PREPARING FOR A VISIT TO OMAN

If you are considering a visit to Oman there are a number of things to consider. But rest assured Oman is a very easy place to visit, it is safe and friendly, driving is easy and there is more & more information to help you prepare. On this page, we have tried to condense all the relevant information to assist the visiting birder.

Depending on where you are travelling from you may need a visa to enter Oman (although not for trips of less than 14 days). You can purchase a single entry tourist visa which covers you for up to 28 days (type 26B). Cost is Omani Rial (OR) 20 and you get it from the Royal Oman Police e-visa website .The telephone number if you need to call them is +968 228 48200 .Their office hours are 07.00-21.00 (+4 GMT) From approval, you must enter Oman within 28 days, so don’t apply until there is less than 28 days before you travel, as the approval usually comes quickly (sometimes the same day). You must also have at least six months remaining on your passport to enter Oman.

There are a variety of airlines flying into Muscat and Salalah.
Oman Air - www.omanair.com
Lufthansa - www.lufthansa.com
KLM - www.klm.co.uk
Etihad - www.etihad.com
Qatar Airways - www.qatarairways.com

Driving in Oman is generally very easy on good roads with little traffic. Muscat and Salalah are busier, and driving in the dark through the desert requires added concentration because the roads are so straight it is hard to work out just how far away oncoming vehicles are when you need to overtake a slow lorry! Fuel is cheap, approximately 50p per litre (OR0.24 per litre, same price everywhere).

It's a good idea to get an Omani SIM at the airport on arrival, or even better you can get an eSIM before travelling from a provider such as Airalo (get their App from the Apple App Store or Google Store) and select your Oman SIM - use code NICK2200 to get USD $3.00 off your purchase. It's a very easy process to install an eSIM and on the app there's a walkthrough video.

One final thing on travel – speed bumps! You will probably learn the hard way, but most villages, towns and cities have speed bumps, some of which are marked, but many are not. Some are obvious, but many are not. You have been warned….

There are all the usual international car rental companies at both Muscat Airport & Salalah Airport. here are a few links to their websites to get you started:

ENTERPRISE - www.enterprise.com
AVIS - www.avis.com
SIXT - www.sixt.com
EUROPCAR - www.europcar.com
BUDGET - www.budget.com
DOLLAR - www.dollar.com
HERTZ - www.hertz.com
And you can also try RENTALCARS - www.rentalcars.com

Don't forget to get your rental car cleaned before returning it.

Whilst many places in Oman accept credit cards, some hotels and many local cafes and restaurants only deal in cash. So plan well in advance and take enough cash to cover accommodation that deals in cash only, plus enough for the local cafes etc. Take a credit card that you can use to withdraw cash whilst you are in Oman (this is fairly easy to do but can take time to locate an ATM).

The currency used in Oman is the Omani Rial.
The exchange rate is around: 1 OMR = 2.11 Sterling pound

Coming soon...

Some accommodation provides breakfast, but many are room only. The problem with having breakfast provided is that generally you want to get out birding first thing when the temperatures are lower. Asking if your accommodation can provide a take-away breakfast is a good idea. In general it is advised to eat out at fairly low cost, local cafes – plastic chairs on the street type places. They are usually good and provide a decent selection of basic dishes that are all very edible and filling. There are some really good restaurants, as you'd expect in Muscat, Nizwa & Salalah (try the Lebanese restaurants!) but once you're heading inland from Muscat towards Barr al Hickman there isn't anything apart from small cafes at gas stations. Mahout has several restaurants and you'll get in the groove of eating biryani, curry, breads, dhal, salad etc. But pizzas are on offer, although what you oder and what you are confronted with on your plate bear no resemblance. Who wants their Hawaiian pizza covered in olives? Haima has some really nice restaurants, Thumrayt has a growing coffee culture and some fast-food joints so you can get your fix of burgers etc... So there's something for everyone and you won't starve!

