- Important points
- Choosing wings
- Oman Accommodation
- Transport subtleties
- Nightingales are not fed with fables
- Useful details
- The perfect trip to Oman
Oman's economy, located in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula, is based on oil exports. However, the country's authorities decided that keeping all the eggs in one basket was not the best idea, and began to actively develop the tourism business. In recent years, hotels have been actively built in Muscat and other cities, travel companies have been opened, excursion routes have been developed and new environmental laws have been introduced for the underwater world and national parks. So a trip to Oman for a foreign tourist becomes not just a dream from the book of oriental fairy tales, but a completely accessible reality.
Important points
- To travel to Oman, a Russian citizen needs a visa, which can be obtained upon arrival at the airport. To do this, the traveler must purchase a tour through a travel company officially registered in the sultanate. You should start your search for a tour by contacting a Russian travel agency with a good reputation, cooperating with colleagues from Oman. The list of candidates is available at the Omani Embassy, which does not issue visas.
- Importation of potent medicines must be accompanied by a prescription from a doctor. For the export of antiques, stock up on the store's sales receipt.
- In order for the rest to be safe and comfortable, in Oman it is enough to follow the general rules of conduct adopted in Islamic countries. It is forbidden to sunbathe topless, take pictures of local residents without their consent, and visit mosques in too loose clothing. Alcohol is recommended to be consumed only in a restaurant or bar.
Choosing wings
Airplanes of any of the airlines do not fly directly from Russia to Oman, but with connections you can get there in several ways:
- The flagship airline of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Gulf Air, delivers passengers from Moscow to Muscat with a transfer in Manama. Travel time excluding connection will be about 6 hours. The ticket will cost $ 300.
- The services of an air carrier from the UAE, Flydubai, are slightly more expensive. With a stopover in Dubai, the flight will last about 8 hours, and you will have to pay about $ 340 for a ticket.
- Etihad Airways and Emirates, the solid monsters of Middle East aviation, transport passengers from Moscow to Muscat via Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively. Their services are priced at $ 400.
Oman Accommodation
The sultanate's hotels fully correspond to the degree of star rating assigned to each of them, and the service is of a high level. In the "five" beaches are always their own, and hotels of a lower rank are located near the municipal beaches. Locals come to rest on the seashore in such places on weekends.
Rooms in 5 * hotels are not cheap. The average price per day is $ 150-$ 170. Guests are guaranteed ideal conditions for relaxation - their own spa and fitness centers, airport transfers at the hotel's expense, free Wi-Fi and parking. "Five" have golf courses, a wide choice of dishes in several restaurants of European and Oriental cuisine.
A three-ruble room in Oman will cost $ 45-$ 55 per day. Usually hotels of this class are located within the city limits, and guests can get to the beaches by hotel transport. Communication with home and the world in 3 * hotels provides guests with free wireless Internet, and the rented car can be left in the hotel parking lot.
Transport subtleties
A Russian traveler will be able to rent a car in the Sultanate even if he has a new driver's license - the international version of the document does not need to be corrected. The driving style of the Omanis is far from perfect, but it is customary here to give in to foreigners in rented cars. The traffic police have the right to apply sanctions to those who do not wear seat belts or use a mobile phone while driving. You should refrain from driving a car while intoxicated.
Public transport of the Sultanate is intercity and city buses, minibuses and taxis. A trip by minibus within the city will cost $ 2. Prices for intercity travel in Oman depend on the mileage and are approximately $ 7 -8 for every 100 km.
With taxi drivers, according to the tradition of Eastern countries, you should agree on the cost of services before getting into the car. Taximeters are not used here, and the price of services is significantly reduced if you move a little to the side of the porch of a five-star hotel.
Nightingales are not fed with fables
Oriental Arab cuisine is the pride of the Omanis and they generously share their culinary traditions and customs with the guests of the country. The pungency of the dishes is usually quite bearable even for a European, but if you are not a fan of a lot of spices on your plate, warn the waiter about this.
The cost of food from street vendors is low and the portions are very generous. You can have a snack for two for $ 5-6 $ by buying falafel, a tortilla with meat cooked on coals, or fish. Coffee is very tasty in Oman, and fans of this aromatic drink get real pleasure here. For coffee, you can order oriental sweets, cakes and halva in the preparation of which local pastry chefs are unmatched. A cup of coffee from a street vendor will cost $ 0.55, while in an inexpensive cafe it will cost $ 1.5, and in a restaurant it will no longer be less than $ 2.
A dinner at a high-end restaurant will cost a couple $ 40 -50 $, and the average bill for two in a cafe where waiters take an order will be $ 20 -30 $.
Useful details
- Tap water is completely safe for health, but due to desalination, it is deprived of all beneficial trace elements. Use bottled water for drinking.
- Bargaining in souvenir shops and markets in Oman can and should be. If the price of the product you like exceeds at least $ 3, feel free to try to lower it - the merchant will certainly meet you halfway if you are polite but persistent.
- During meals you share with the locals, try to take food with your right hand only. The left one is considered "unclean".
The perfect trip to Oman
Oman is located in hot latitudes and the average air temperature in summer here often exceeds + 35 ° C. There is very little rainfall and rain in the Sultanate is possible only a few times a year, but there are more than three hundred sunny days at the local resorts every year.
The best time for a beach holiday is the second half of autumn and early spring, when the thermometers are kept at around + 28 ° С - + 30 ° С. In winter, the temperature rarely drops below + 20 ° C.
