Oman

Can you find Oman on a map?

Who has ever heard of Oman?  Who can spot it on a map?  Yea... we couldn't either before this trip, but WOW are we glad we went! Oman is a gorgeous country, that as I mentioned, many people have never heard of, which is what enticed us to go.  We are so glad we did as we both agreed it's in our top 3 countries we've ever visited and some of the most friendly people we've met!  It's located in the Middle East, bordering Yemen, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Sea.  First thing you need to do is get yourself an e-Visa. We had read in both Lonely Planet and other blogs that we could just do that upon arrival in Muscat.  However, we found that we needed it to board our flight. As I showed up at the airport and gave my passport to check in and get my tickets, I was told I wouldn't be issued a ticket without a visa and my flight left in 90 minutes.  After my heart sank to my stomach, I had to think quick. I told her nope she's wrong it says so in my Lonely Planet.  Haha.  Needless to say that didn't work.  So since we needed it to board our plane in the USA, we had to hop online immediately and do it before we could get our ticket issued at the airport.  But it was simple to do online through their government website and luckily it took less than 10 minutes to receive it via email and hopped back in line to get our ticket to board without missing our flight...crisis averted.

I flew on Qatar Airways from Chicago with a layover in Doha and Dan flew from San Diego on Emirates with layovers in Dallas and Abu Dhabi. We had heard amazing things about these airlines but maybe we both just had older planes in their fleet, as we were not super impressed.  However, since it was a long flight they did have an amazing movie selection! After landing, we met in the airport and were super excited to finally see each other after a few months in different states.  After waiting about 45 minutes in line to go through customs at midnight, we gathered our bags and attempted to get a rental car. Remember that  if you do this, book online prior to arriving. It will save you time and money. They were not up for haggling on prices or offering unlimited mileage at the desk.  So, we got a taxi and it was not cheap.  We paid about $30 to get to the Mutrah area at this time of night, however he used his meter and that was nice not to have to haggle.  Once at the Mutrah Hotel, we hopped onto the wifi and booked a rental car through EuropCar, which was the only one we could find to offer unlimited mileage.  We knew we would need unlimited mileage for our upcoming road trips so it was a success, however do yourself a favor and book in advance. Overall, Oman while more pricey than some countries, we found it to be the same prices as in the USA and meals a little cheaper than the USA even.  It is SUPER safe and there wasn't even one point during our adventurein which we felt unsafe.

Bimmah Sinkhole

Water is amazing

Day #1: After the delicious buffet breakfast at the Mutrah Hotel, with some of the most kind hotel staff we've encountered, we headed off to get our Rental Car at the airport.  When booking your car, don't forget to add the $8/day GPS rental as it will save you in the long run.  Dan had already saved the GPS coordinates in a note on his phone so we typed those into our Garmin and headed off to our first stop... the Bimmah Sinkhole.  It's a beautiful drive along the Sur - Muscat highway that mostly hugs the coast on wide open well paved highways. We found a English EDM station and jammed our whole way there with excitement and anticipation of the days adventures that await us.                                    Anyhow, do note that there are not too many signs to direct you to the correct spot so we did have to make a U-turn and found it the second time around. Thanks goodness we also rented the GPS for the car!    We parked the car in the free parking lot, passed the public restroom and picnic benches and walked up to this gorgeous sinkhole filled with emerald green water.

Lounging in the water. Temp was PERFECT!

We were 2 of maybe 7 people the entire time we spent there.  Although we've heard some people cliff jump from the VERY top, we thought that was INSANE.  Instead we waited until we got into the water and swam to the edge, where there were a few men cliff jumping about 15 feet above the water.  Dan went first of course and after watching him jump a few times, he was able to convince me it was ok and I wouldn't die.   We spent about an hour or two swimming around the crystal clear water, it was so calm and peaceful.  Also, one bonus of visiting here is you get a free fish pedicure! If you just sit on a rock you will have your feet covered in small fish nibbling on your dead skin.  So we scored 2 free fish pedicures while relaxing in the sun.  I was too ticklish to last more than a minute but it was a fun experience!

how could you resist these cuties?!?