Alcohol is ONLY available in Oman at 4-star and above hotels, so if you would like a beer at night of a glass of wine please buy it from duty free at the airport on arrival. In most places that we stay we have access to a small fridge, so cooling water there and then putting as much as possible in insulated flasks meant we had cold water for most of the day. We also take along a travel kettle and fill insulated flasks to have tea and coffee throughout the day.

Most of the time it's advisable to have breakfast and lunch in the field. We bring melamine cups and plates and bowls and some cutlery from home with us and bought bread, food, coffee, tea and drinks in supermarkets. There are large supermarkets like Carrefour and Lulu's with everything you need.
Most hotels also have kettles so it is easy to take hot water with you in the field for coffee and tea.

So to recap, the food is ok and consists of Arabian and Indian food, vegetarian, with meat, chicken or fish. You can even get dairy-free products in supermarkets.

Most people speak (some) English

Oman is considered to be a very safe country to travel around. The Omani people very friendly and helpful and crime is unusual.

Usually wall to wall sunshine every day! Temperatures are generally in the mid 30s, up to 38 in the desert during November. It's quite humid along the coast at Salalah and in Muscat. Heading inland it's a dry heat so you'll need to wear suncream and stay covered up! If you come in the early part of the year, temperatures drop quite considerably and it is very pleasant.

Checkout the MetOffice's website for up-to-date weather info in Oman - Oman Weather Info

We have compiled a list of reference materials, books and identification articles here - Birding resources

Sooty Falcon - Al Fahal Island

Omani Owl - Wadi Muayadin

Arabian Eagle Owl - Ayn Razat

Arabian Scops Owl - Wadi Darbat

Desert Owl - Wadi Mughsayl Cliffs

Forbes Watson's Swift - east of Taqah

Plain Leaf Warbler - Wadi Muayadin

Arabian Golden Grosbeak - rear of Wadi Darbat

Arabian Partridge - many sites around Salalah

Grey Hypocolius - Mudday

Hume's Wheatear - Wadi Muaydin

Persian Wheatear - Nakhl Wadi

Arabian Wheatear - Jamal Samoan

Yemen Serin - Tawi Atayr

Al Baleed Archaeological Site (Salalah) 17.010275, 54.138720

Al Balid Farms 18.400326, 53.935717

Al Ghaftayn 19.610583, 55.517250

Al Ghubrah Bowl (4WD essential) 23.277428, 57.701282

Al Mughsayl / Wadi Ashawq (4WD essential for wadi) 16.881558, 53.782006

Al Sawadi 23.782597, 57.789838

As Saadah Park (Salalah) 17.076400, 54.150528

Tawi Atayr 17.118900, 54.557962

Ayn Hamran 17.097327, 54.281278

Ayn Razat 17.129468, 54.237164

Ayn Tobruk / Ayn Athum junction 17.090071, 54.332996

Barr Al Hikman East (4WD essential) 20°33'23.5"N 58°33'42.0"E

- East coast 20.679559, 58.629926

- Filim 20°36'37.8"N 58°11'23.3"E

- Shannah (south)

East Khawr 17.011819, 54.177441

Hilf (Masirah) 20.629300, 58.866048

Jabal Samhan 17.107944, 54.698296

Khawr Raysut / beach 16.956250,53.996630

Mirbat Port (for pelagic) 16.986687, 54.686148

Mudayy 17.477074, 53.352348

Muntasar (4WD essential) 19.453700, 54.620500

Qatbit Gardens 19.177067, 54.503017

Qurum Natural Park 23.618679, 58.492566

Raysut settling pools 16.996284, 53.937298

Salalah Public Park 17.012833, 54.072850

Sayq Plateau (4WD essential)

Shisr Farms (4WD essential) 18.237858, 53.649815

Sur Masirah 20.426538, 58.719929

Taqah Cliffs 17.032432, 54.410313

Khor Taqah / Taqah beach west end 17.034730, 54.371035

Wadi Darbat 17.117670, 54.456339

Wadi Kheesh 17.114143, 54.267108