34 Best Sights in Oman

Al Bustan Beach

Fodor's choice

Tucked behind the small village of Al Bustan, this beach shares the same stretch of sand as the opulent Ritz-Carlton Al Bustan Palace Hotel. After a short stroll through the cobblestone alleys of the village past groups of old Oman women sitting and chatting together in the shade, steps will lead you directly onto the beach, where fishermen will look up from their nets to eye you, and children will likely be playing football. Move beyond the makeshift football field towards the hotel grounds. Just before the private section beach, at the base of towering rock formations, you can lay out your towels and coolers and spend the day swimming and taking in the happy sounds of the buzzing strand. In the village is a small barbecue restaurant and tea shop, but there are no formal facilities at this lovely beach. Amenities: parking (free). Best for: sunrise; sunset.

Bait al Safah

Fodor's choice

Nestled in the mountain village of Al Hamra, about 30 minutes from Nizwa, you will find a fantastic living museum built in a 400-year-old restored Omani mud house, where local men and women spend the day performing daily tasks as they would have been done in ancient times, from squeezing dates into date syrup and refreshing lime-date juice, to using stones to crack wheat, mixing perfume oils, and stitching traditional fabrics. As in any good Omani home, coffee and dates are always available and offered to visitors. Open hours can be somewhat erratic, so it's important to call the director and confirm before heading to the village.

Bait Al Zubair

Fodor's choice

One of the best museums in Oman, Bait al Zubair was formerly the home of the Zubair family, as the name would suggest. It houses a fascinating collection of traditional Omani weaponry, jewelry, and costumes, as well as contemporary Omani artwork. There is a hall for special collections, which change regularly, and outside there is a tiny replica of Muscat, complete with a falaj (irrigation system) and wadi (dry riverbed). The gift shop has a nice coffee shop and a seating area to relax in after strolling through the museum halls.

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Capital Area Yacht Club Beach

Fodor's choice

For a small price you are granted access to the quiet, clean beach at the Capital Yacht Club in Sidab, about 25 minutes from most hotels in Muscat. You'll find picnic tables, lounge chairs, and umbrellas already set up, and you are welcome to bring your own food and drinks. There is often a snack shop set up on the beach offering fresh juices, water, and light snacks. The beach itself is tucked between towering rock mountains, with crystal clear, warm water that is perfect for swimming and snorkling. This is one of the best options in Oman, and it comes totally stress-free. Just remember to bring a towel, as they are not provided. Amenities: food and drink; parking (included with entrance fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming.

Jibreen (Jabrin) Castle

Fodor's choice

Built on a flat plain 30 minutes from Nizwa, the 300-year-old castle has 55 rooms spread over five floors. It's considered the most beautiful historic castle in Oman thanks to intact details, which include elaborately painted ceilings, a burial chamber with intricately carved walls, a wooden latticed-windowed courtyard, an elaborate stairwell, Islamic inscriptions and frescoes decorating the rooms, and traditional hand-carved doors. Two particularly interesting spaces are the two ancient meeting rooms of the Imam. The light-filled Sun Room has 14 windows—seven set high near the ceiling and seven lower near the floor—a clever architectural detail that ensured the room was cool year round, as the cold air enters from the lower windows and pushes the warm air from the top windows. The Moon room, on the other hand, was designed for meetings with new or untrustworthy guests, built with four interconnecting secret hideouts under the floor where the Imam's soldiers would wait to ensure his safety.

Misfat Al Abriyeen

Fodor's choice

Just under an hour from Nizwa, the ancient—but still inhabited—mountain village of Misfat al Abriyeen is an amazing place for a short hike. A map of the historical section of Misfat al Abriyeen, along with information on points of interests and rules of courtesy for visiting tourists, is posted. The old houses, which are still in use, are traditional mud houses with palm roofs and are unique in that they are built on solid rock foundations. The inhabitants are mostly farmers, who grow bananas, pomegranates, papayas, mangoes, citrus, and most of all, the famous Omani dates. Walking paths are marked with yellow, green, and red flags, and visitors are expected to stick to the official paths to avoid trespassing on a resident's property. There are amazing vantage points for photography, but as in the rest of the country, you should ask before photographing people.

Mutrah Corniche

Mutrah Fodor's choice

One of the few places to walk in Muscat, the beautiful corniche runs along the sea from the top of the hill overlooking old Muscat, across from the incense burner monument at Al Riyam Park, to the fish market and shipping port just past the famous Mutrah Souq. Along the route, there are plenty of photo ops of the iconic waterfront buildings of Old Muscat, including the beautiful old blue-domed Shia mosque. Each evening, as the weather cools, the sidewalk fills with locals and expats enjoying a stroll. It is a great place to head to around sunset.

