountain of the sun) is the highest mountain in Oman, at 3009 meters.

We followed the drive alongside the Wadi Ghul to enjoy these views :

Once we got at the top, there’s a plateau to parked the car and some local vendors. In front of these sellers, there is a section with ramps to enjoy the astonishing view of the canyon.

Except the traditional souvenirs “shops” and the amazing viewpoint you won’t find much up there.

The balcony walk (part of W6) is the recommended walk for the canyon views, but it’s absolutely not for people with a fear of heights. As I’m really afraid of heights and the walk seemed very dangerous, we decided to go for the hike inside the canyon, to experience the view from down below.

To find the path, just put ” Wadi Nakhr”. If you have a 4WD, you can go all the way with your car, but it requires some great driving experience at some spots.

Otherwise, you can park your car at the beginning of the path and go all the way by foot, it is really easy, and flat almost all along (plus you will have better views and different angles to take pictures !).

The hike is 10km round trip. It is not a loop, you’ll have to go back, but the views, changing with the sunlight all day long, are worth it !

Here’s what you can expect along the hike :

We enjoyed the last minutes of sunlight along the walk and called it a day !

Day Six

Before taking the road to go back to Muscat, we had breakfast in our Airbnb then decided to do a last hike from Misfah Al Abriyyin.

We did the W9c walk (you will have marks all along the trail), it is around 20-30 minutes and it is a loop. You’ll start in the heart village, then cross the wadi and end up at the entrance of the village after walking to the other side of the mountain. You’ll go though palm trees, banana trees, falaj (old omani irrigation system), plantation in terraces. It is really a sight for sore eye !

After a pit stop for lunch, we drove to Muscat and spent the afternoon there.

We alreay saw a few places there when we arrived, so we took a walk along Qurum Beach. You are almost alone and can have fun looking at all the little seashells on the sand, watch the seagulls and enjoy the sunset.

For an evening stroll, we wandered in the Mutrah Souq to buy souvenirs such as spices, incence, cashmere scarf or even beautiful jewelry.

Then, taking the Mutrah corniche (the path alongside the seaside), we walked to the Mutrah Fort to see it by night.

Day Seven

For our final day, we ended up on a high note with a trip to the Daymaniyat islands (you can check my article about this experience here).

This excursion is an absolute must do when coming to Oman. We got to swim in crystal clear waters with green sea turtles, colorful fishes. The landscapes from the boat of the islands were as amazing as the seabed.

We booked with Daymaniat Shells, a great tourism company for this kind of excursion, I can only recommend it !

The trip started at 8 a.m and finished around 2 p.m, so after checking out of the hotel, we went to enjoy our final hours in the Mutrah Souq and on the corniche. We got a final sunset and a last awesome typical dinner before heading back to the airport.

Even though this trip has had a rocky start with our flight being delayed by a day in Istanbul, we got the most our time in Oman !

We were able to do everything we had originally planned except the Wadi Shab (for another time !).

We got to see so many diverse landscapes, between the desert, the islands, the canyon, the wadi, the mountains, the old traditional villages, the palm groves, the castles and forts…

Even more, the people were really friendly, helpful and welcoming, the food is really tasty, and the weather was perfect the whole stay.

If you are still hesitating to book a trip to Oman, don’t ! It will absolutely not disappoint. If you want, you can book my package for a personalized detailed itineray here.