We took a short hop flight from Dubai to Muscat. We decided to fly instead of taking a bus because we were worried about crossing the border (the guidebook led us to believe there could be long delays). However, this might not have been necessary, as several people we met told us this is not a problem. The flight we took was a Swissair flight - originating in Switzerland, but going on to connect Dubai and Muscat. It was very cheap (<$100 US).

Arriving in Muscat, the airport is very comfortable, and we were able to get money out and get into a cab easily. It turns out that despite clear directions, our cab driver took us to the wrong hotel, and when he finally took us to the right hotel, he tried to increase the rate. With a little resistance, we did win. At the time, we thought he was trying to rip us off, but given how well the rest of the trip went, it might have been a genuine misunderstanding.

Unlike Dubai, we found taxis in Oman to be relatively expensive.

Our hotel, the Marina Hotel, was in fantastic location overlooking the port and minutes away from the market, but the room was not very clean. In addition, starting at around 8pm, there is a loud disco going on till 2 or 3 in the morning. We were on the third story, and it was still fairly loud. The disco itself was a pretty slimy affair - rows of local men watching scantily clad women prance around on stage, looking very bored.

The one very good thing about the hotel was the rooftop restaurant. Alcohol was very expensive, but the view was fabulous and the food was good.

We headed straight out to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which is open to non-Muslims very limited hours. The mosque was beautiful - one of the most beautiful mosques we’ve ever seen. Although the exterior is rather austere, once you get inside, the carvings, the chandelier (more...)

We took a walk from Muttrah to Old Muscat. It took about an hour to walk along the Corniche to Old Muscat, and it was a very pleasant walk along the seaside. We walked past the dancing fountains near Al Riyam Park (impressive!) and past the huge incense burner, but were a little too tired to climb up to the top.

In Old Muscat, we saw the Sultan’s Palace. From the back, there is a very nice view of the sea and the city itself. We stumbled, lost, onto the front of the palace (you have to go around, as the palace itself is not open to visitors).

There are several museums and other sights of less interest to us, but we passed on these and headed back to the hotel.

The souk, about a 5 minute walk from where we were staying, has a lot of good handicrafts for sale, frankincense, myrrh, and all sorts of other tourist souvenirs. Prices were reasonable, but seemed to suddenly inflate as soon as a cruise boat disembarked. At quieter times however, a good deal could be struck - haggling is not intense..

There is also a gold souk in Muttrah, but it was closed when we went.

Our tours in Oman were arranged by Sunny Day Tours, Travels and Adventure, which is a company we found buried in the back of the Lonely Planet. Our guide was fantastic, his name was Qais Al Maashari. He has fantastic English, very friendly, very professional, and was always exactly on time to pick us up.

The first tour we did with them was to Jebel (more...)

On the way back from Jebel Shams, we stopped at Al Hamra and the village of Misfat Al Abryeen. This is a traditional village “where time has stood still” (it is the oldest village in Oman). We went for a short hike to look at some of the irrigation systems traditionally used in the village (basically a stone channel full of water from which the fields are irrigated). There were lots of great photo opportunities, and the people in the village were very welcoming.

We then headed back to Muscat.

The next day we took a tour to Wadi Shab. Wadi Shab is another top tourist draw for Oman. It is basically a canyon with an oasis in the middle, and with a hiking path through it. The route to get there was not easy. At first it started easy, along a modern highway.