Sur Corniche

Fodor's choice

The Sur corniche is a 4-km (2½-mile) oceanfront walkway around the oldest part of the city. Along the main stretch that runs along the sea, you can take in views of the beautiful wooden dhow in the harbor and the ancient watchtower across the bay in the village of Al Ayjah, while the inlet side offers views of the mosque-dominated skyline of the newer part of the city across the water. Along the route is a stretch of sandy beach, the dhow factory, and the maritime museum. It is the perfect place to walk in the evening, just before sunset when the weather is cool and the light is starting to wane. At night, it is a favorite hangout of local residents, who set up their folding chairs, little barbecue grills, and sheesha pipes along the road.

Wahiba Sands Desert

Fodor's choice

About 3½ hours from Muscat, the Wahiba Sands is a gorgeous sea of sand dunes whose only inhabitants are Bedouin tribes, who still maintain a semi-nomadic lifestyle. It is one of the most popular destinations for domestic tourism. Dune-bashing—driving over the mountains of sand in modified four-wheel-drive vehicles—is a favorite activity for locals, who happily queue to race up the hills, a tricky task that takes practice so as to not get stuck in the drifts. Desert crossings are done in convoys of 4x4s that crawl through miles of dunes over a period a days, camping along the way; it's another popular pastime in the winter, when the weather is mild. The Bedouin who live there are friendly and open to sharing their culture. Women set up tents near the beginning of the dunes, where they sell their traditional woven handicrafts. Their vibrantly colored dresses and curvaceous black face-masks are beautiful. The men will often visit camps in the deep desert to share a meal or a drink, or simply to meet visitors camping in their desert. From mid-October through April there are camel races as well. In season, numerous desert camps are set up to enable visitors to get a taste of desert life. If you haven't already arranged a tour from Muscat, many of the desert camps will pick up day-trippers without their own 4x4s from the town of Bidiyah for a fee.

Al Qurum Natural Park

Qurm

The largest park in Oman, Qurum Natural Park is a lush, green oasis that provides a cool refuge even from the summer heat thanks to its tall shade trees and large lake. The park's 400 acres offer ample space to wander, with rose gardens, dancing fountains, a boating lake, playgrounds, picnic areas, and even a small amusement park that opens daily after 4:30 pm. Small coffee shops and restaurants are open all day, and there are restroom facilities throughout the park, making it a great place to spend an afternoon and evening. It is most popular in the late afternoons and into the night, when the weather is cool and the fountains are lit. In addition to families and children playing, as the night falls many couples, strolling hand-in-hand, join the lively scene.

Atheiba Beach

This large public beach is a great place to take a jog, have a picnic or swim and is popular with families during the day. There are Jet Ski rentals and kite-surfing lessons available from small shops at either end of the beach as well. At night, it is a favorite spot for young Omanis and expats to barbecue. Locals either park in the large lot and lug their gear onto a prime patch of sand, or those with SUVs drive directly onto the beach, where woven plastic mats (available at any of the hypermarkets) and grills are set up. On the weekends the night air is filled with the smell of grilling and the sounds of music and people laughing. It is an especially nice place for a midnight swim. There are sometimes grillers serving barbecue called mishkak from the main parking lot, but it is best to bring your own provisions. Amenities: parking (free); toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Bahla City Walls

Just over a half hour from Nizwa, the ancient city of Bahla has several interesting historic sites to see and folklore to explore, beginning with the 13-km-long (8-mile), 132-watchtower-lined wall surrounding the town. The wall's murky history has given rise to many legends, including one that states the wall was built in one night by jinn (ghosts) and another other purporting that it was built entirely by women of the town. A more likely explanation is that the Banu Nebhan built the walls to protect the oasis, which served as their capital for more than 300 years, from the 12th through 15th centuries.

Bahla Fort

The town of Bahla, 35 minutes from Nizwa, is brimming with historic and cultural sights, but it is most famous for its fort, one of the oldest in Oman. Built by the Banu Hebhan tribe in the 13th century, the fort is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Banu Nebhan, who ruled during the medieval Islamic period, built the fort adjacent to the Friday mosque, and its falaj irrigation system has remained surprisingly well intact, but damage from flooding rains and threats of modernization landed it on the Heritage "in danger" list in the late 1980s, prompting preservation efforts. There is not much in the way of documentation at the fort, so you may want to learn about the style of construction by visiting the restored fort in Nizwa before you head to Bahla. Once inside, the building is a total labyrinth, with plenty of hidden details and rooms to explore, but take care to keep going in one direction to avoid getting lost.

