Oman Holidays

Holidays in Oman -  Travel's Best Kept Secret                 

There aren’t too many potential holiday destinations that can still claim to be ‘undiscovered’, but if anywhere can lay a convincing claim to this title, it’s Oman. Don’t know where it is? Fair enough. It’s the most East you can go and still be in an Arabian country. No help? Okay, you’ve got the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the north west, Saudi Arabia in the west, and Yemen in the south west.

Still not placed it? Jump in the sea and swim west – you’ll land in India. From the Hajar mountains to the immaculate coast, this peaceful and hospitable country is definitely not high up on most people’s lists of potential exotic holiday spots, but it should be! Oman is not as ancient as some places you can travel to, but it was never a British colony, which is a good thing. It’s a fantastic, modern Muslim country between the desert and the sea! There’s plenty of dramatic landscape, souks, forts, and friendly and generous locals to meet.

Holidays in Oman -  Plenty of Eastern Culture

Once again, it’s modern – especially the capital of Oman, Muscat, but you can travel for just a few hours and come across villages where the main currency still seems to be the goat (no, really). English is the second language here and while not exactly Ibiza by night, there are plenty of posh hotels – that’s assuming camping on the beach after watching protected giant turtles nesting isn’t your thing. All with the Hajar mountains falling directly into the sea as a backdrop.

Oman Holidays -  Many Attractions

Two ancient Portuguese forts help Muscat achieve a medieval appearance. There are palaces and mosques throughout Muscat, but this isn’t the place to come and absorb your self in thousands of years of history. Not in the way that you might in Egypt at least, with its many museums, destinations, and established historic sights.

Muscat is a place just to be in. Pretty much all of the palaces, mosques and forts aren’t generally open to the public, not all the time anyway. The old port area is a great place to wander around. The three forts; Mutrah, Jalali, and Mirani are in view above you. The Oman Museum and the National History Museum beckon and will help you learn about Oman and its history..

Flights to Oman – 48 million visitors by 2050

Flights to Oman come with strings attached and it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the country’s alcohol and tobacco rules. If you’re a non Muslim, you can bring a bottle of spirits into Seeb airport but if you’re travelling by car and you’re laden with booze, they won’t let you in. Fair enough. Flights to Oman don’t tend to have much appeal for heavy drinkers. Muscat airport is in the middle of massive expansion plans which’ll modernise things considerably and open up Oman to a whopping 12 million passengers a year. Oman’s Seeb airport will, apparently, be able to handle an unimaginable 48 million passengers by 2050, provided we haven’t all blown ourselves up by then. Whatever, we’ll have run out of fossil fuels by 2050 so you’ll probably have to book flights to Oman by kite.

Oman Flights – To tip or not to tip?

To tip or not to tip? In an unfamiliar culture it isn’t always easy to understand what’s polite and what’s an insult. Generous people love flights to Oman because tips are de rigeur. Actually we made that up, but – like here - it is polite to leave a tip. I never know whether to tip my hairdresser. I probably would if she’d just shut up and cut my hair, but there’s fat chance of that happening. Like in the UK, the usual tip is about 10%. Having said that, tipping taxi drivers is not the done thing. Flights to Oman Salalah airport, in southern Dhofar, deposit you in a popular holiday destination for locals as well as tourists – always a good sign. Around 340,000 people used Salalah Airport over 2007.

Flights to Oman – The exotic Persian Gulf

Oman sits at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, at the crossroads of the ancient trade routes that linked East Africa and the Orient. So this place has been a commercial centre for countless centuries. Choose flights to Oman for sun, sea and loads ‘n’ loads of sand as far as the eye can see. Great shopping, loads of money around and more bling than you can shake a stick at. Quietly in the background, most Omani people make their living from farming and fishing and they’ve protected most of their coastline for posterity. Well done them.

Hit the heat. Book your flights to Oman here.

Or take a tour round our flights to Dubai and flights to Abu Dhabi pages

Bird Watching -  Oman Attractions

Oman During migrations in spring and autumn, millions of birds drop in to Oman and Muscat is a good place to spot them. There are bird watching tours once a week between October and March that will pick up from your hotel. Ideally you’ll see allsorts of cheeky little fellows from all the surrounding contents on their way to wherever they go to do whatever they do.

The Forts -  Attractions in Oman

Oman The Round Tower Fort in Nizwa, built in the 17th century, has a Souq renowned for its cattle auction, so should you require cattle, pop along on a Friday. Jabrin is regarded as the finest of Oman’s castles. It was built in the 17th century and has lovely ceiling paintings and clever woodcarvings.

Dhow Cruises -  Oman Attractions

Oman A dhow is a fishermen’s boat, but many are available for a cruise. You’ll be able to have tea or soft drinks, don’t forget that you’ll only find alcohol in your hotel bar in Oman. However, don’t let the absence of a mini bar put you off indulging in the opportunity to see Muscat from the perspective that many of the mariners that have travelled this route for hundreds of years saw it.

There are direct flights to Oman that take about seven hours from Heathrow. The airport is just over 20 miles from Muscat, the official capital of Oman.

Fish Market.

Check for 2007 cyclone Gonu damaged areas before booking.