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Mutrah Souq – souqs are marketplaces. The Mutrah Souq is the main souq for Muscat. Some sections are full of souvenirs and other parts have more local merchandise. It was a lovely place to explore. And, a great place to find Omani frankincense. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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Omani coffee shops – Oman is home to some of the most delicious coffee I have ever tasted. Omani Qahwa is brewed with cardamom, cloves, and occasionally saffron, and served with dates. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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Coffee shops are also home to delicious snacks – different types of bread full of cheeses, honey, zaatar, etc. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a>
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Bait Al Luban – a local restaurant made famous to Westerners by Anthony Bourdain. He ate here when he visited Oman because they were locally known for their delicious food. And, my goodness, the food is fantastic. Our favorite dish was manshab – a coconut curry flavored with cinnamon and cardamom. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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Traditional seating<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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Pakora – veggie dumplings<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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Baqel – fava bean dish<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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Manshab – tuna with cinnamon and cardamom infused coconut curry<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a>
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Snow Oman – We went to the mall to gather road trip supplies and stumbled across Snow Oman, an amusement park covered in actual snow. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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Bimmah Sinkhole<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Bimmah Sinkhole is a famous natural swimming area. It pops up out of nowhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Wadi Shab<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Oman is famous for its wadis. Wadi Shab is one of the most popular. We took a short boat ride, hiked ~45 minutes, and got to the very crowded swimming area. The hike was beautiful – a wander through an oasis in the desert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Sur<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sur is a small town on the coast. It is the home of dhow building (classic Omani boats) and was a major part of Oman’s maritime history. Today it is relatively quiet, but we were able to visit the Dhow Factory, the Maritime Museum, and the lighthouse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Lighthouse<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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Dhow Factory<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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Raz Al Hadd<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We found a fun guesthouse owned by a local fisherman for our time on the coast. While staying at the guesthouse, we enjoyed some freshly caught mahi-mahi, got to go out on his boat to see the famous dolphins, went snorkeling, and, of course, enjoyed a considerable amount of Omani coffee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Dolphins love hanging out near the Omani coast. The fisherman we stayed with usually sees 100-200\/day. We were there on a slow day and only saw ~15.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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An example of Omani hospitality – we asked our host about where to find Omani sweets. Instead of pointing us toward a restaurant, he called a friend who then brought us five different homemade items to try. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Halwa – the most popular Omani sweet! Rosewater and saffron are key ingredients. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The coastal area is home to a lot of fun, sometimes random, things to do. We drove about 30 minutes south and saw lakes that had turned pink due to the algae. One evening, we went to the reserve and saw an endangered Green Turtle in her egg-laying process. The 45km area is a major nesting area for the turtles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Camels wandering down the road.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a>
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Wadi Bani Khalid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
On the drive from the coast to Nizwa we stopped at Wadi Bani Khalid, one of Oman’s most famous wadis. The drive down into the swimming area is gorgeous and we were able to hike a little farther into the wadi to get away from the crowds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Nizwa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Nizwa is the second largest city in Oman. It is home to a famous fort, a lovely souq, and my favorite coffee shop we stopped at in Oman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Nizwa Souq<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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Bahla<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
About 30 minutes outside of Niwza is the city of Bahla, home to the only Omani fort listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Bahla Fort is massive. It took us about 2 hours to fully explore. The fort\/castle was built between the 12th and 15th centuries and underwent a major restoration in 2012. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Carvings for the mosque<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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Quite a few bats call the fort home.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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One of my favorite things we did in Oman was visit a local pottery factory. It has been owned by the same family for the last 500 years and two brothers currently run the operation. In Oman, pottery is everywhere. Historically, hanging jars were used to cool water. The brothers explained the process and history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Jabreen Castle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Jabreen Castle is another famous Omani fort. It was built in the 1600s. While not as large as Bahla, our time there included an audioguide which was fantastic. It helped us better understand the history and architecture of not only Jabreen, but Bahla as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This area was used to store dates. Dates are incredibly popular in Oman.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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The library<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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Abandoned Mountain Villages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Oman is home to several abandoned villages that are slowly being turned into historic sites and\/or tourist attractions. It is an interesting transition to see. As we drove from Nizwa to our place in the mountains, we stopped at a couple to take in the views and see what life used to look like. One things I really enjoyed was the unique doors. Older homes had gorgeous wooden doors with elaborate carvings. Newer (within last 150 years or so) had colorful metal doors with different symbols. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Hajar Mountains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Oman is home to some of the tallest mountains on the Arabian Peninsula. These mountains are the reason anyone visiting needs a 4×4 (or to hire a tour guide for that portion of their journey). Until about 20 years ago, only villagers and members of the military were allowed into the mountains. Today, individuals must prove they are driving a 4×4 car to pass the police checkpoint to enter the mountain range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We stopped for a snack before venturing into the mountains. While eating, a local came up to us to double-check we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Once we started driving we reached the police checkpoint and talked to the policeman who also wanted to make sure we knew what we were doing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the roads were steep and we definitely needed the 4×4 for the last 4.5km to our hotel, the roads of Oman are in better condition than the majority of roads in the US. The care shown by locals and the government for tourists is an example of Omani kindness and hospitality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This is known as “Diana’s Viewpoint” because Princess Diana visited this place and loved it during her visit to Oman.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a>
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While in the mountains, we stayed at one of our favorite lodgings we’ve ever found (The Suwgra). A village of about 60 people, all one family, moved across a canyon from their old homes to new homes from 2008-2014 to be closer to the road, school, etc. None of them wanted to watch their old village collapse. Their ancestors had lived there for over 500 years. So, they decided to convert the entire village into a guesthouse to share Omani culture, the beautiful view, and to keep the village in great condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is one of the most peaceful places we’ve ever been. And, we were finally able to find legit Omani food. If you ever have a chance to try Omani food, take it – it is full of spices and absolutely delicious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Our luggage was zip-lined over.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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Omani sweets<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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Fresh passionfruit ginger juice<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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Exploring the Mountains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
While in the mountains we took some time to explore. We did the famous Three Villages hike and ventured down to Wadi Bani Habib. We enjoyed watching all the goats explore. And, we found some lovely passionfruit mint drinks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Oman <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A few of our favorite things about wandering this country – <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The people are so kind. A man in a souq asked me where I was from and upon realizing I was American gave me an Omani flag pin to wear on their national holiday. Whenever we looked remotely lost, someone would ask if we needed help and point us in the right direction. While waiting to have our rental car cleaned (the norm in Oman), a random fellow struck up a conversation to see how we liked visiting his home country. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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Life is so relaxed. “Slowly slowly” and “as you like” are two incredibly common phrases. Enjoy your lovely spiced coffee. Take in the view. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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The calls to prayer are beautiful. All are live (not recordings) and are more melodic than the calls we’ve heard in other countries (recording below). <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n