Bait Al Baranda

Mutrah

This small history museum in the historic Mutrah neighborhood displays a few peices of contemporary art on the first floor, while upstairs are interactive dioramas depicting the history of Oman from ancient times of shifting tectonic plates to the frankincense trade routes to the history of Islam in the Sultanate, and a breakdown of the history of the current Al Busaid dynasty. Exploring the entire museum will take less than an hour, so it is a great place for a quick history lesson to better appreciate the context of Oman as a destination. The museum also has a nice café and shop.

Barka Halwa Factory

Oman is famous for its Halwa, a confection made from sugar, butter, saffron, and cornstarch. The Oman Halwa Factory in the town of Barka, about 40 minutes from Muscat, has been making the signature sweet for 50 years and is the supplier of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. They usually don't let visitors inside the factory itself, but you can sample the various flavors of halwa that they make and buy some to take home.

Bilad Fort

One of Oman's many restored forts, this 200-year-old fortress is not as impressive some of the others, including the mammoth Nizwa fort. This one was built to protect the city from inland attack, so there are some great views of Sur from its high walls. The locals who look after the fort are quite friendly and will invite you to sit with them and enjoy Omani dates and coffee.

Bimmah Sinkhole

An hour north of Sur, the aptly named Hawiyat Najm Park (Falling Star Park) is home to a 40 meter-wide sinkhole that, as legend has it, was created when a falling star struck the earth, creating an underground passage to the adjacent sea. Scientist have since spoiled the story, confirming that the natural wonder was caused by the shifting of tectonic plates and erosion, but the vibrant turquoise waters that await those who climb the long staircase down into the hole are pretty magical no matter how they came to be. The waters are filled with small fish that give natural pedicures, gently nibbling on toes and feet. The park is located an hour north of Sur, almost exactly midway to Muscat, and it is easily accessible from the highway with plently of parking and restrooms. The friendly guide who lives on-site is a wealth of information, and he will likely invite you to sit and have an Omani coffee and dates with him.

Dhow Building Yard

As the last remaining dhow-building factory in a city famous for its carved wooden trading vessels, this workshop is well worth a visit. Nowdays the ships are mostly purchased by rich boating enthusiasts from other GCC countries as pieces of art rather than for maritime commerce. The laborers start cutting thick planks and stretching them across wooden frames around dawn; they typically take a break for the afternoon and continue their work in the early evening. The shop is open to the public, and there is a small visitor center with information on the history of dhow-making in Sur, as well as small replicas and other woodwork for sale.

Muscat Gate Museum

On the coastal road between the old Mutrah neighborhood and the old city of Muscat, there is a large archway that houses the Muscat Gate. The small museum here displays photographs and information on the history of this once-walled city, whose gates were once locked before sundown every night—supposedly as a safety precaution, but also as a way to impose a strict curfew during the Portuguese occupation. The three main gates—the Mathaib Gate, Al Bab Al Saghir (the little door), and Al Bab Al Kabir (the big door)—still stand. The museum is a great place to learn their histories before hiking down to see them. The staff at the hotel are helpful and informative, and even if you aren't interested in the historic gates, the structure itself offers one of the best vantage points for taking photographs of the old towns.

Natural History Museum

Al Khuwair

One of the most popular of Muscat's museums, the Natural History Museum is divided into four sections. Diverse Physical Features is a collection of aerial photographs and exhibits that show the vast geographic diversity found in the Sultanate, from mountains to desert to sea. Through the Geological Ages has 260-million-year-old tree fossils from Al Huquf, 270-million-year-old coral reefs from Wadi Aasahtan in Rustaq, and the teeth of prehistoric animals. The Varied Wildlife section houses taxidermied displays like a caracal lynx shown pouncing on a bird, the Arabian Oryx, Arabian Tahr, local leopard, and all manner of birds from the coastal areas and wetlands. Finally, Creatures of the Sea has a Whale Hall with bones, skeletons, and skulls belonging to the different whale types, and other displays explaining the bountiful sea life found off the coast. Informative descriptions accompany each display, and the staff is helpful and friendly.

New Sur Corniche Beach

On the newer, northern side of Sur, between the Al Maha fuel station roundabout and the Sur Beach Holiday Hotel, there is stretch of white sandy beach, replete with gazebos and a well-lit walking path. A café provides toilets on the roundabout end of the stretch, and small juice and tea shops can be found on the hotel side for other refreshments. It is more popular for walking in the evenings than for swimming. Amenities: food and drink; parking (free). Best for: walking.

Nizwa Fort

The fort in Nizwa dates from the 17th century, during the Al Ya’rubi dynasty, and was built on top of the ruins of a 9th-century castle. The massive structure has been nicely restored, with many rooms set up to look as they did when the fort was in use; you'll see interesting historic tidbits offered in various displays in many rooms. Be sure to check out the prisoner room and read about the wartime use for the local dates, which were turned into a deadly weapon in the form of a cauldron of boiling date syrup. The views from the central tower are spectacular and worth the climb.

