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ABOUT OMAN
Oman is one of those countries that surprises you without even trying. No loud highlights, no cities competing for your attention: Oman feels more like a whisper. An invitation. A place you ease into, only to find yourself pulled deeper and deeper into landscapes that feel almost too pure to be real.
WHAT TO DO IN OMAN
Our route through Oman
MUSCAT
Muscat, for us, was simply the place to begin. You land, you pick up your rental car, you adjust to the heat and the quiet. The city is calm, spread out, almost too clean, and after a good night’s sleep, you’re ready to hit the road.
The real trip starts the moment the city fades into mountains and dry riverbeds. That’s when Oman begins to speak. Before heading in, we highly recommend you visit Sourdough Oman (artisan bakery) which is a perfect breakfast/coffee spot before starting your adventure.
TIWI
Your first encounter with Oman’s raw nature happens in the wadis. Tiwi is the base of two very different of these wadis. On the way from Muscat you can make a quick stop at the Bimmah sinkhole, which offers a refreshing dive into a natural sinkhole.
Wadi Shab is the famous one. Turquoise pools, dramatic canyon walls, palm trees hanging overhead, but you won’t be the only one there. It’s stunning, absolutely, but very much on the beaten path. If you go very early, you will be one of the few for the hike towards the hidden cave at the end. On the way back, you will encounter the masses of people. But that’s okay, as you will have had the wadi for (almost) yourself right before.
Wadi Mibam, however, is the alternative we didn’t know we needed. Quieter. More rugged. Less curated. It feels like Wadi Shab before the world found out about it. You climb, swim, and scramble your way deeper into a gorge that feels alive: shifting light, echoing water, sandstone patterns that look hand-carved by time. This is where the trip really clicked for us. We were almost the only ones. It really felt like a local spot we always crave when traveling.
Wadi MibamWAHIBA SANDS
And then: the desert.
Wahiba Sands is where Oman stopped being a destination and started feeling like a story. Endless dunes. Golden light that doesn’t seem to belong to this world. The silence here is its own kind of soundtrack.
But the magic wasn’t just in the dunes: it was where we stayed, that enhanced our experience. If you really want peace, quiet, and some time for yourself, mixed with luxury, than this is an amazing option.
Magic Camps
Magic Camps is exactly what the name promises.
Private luxury tents, in the middle of the Omani desert. Warm lantern light at night. A stillness so deep you can almost hear the sand settle. The hospitality felt ancient, the food rich and comforting, and the whole experience felt like stepping out of time for a moment.
If we could bottle one part of Oman to take home, it would be this. Wahiba Sands was the highlight of everything. They even won an award of best in their category in the whole of the Middle East. The video at the top of this page is the result of a collaboration. It gives a good insight in the beauty of this place.
If you have decided to rent a car, this is the spot where you are going to need it most. It is a 30 minutes drive from the nearest town to this remote spot (Bidiyah). You can also arrange a shuttle via them.
If you want to escape the accommodation for a while, you can either book multiple desert tours via them or go into town where you will be offered tours everywhere you stop. There are 3 great coffee stops in Bidiyah, which we tried to rank but all 3 of them are amazing; you pick.
AURA cafe
KAFKA cafe
DULCE cafe
JEBEL SHAMS
The mountains came next. The temperature dropped, the landscapes sharpened, and suddenly we were winding up to Jebel Shams, Oman’s highest point. Its a long drive from Wahiba sands (4+ hours). A stop in Nizwa is recommended. If you are here on friday morning, there’s a goat market which is a cultural highlight according to other travelers.
The hike here (often compared to the Grand Canyon) hugs the cliff edge, giving you constant views into a canyon so massive it barely looks real. It’s rugged but accessible, wild yet peaceful. A place that reminds you just how small you are compared to nature’s architecture. There are actually more hikes to do here but we chose to do the balcony walk, which is the most popular one. If you go early you will be one of the few.
The hike takes about 2,5 hours, and you walk 2,5 hours back via the same route. Don’t make the same mistake as we did, by going further than you are supposed to go. There’s a trail marking system consisting of three colored stripes: red, white and yellow. They are painted on boulders to guide hikers. They are essential for navigation, as the rocky terrain often lacks a clearly defined dirt path. If you come back from your hike and you want to see the sunset, there’s the sunset point Jabel Shams which you can find on Google Maps.
For an amazing coffee or cake in between we highly recommend Cliffs cafe.
Sunset Point
Jebel Shams
Hi, we are Bren and Tess! We travel to the most beautiful places in the world, and with our video's, we hope you feel inspired to do the same.