*Don't forget to check out the videos on our Instagram @imnotlostpodcast *

 On our way up the stairs and back out to our car, there were some cute wild goats roaming around the area that we took some photos of before hopping into our car and continuing on to stop #2.  We drove about 30 minutes max further and arrived to Wadi Shab where we were greeted by even more goats begging for anything we had, the only thing being banana peels, to which they gladly accepted.                 

From here we found a group of young guys hanging out right by the parking lots who will take you across the small murky river to the other side.  You need to take the small boat to start the hike up through Wadi-Shab.  We wondered if we could save a few bucks and swim across but for $2 round trip each, just pay them and make sure you're back before 6 pm to catch your ride back or you'll have to swim across the murky river.  We had about 6 hours until 6 pm, so we felt confident and hit the trail with our waterproof day pack and some big smiles on our faces!  We started our way down the Wadi and met a few 18-19 year old guys and girls that were carrying a cooler for a picnic once they reached their destination.  They were kind and ensured us that we were on the right path.

Hiking up the canyon

It was around 45 min hiking until we reached the area where you have to wade/swim your way through.  Some areas were shallow at about 1 foot and others up to 4-5 feet.  The surrounding rocks to enter the pools of water are extremely slippery! We were thankful we wore our Chaco brand sandals and highly recommend that you wear some sort of water shoe or sandal for this hike.  Dan spotted a snake bathing on a rock in the Wadi and of course freaked out since snakes terrify him! 😨  But we were told it wasn't venomous, thank goodness.  Once you get to the deep water that you have to start swimming in, then you know its about 15-20 minutes further until we were scheduled to arrive at our final destination: THE CAVE WATERFALLS! 

Wadi Shab hike

Before that, we got sidetracked.  Dan asked some men if this was the way to the waterfall.  He loves to talk to any locals so he wasn't going to pass this chance up!  They were four of the kindest people we have ever met while traveling!  These very kind men had stopped to enjoy a picnic on the rocks and insisted we join their picnic.   We sat and talked with these men enjoying some hummus, pita and veggies. While only one spoke decent English and Dan only knew a few Arabic words, we managed to get by and smile and laugh. We shared stories about their home country of Syria and how awful the war going on their currently is and how they enjoy living in Oman but want to go home one day.  You hear about the awful war in Syria but hearing their stories brought it to life.  These men and everyone we had met were nothing but kind!  I love that about traveling and how it opens your minds, heart, and eyes to people from other countries and cultures. So after sharing stories, smiles and laughs we said we better get going to make the waterfall.

Our Syrian friends

They had completed this hike previously so insisted they show us the way and joined us for the rest of our adventure to the cave.  You can find it on your own by just following the water but we did not know that at the time. The kindness of strangers on our travels always blows us away.

Nothing but smiles on this hike!

 The rest of the hike was swimming in probably 6ft water, so if you're short like me I hope you know how to swim!  You have to swim through a narrow passage covered by rock about 4ft long to enter the cave where the waterfall is.  

This is the narrow passageway into the cave

Dan is really claustrophobic, however, he had no issues 
swimming through this rock tunnel and once we entered the waterfall cave it was amazing!  It was so beautiful inside... waterfalls rushing down, people relaxing  in the water and above the waterfall.  We had to watch where we were swimming though because there were guys cliff jumping right and left.  I'm not as good of a swimmer as Dan, so one of the guys led me to a ledge where I could stand in the water and rest my legs from treading water while Dan swam around.

The guy on the left was named Bruiser, He was shy.

After relaxing inside of the cave for about 20 minutes, chatting with the locals and watching people jump, we headed out with our new friends and the 4 Syrian men we had previously picnicked with.   The way back seemed much faster, plus we had to get there before 6 pm to catch our boat across the river.  Along the way back our new friends were practicing their English with us and wanted to discuss anything they could in the short hike back.  They even gathered some dates from the date trees along the path and insisted we try them.  Dan took a detour with 2 of the guys hiking with us and scared me half to death when he cliff jumped on a whim.  One of the men even split his pants from hitting the water so hard. I would say it is safe but always check the depths before jumping!

*Don't forget to check the video of Dan's jump on our Instagram @imnotlostpodcast*

Saying goodbye to our new friends

We made it back to the boat just at 6pm along with just about everyone else who had gone on that boat, the boats were loaded and we were definitely fearful of them sinking or tipping over.  But we made it back safely and said our goodbyes to the kind friends we met, before we headed on our way back to our hotel in Muscat.