Oil and Gas Exhibition Centre and Planetarium

Qurm

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said opened the museum and plantarium as gifts to the nation for the 25th and 30th anniversary, respectively, of the reign. Both are wonderful, free exhibits that appeal to both locals and visitor. The museum explains the process of converting oil and gas to their usable state—from the underground formation of layers of organic matter deposited in oceans and lakes millions of years ago, to how they are brought to the surface, and then how they are processed—in a series of six interactive displays. The planetarium features a full-Dome digital system in which several projectors create spectacular panoramas of space, stars, galaxies, and comets with integrated lasers, videos, and sound. The shows are free but must be requested ahead of time and are not offered on Fridays and Saturdays. Stargazing events are also held monthly.

Old Sur Corniche Beach

Along the main corniche in Sur is a very active beach with shaded sitting areas, opposite where old dhows bob in the harbor, fishing boats pull up directly on the shore, and local teenagers play football in the sand. It is a wonderful beach for relaxing and people-watching. There are limited facilities on the beach, but you'll find many small coffee shops and restaurants on the other side of the road and at either end of the Corniche where you can buy refreshments and find toilets. This is a public beach in a conservative town, so dress modestly. Wraps and cover-ups are recommended. Amenities: food and drink; toilets; parking. Best for: sunset; sunrise; walking.

Omani French Museum

In a 170-year-old house, which was home to the French consulate in 1896, the Omani-French Museum is conveniently located in the historic old town of Muscat, just down the street from the Al Alam Palace. All the displays are bulit around the theme of the cultural connection between France and Oman, from traditional clothing and models to an entire hall dedicated to maritime history and navigation. It's rather a niche subject.

Qalhat Beach

Just off the 17 freeway at the exit for "Ancient Town of Qalhat," you'll find a strech of pristine, virtually empty beach with concrete shade huts built directly in the sand. It is a great place to bring a cooler so you can barbecue in one of the shaded huts, taking dips in the water to cool down and likely seeing only one other group on the entire beach. This privacy comes at the expense of convenience, as there are no restroom facilities or shops nearby, so bring your own provisions, and be prepared to rough it a bit. Amenities: parking. Best for: solitude.

Qurum Beach

Shatti Qurm

Located on the so-called "Love Street" this small beach remains relatively empty during the week but is bustling on the weekends and in the evenings, when young Omanis like to cruise the street showing off their cars and motorcycles. The water is calm and good for swimming, and often there are men offering Jet Ski rentals. On the short boardwalk along Shati Street you'll find two restaurants and two coffee shops with restrooms and free Wi-Fi, albeit with rather expensive food offerings for what you get. Expect to pay for the view and the convenience. After the sun sets, a mishkak stand appears in the parking lot at the far northern end of the beach serving skewers of barbecued beef and squid. Amenities: food and drink; parking (free); water sports. Best for: sunset; walking.

Ras Al Hadd Beach

About 40 minutes south of Sur are the sprawling, remote beaches of Ras Al Hadd. The surrounding town has almost nothing in the way of amenities aside from a coffee shop or two, which are closed during the day. The beach itself is massive and quiet, with one set of public toilets at the parking lot close to town but no other amenities. The water is crystal clear and great for swimming. This is one of the places in the area where you can see giant sea turtles at certain times of year, so take care not to step on nests if you are there in turtle season. It is a true escape from civilization for those looking to get off the grid; just be sure to bring your own snacks and drinks. Amenities: parking; toilets. Best for: solitude.

Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve

Few people have the chance to see sea turtles belly-up to shore to lay their eggs and bury them in the sand, and even fewer have the opportunity to see the eggs hatch and watch the young creatures struggle down the beach to the awaiting sea. Each evening around 9 (or very early in the morning, around 4 am) visitors are able to see this phenomenon for themselves at the turtle reserve in Ras Al Jinz, about an hour to the south of Sur. There is a small turtle museum on-site, as well as a small hotel, though it is easier and more comfortable to stay in Sur and come just for the guided turtle-watching tour. It is good to note that there is often a checkpoint set up between Sur and Ras Al Jinz. The young, friendly soldiers will check your passport, driver's license, and car insurance and send you on your way, so have these documents at the ready.

Riyam Park and Monument

Mutrah

On a hill overlooking the Mutrah corniche, Al Riyam park features lush gardens, a small children's amusement park (open every evening), a few coffee shops, a scattering of swing sets, and plenty of shaded areas to sit and picnic. Most notably, it is home to the Riyam Memorial, a gigantic incense burner that was built in honor of Oman's 20th National day. The burner lights up at night and is one of the most iconic structures in the capital. The views of the sea and the old city from the park are truly stunning.

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