Oman Travel Guide

Citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) may enter Oman without a visa and stay indefinitely. A single entry visa can be obtained upon arrival at any air, land or sea terminal by citizens of the following countries:

The currency in Muscat is the Omani rial, denoted by the symbol "ريال‎" (ISO currency code OMR). Wikivoyage uses "RO" to remote the currency. One rial is made up of one thousand baisa (also written baiza, Arabic: بيسة). The Omani rial is tied to the US dollar at 1 rial = US$2.6008 making it one of the largest units of currency in the world; exchange rates on the streets are a percentage point or two lower. The exchange rate to the neighboring country United Arab Emirates is also fixed at about 1 rial = 10 dirham.

By plane

Oman Air is the national carrier and flies regularly between the two airports in the country (Muscat/Seeb, and Salalah). Air Arabia offers flights to Salalah and Muscat from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Arabic is the national language, and there are three major dialects are spoken in Oman: Omani, Gulf and Dhofar Arabic. But most Omanis will speak good to excellent English, and particularly so in major tourist areas and cities. An English-speaking traveller should have no language difficulties.

Homosexuality is illegal in Oman. LGBT tourists should be self-aware. Driving in Muscat can sometimes be a problem, although this is due more to congestion than bad driving on the part of the locals. Outside of the major cities, a common driving risk is falling asleep at the wheel due to the long stretches of featureless desert. Driving in Oman calls for attention to the unexpected. It has 85.3 road fatalities per 100,000 motor vehicles, which is more than double the UAE and much higher than most European countries.

Bottled drinking (mineral) water is easily available at most stores. Tap water is generally safe; however, most Omanis drink bottled water and to be safe, you should too. 500ml bottles of water will generally cost 100bz in the majority of shops with a 1.5l bottle costing only 200bz.

Dialling out from Oman you will need to dial 00 + International Code + Number. Dialling into Oman callers use +968 followed by an 8 digit number. These 8-digit numbers generally start with a 9 if it is mobile number, and with 2 for land lines, though other numbers will eventually start to get used.

Before he died in 2020, Sultan Qaboos did more to develop the nation than any Arab leader, or most world leaders in recent history for that matter. Qaboos is held in the highest regard — even revered — by the vast majority of Omanis. Visitors should refrain from making any comments or statements that could be construed as disrespectful.