Getting there by bus from Dubai: A return trip from Dubai is 90 Dhr (~90AED=£16=US$24.50) and takes 6 hours each way give or take. The boarder control on the Emirates side is nothing special and is dwarfed by much nicer facilities on the Oman side. Muscat is a collection of several smaller cities. Muscat itself is a mainly governmental and political centre, it has nice palace worth visiting. Muttrah is famous for its old market (Souk) and port area. A walk along the promenade is a nice way to spend an evening in Muttrah. Ruwi is a busy local area, full of small businesses and shops. Not really a tourist attraction but is conveniently located for access to all areas and highways.The bus departs from a slightly obscure location near the <...> station (include map). It is a short walk from the metro terminal or a taxi ride away from the airport. The ticket office is hard to recognise. When I bought the ticket the manager offered me to store my luggage there, which was very convenient since my bus was not for another 5 hours.
Al-Qurum is a popular tourist area due to its affluence and long waterfront promenade on the beach. There are a few hotels and restaurants in this area.
Weather in Muscat, Oman
I visited in early December, and the weather was perfect for my liking. Steady 27C and sunny. The ocean temperature was perfect (23-24).
Check weather.com for monthly averages http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/MUXX0003
Getting around Muscat, Oman - taxis
There is no adequate public transport system. Therefore, everyone is driving or catching taxis, which mean traffic jams in peak hours. Taxis are always on hand, but make sure you agree the price before you go. I caught taxis a few times on day one, but did not work out a fair price to pay. Considering petrol is around £0.15/litre and labour is cheap, than a per km change should be at least 20% of what it is in London (£1.20), so roughly I would think that it is fair to pay 0.15 OR per km, or something to that extent.
Renting a car in Muscat, Oman
After day 1, I was frustrated with the taxis and decided to explore the area on my own. Therefore, I asked the receptionist at my hotel to recommend a car rental company to rent a 4x4. They called up Thrifty Car Hire and their assistant brought the exact car I requested in 15 minutes. Cost is 32 OR/day including 200km/day (~ GBP 54; USD83 per day). Petrol as you now know is dirt cheap in Oman. Therefore, my plan was to get away from the busy town to the beach, a set off as early as possible the next morning to explore Wadis (Oasis).
During the same day locals recommended that I visit the beaches south of Muscat, starting with the Oman Diving Centre. The Centre is located about 1 hour drive from Muscat. It is set in a small valley with its own private beach and a restaurant. Operator charges visitors 2 OR for the use of the beach regardless of how much you spend on food and drinks. A word of warning at this stage, do not bother with the food at the Omani Dive Centre. The food I ordered was less than impressive, so I had to leave most of it untouched. The beach is nice though, so is the hut-styled bar, so worth a visit unless you are staying in a beach resort already like Shangri-La (3 minutes down the road), which is where I went for a coffee after visiting Oman Dive Centre.
Shangri-La is only 3 minutes drive (go up to the roundabout and take 3rd exit) and is a beautifully appointed resort with its private beach, bars and restaurants. It is a great place to spend an afternoon. Shangri-La also has a separate beach that is reserved for turtle hatchings, so you do not have to travel many miles out of Muscat to enjoy this sight. Please note it does happen very late at night (around 10ish pm and onwards).
Visiting Wadi Tiwi and Wadi Shab (2 hours drive from Muscat, Oman)
Set off as early in the morning as possible, around 6:30-7 am take plenty of water and fruit. It comes in handy during the hikes.
Wadi Tiwi stretches many kilometres inland from the beach to the valley between the mountains. You definitely need a 4x4 to explore this one. In addition, if you are an adventurous type you may want to prepare for a few days of hiking through the pass that links two Wadis, Wadi Tiwi and Wadi Bani Khalid. You will still need to drive up, or get dropped off about 5-8 km into Wadi Tiwi up a rocky and winding path, and then set of on foot. Otherwise, you can just drive up all the way to the end of the road, there you will find a small local village. From there you can set off on foot to explore the rest of the Wadi and try to find the pools, however be warned it is not easy. Local knowledge or a guidebook are required for this one.
On the other hand you have Wadi Shab that is incredibly beautiful and easier to access. You do not need a 4x4 to visit this one, as you are only need to get to the edge of the village and then walk about 45 minutes into the Wadi to find beautiful pools of water. Keep going and swimming until you reach the end. There is a pass/swim through into a small cave with a waterfall and a grotto. The great thing is that once you are in the cave there is a bit to explore.
Diving and snorkelling close to Muscat, Oman.
A couple of travellers that I met at Wadis mentioned that they had a great day snorkelling on the Dalamati Islands. They recommended contacting Monique at Globe Diving that is located in the Civil Aviation Centre(Al Qurum) their number is +96899317518 (ask for Monique).
I called the night before I wanted to go snorkelling and Monique was very accommodating. We met up early in the morning and left on their fast boat (see the view). It travels over 40knts and took 45 minutes to get to Dalamati Islands. Dalamati Islands form a protected national park and have beautiful dive and snorkelling spots.
You can also try Oman Dive Centre, which is a bit out of town and is a live-in resort. But be warned that the restaurant there is quite average and you will need a car to get away to shops, other resorts and entertainment.
Desert camps and tours in Oman
There are a number of desert camps in Oman where you can stay overnight and enjoy the tranquillity of the desert. Please note that these are quite expensive to stay in but are a great experience for anyone who loves ecotourism and/or never been out in the middle of nowhere before. The night sky is simply stunning. You can only experience a sky like that in the desert and the middle of the ocean, so it is well worth it.
There are a number of online companies offering desert tours and camp stays. I have not used any of the them in my travels but here are a couple of links anyway.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g298421-d1145473-Reviews-Desert_Nights_Camp-Sur.html
http://www.nomadicdesertcamp.com/start.htm
Oman – Useful links
A useful resource on travelling and exploring Oman hosted on the University of Technology site
http://www.act.edu.om/exploreoman/
http://www.act.edu.om/exploreoman/homepage/Sports.html
