Muscat city has its own unique characteristics, be it the lavish infrastructure, small population
(hardly 6 million including expats), hot weather (obvious since comes under gulf countries), unique architecture (shorter buildings and not a single sky scraper in entire city), sand deserts and delicious cuisines. It does offer unique set of things to do for travellers, however may not have too many options to choose from.
Visit old city of Muttrah (Muscat)
Muscat, the name of the city was derived from its old name 'Muttrah'. I had the good fortune of visiting the old city of Muttrah back in 2015. If you have time, I would definitely recommend you to explore this old town that is still preserving the Omani culture. This old city is separated from the modern Muscat city and has its own entrance gate, as can be seen in below pic;
When you drive around this neighbourhood, you go back in time. You will notice few government buildings including residential area. Yes, there are still a significant part of the city crowd lives in the old town. You will find the residential houses are mostly of 2 storeys and not taller. I believe this is because of the royal decree that houses in old town can't be taller than 2 floors. In modern city of Muscat too, you won't find houses or building taller than 4 storeys that gives the city a completely different image and an unique sight to the visitors!
Desert Safari while riding a monster truck
Due to abundance of the sand deserts within gulf region, most of the gulf countries provide a variety of adventure sports on these deserts. Oman is no exception. I remember vividly the rocky terrain in the back and sandy desert stretching till the horizon. Isn't it stunning!
You will see the locals and travellers driving their trucks around on these sandy mountains and have fun. As long as you know how to drive (basics) and not scared of heights or ups and downs of the peaks, you are good!
Checkout the Royal Yacht!
One fascinating thing that exists in Muscat is the Royal Yacht of Sultan Qaboos. When I was in Muscat for a month, I could see it was just parked near the port of Muttrah. How beautiful this yacht looks. People don't even have houses that big and this yacht alone could house like hundreds of people. That could give you an idea about the lavish life of the Sultans in gulf countries. I was simply awestruck.
Explore the clean sandy beaches
Muscat also has few clean sandy beaches that you can explore however the heat might play a spoil sport here. If you are not accustomed to a hot weather then Omani beaches may not be something you would like exploring. Good thing about the city is due to less population, you will find almost every beach clean and nice.
There are plenty of boats around and you won't feel overwhelmed since there would be hardly any crowd around. A perfect gateway for couples or solo travellers looking for a peace of mind and isolation from noisy crowds.
Locals and expats enjoying their time while sailing in smaller boards at a local beach;
Make an afternoon prayer at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
This is one of the most beautiful attractions of Muscat city as per my personal experience. Sultan Qaboos Grand mosque is incredible in its own rights. I was fortunate to see the interiors of the mosque since usually expats aren't allowed inside during the prayer time. Fortunately, I happened to have visited this mosque along with my colleagues who were frequent visitors and would do afternoon prayers at the mosque on regular basis!
One of the best parts of this mosque was the chandelier that was hanging as a centre piece on the ceiling inside the praying hall. Look at this beauty below, I was impressed with its grandeur and design.
Another fascinating thing about this mosque I got to know from my colleague was the carpet that was being used inside the praying room. It was the second largest handmade one piece carpet present across Asia that point in time (2015). It was so beautiful and soft at the same time.
Have a relaxing holidays at Barr Al Tissah Resort and Spa
If you are looking for a relaxing holiday and don't want to go out and just enjoy indoor activities at a cool hotel for few nights then this might be the place for you. This resort is situated at the edge of the sea and gives you a perfect view of the clean waters and picturesque surroundings nearby.
This resort and spa looks stunning from outside. Look at its entrance, you feel like driving inside a different world with all the trees on either sides of the road and visitor quarters situated around the area. Simply gorgeous. There is a diving centre next to the resort too for those adventure seekers! Give it a try by consulting at the Dive Center.
Rent a sports car and go on a drive around
If you get a chance then definitely try riding one of the sports cars in Muscat. Locals here are crazy about the cars and you would notice some exotic cars just crossing you on the road like another typical car. For e.g. I would see Ford Mustang GT like after every five minutes crossing around the corner. (I am not kidding at all!) I thought to myself then that maybe let me stay here in Muscat and ride one of these beauties everyday.
Look at this another beauty!
Best part about driving around in Muscat is the amazing rocky terrains that follow on both sides of the highways and its a treat to a naked eye. Most of these rocky mountains are pale yellow in colour and has a different texture to them when you pass by.
Interact with Locals and get familiar with Omani culture
Though most of the locals are super rich and tend to enjoy their own lifestyles, they are always friendly and warm if you happen to interact with them. They take great pride in their cultural heritage and always interested in your ethnic backgrounds. If you get a chance, definitely try talking to these amazing locals and get to know their culture in more detail like we did.
When I was in Muscat last time, I remember going to one of their annual festivals called 'Muscat Festival' where the whole city comes together and celebrate the cultural, artists, people of the country. Whenever the event happens, they setup few amusement parks and stages where the local artists perform and families come with kids and play around. You see lots of promotional events also happen here sponsored by large local and global brands since majority of the locals and expats spend their evenings at the festival venues. Perfect way to know Omani culture!
While visiting one of the beaches, I had a nice short laugh with couple of locals just sitting nearby. They seemed to be quite friendly and funny too. They found my attire quite funny and were making jokes and trying to start a conversation. Always feels good to talk to such locals when there is hardly any crowd around the city!
Spend an evening at 'Wadi Dayqah Dam'
Not something unique that you would see as a traveller but locals find it to be a nice weekend gateway to visit and have a peaceful evening. Wadi Dayqah dam is the largest dam in Oman and quite popular amongst the locals.
Omani government has sort of made it into a tourism spot where you would see a nice garden right next to the garden where families can spend time with their little ones and travellers can walk on the dam and get to see the either sides of it. There is not much to do except walk around and take pictures since its just a dam!
Try different cuisines including local ones
Try a diverse cuisines while staying in Muscat. For that matter, this below restaurant we had tried out to have authentic Indian cuisine. It didn't disappoint us for sure and food was delicious. By the way, below picture has one of my colleagues who used to be my first manager while working for a management consulting firm. This was my first corporate trip aborad!
Hope you liked this blog and gave you some insights on what to expect while travelling in Muscat. Do let me know your comments and personal experiences if any while travelling in Muscat or Oman. Happy travelling!
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