Oman

Oman changed its entry rules in August 2026 with a free, 14-day visa-free scheme. The unconditional list — all EU/Schengen states plus the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Japan — qualifies on arrival with nothing to pay; a conditional list is visa-free only if you already hold a valid US/UK/Schengen/Canada/Australia/Japan visa or GCC residency. The 14 days can’t be extended, and you’ll need a passport valid six months, an onward ticket, a hotel booking, insurance and proof of funds.

For anything longer, the paid eVisa at evisa.rop.gov.om continues — about 20 OMR for 30 days or 50 OMR for a one-year multiple-entry. Because the waiver is new, reverify the current country lists on the official site before you book.

What Oman is for is landscape you drive yourself to: turquoise swimming wadis, the green terraces of Jebel Akhdar and the canyon rim of Jebel Shams, the dunes of the Wahiba Sands, the fjords of Musandam, and a dignified, low-rise Muscat. Timing is strict: the country really only works October to March, because June–August heat (40°C+) is a genuine safety issue that shuts the outdoors. The exception is Salalah in the khareef monsoon (about 21 June–21 September), the one region worth a summer visit — green and mild, if misty and humid rather than sunny.

• you want the wadis, mountains and desertSkipJune–August, when 40°C+ heat is a safety riskGoOctober–March, the only comfortable touring window
• you can only travel in summerSkipthe baking north and interiorGoSalalah in the khareef — green, misty and mild while the rest bakes
• you’re hiring a car for the mountainsSkipa 2WD (a checkpoint turns it back at Jebel Akhdar)Goa genuine 4WD, with insurance that covers off-road driving

Oman is a self-drive country: the roads are excellent and well-signed, fuel is cheap, and distances are long but easy. The catch is the vehicle — a genuine 4WD is needed for the best of it and is legally mandatory to climb Jebel Akhdar (a checkpoint turns back 2WD cars), as well as for the Wahiba dunes and some wadi and mountain tracks. Confirm the rental shows 4×4 on its papers and that the insurance covers off-road driving, which many policies exclude.

There’s no meaningful public transport — Mwasalat intercity buses exist but are limited, and ride-hail apps (Otaxi, Marhaba, Careem) cover Muscat and the cities only. One geography note: Musandam is a separate enclave, cut off from the rest of Oman by the UAE, so you reach it overland through the UAE (mind cross-border car-rental rules) or by flying Muscat–Khasab.

Hire a proper 4WD, not a soft crossover. Oman is a self-drive country with superb, well-signed roads, but a genuine four-wheel-drive is needed for the best of it — and is legally mandatory to climb Jebel Akhdar, where a police checkpoint at the foot turns back anything that isn’t. The swimming wadis and the Wahiba dunes want one too. Fuel is cheap and the distances long but easy; just don’t attempt the mountain or the sands in a 2WD.

The highlights are natural and largely free to enter. The swimming wadis — Wadi Shab (a walk-in then a swim to a hidden waterfall and cave) and Wadi Bani Khalid — are the signature; the mountains give you Jebel Akhdar’s rose terraces and Jebel Shams’ canyon rim above Wadi Ghul, the “Grand Canyon of Oman,” walked on the Balcony Walk trail; and a night in a desert camp in the Wahiba Sands is the classic one-nighter. The coast adds Sur’s dhow yards and the green-turtle nesting beaches at Ras al Jinz. In the north, Musandam’s fjords are best seen on a dhow cruise out of Khasab.

Muscat anchors the trip rather than dominating it — the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Mutrah Souq, the corniche and the Royal Opera House fill a day or two. The old interior capital of Nizwa, with its circular 17th-century fort and Friday livestock market, is the gateway to the mountains. Dining outside the hotels is simple, casual and inexpensive, and usually alcohol-free.

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque has a strict modest-dress rule for all visitors: covered arms and legs for everyone, and women must cover their hair — bring a scarf (some are available to borrow at the entrance). Non-Muslim visiting hours are mornings only (roughly 8–11am, closed Fridays), so time it for the start of the day.

Most trips are a self-drive loop out of Muscat taking in the Western Hajar — Nizwa’s fort, the rose terraces of Jebel Akhdar, the canyon of Jebel Shams — the swimming wadis and turtle coast toward Sur, and a desert night in the Wahiba Sands. Two regions sit apart: Dhofar in the far south, green and mild in the summer khareef (usually reached by a short flight to Salalah), and Musandam in the far north, a fjord-cut enclave reached through the UAE. You pick the core loop, then decide whether to bolt on the south or the fjords.

Omani food is mild and fragrant, a blend of Arabian, Indian and East African influences. The showpiece is shuwa — meat marinated in spices, wrapped and slow-roasted in an underground pit for festivals — alongside the everyday majboos (saffron-spiced rice and meat), grilled mishkak skewers and comforting harees. But the thing that defines an Omani welcome is the ritual of kahwa (cardamom coffee), dates and sticky Omani halwa (see the figure), offered the moment you sit down. There’s no pork and little alcohol — this is a quiet, hospitable table.

Oman is the heartland of Ibadi Islam, a distinct, notably tolerant and moderate branch of the faith (neither Sunni nor Shia) held by a very large share of Omanis alongside substantial Sunni and smaller Shia communities — a identity that helps explain the country’s famously calm, undogmatic feel. The language is Arabic, with English common in tourism; men wear the white dishdasha robe with a kuma cap or massar turban. The country is ruled by Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, who succeeded the long-reigning, much-loved Sultan Qaboos on his death in January 2020. Frankincense (see the figure) is the cultural signature, and the overall register is dignified, hospitable and quiet.

The currency is the Omani rial, pegged to the dollar and one of the world’s strongest units (1 OMR ≈ US$2.60), divided into 1,000 baisa. Budget for the hotel add-ons: bills carry a 4% tourism fee and 5% VAT (the confirmed government charges), plus a customary 8–10% service charge — reckon on roughly 15%+ over a quoted room rate. Tipping isn’t obligatory. A few rhythms to plan around: the weekend is Friday–Saturday, evenings are quiet with no real nightlife, and during Ramadan (around 8 February–8 March in 2027) daytime eating and drinking in public is discouraged and many restaurants close in daylight. Above all, respect the summer heat — it’s a safety matter, not a comfort one.

A 2026 safety note: Oman itself is calm and low-crime, but the US raised it to Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” (~August 2026) on regional Iran–US tension — the risk being drone/missile activity and flight or airspace disruption rather than any danger on the tourist route, with a “Do Not Travel” flag only for the remote Yemen border. The UK gives no blanket warning. Check the live advisories and take flexible flights, as with any Gulf trip in 2026.