Fresh fruit juice for $1.50

When we got back to our hotel they greeted us and helped us park our car right out front ensuring we had a good spot.  We dropped off our bags and headed out on foot to find dinner.  We wandered through the Mutrah souq which had lots of cool trinkets, jewelry, scarves and the usual tourist stuff for sale.  However we noticed a lot less tourist oriented stuff compared to other countries capitals.  You will see lots of frankincense oil for sale and dates as Oman is known for both of these. After wandering through the souq, we walked along the water and corniche until we found a cute outdoor spot to eat.  We got a tasty plate of hummus and pita and even some French fries! And after all that hiking we ended getting some cheap ice cold drinks here too. Non alcoholic of course since we didn't see any beer on the menus.  The fresh fruit juice was perfect after a long hot day! We tried to stop at the bar attached to our hotel despite our being so exhausted.  However Dan was wearing shorts and a tank top and that wasn't allowed so gave us an excuse to shower and get to bed!

Day #2: Another early morning start for us so we walked downstairs and enjoyed the buffet breakfast and of course ate until it hurt to walk. Haha. We then started our next journey to Jebel Shams.  This is also known as the 'Grand Canyon of Oman' and is AMAZING.

For this adventure we recommend renting a 4 wheel drive vehicle, although we did see a few sedans, we felt much safer in the four wheel drive. We opted for a  Toyota Rav4 that had 4-wheel drive. It took about 3 hours from Muscat as we were in no hurry and stopped along the way to get drinks and Dan to pee for the 10th time.  After passing Nizwa we knew we were on the right path as we had set our GPS for Nizwa.  Once there we put in Jebel Shams Resort as a reference point to get us to the top of the mountain.  

Dan talking to craft sellers at the canyon

You will pass a small overlook with an old village that has long been abandoned.  Its worth pulling over for a good view.  Then the road will start to get steep and wind its way up.  It is mostly paved road except for the last 30 minutes.  Its not a bad dirt road but had some large ruts in it so why risk damaging a rental car which is why we did the 4x4. We got to the viewpoint which was located near a roadside trinket stand where some local kids were selling crafts made from goat hair and some dates.  As previously mentioned, Dan cannot help him self when he's sees locals, so he had to go strike up a conversation. These were kid vendors so he loves to amuse them with his silliness.  Unfortunately they wouldn't allow us to take photographs with them as most Muslim women will not allow, and of course we respected their wishes. We did however take many pictures of the amazing views we were surrounded with.  It is such a large canyon that will take your breath away!  And you can get RIGHT up against the rail to look down!  It is an amazing spot to take in some of the most amazing views we have seen! 

After taking in the gorgeous canyon views for a while, we hopped back in the car with our eyes peeled on how to find the hiking trail.  Our hike we chose is technically called  the Al Nakhr Rim Hike or as we discovered right before giving up, its also called and written on rocks as the W6 Route. To get there, follow the road until it ends at a small village.  By small, we mean really small.  Like only three houses right next to the canyon. You will see stalls selling objects and lots of goats. After wandering aimlessly to find the trail for 15 minutes we were about to give up, so we walked back to the car all bummed, ready to make our way off the mountain, as we only had a few more hours before sunset.  

The herd of goats followed us back to the car and startled me when one jumped up with their front legs on the passenger side window and stuck his head in the car trying to get a bite of my snack. It was like he was saying "Hey guys...got any snacks for me?!" 😀  

Anyhow, then as Dan was getting in the car to leave, with his bad vision and all saw, he saw a tiny little flag which was one of the trail head markers. Being hikers, we knew a little strip of pink fabric usually indicates a trail head.  So we decided to try once more and we got out of the car, and as we did a lady from one of the homes peaked her head out of the door and pointed towards the canyon.  This was our sign we were on to something!  We finally found the trail we had been looking for all afternoon!  Knowing we didn't have 2.5 hours to complete the hike we still wanted to go as far as we could.  We started down the trail, and as you can see from the pictures, there were no fences, signs or guardrails.  

If I were to do it again, I would pack a lunch and relax along the way. There were a few points along the trail that would be perfect for a picnic and enjoying the view.  We made it majority of the way, ~2 miles, before deciding we should turn around allowing us time to get out before sunset.

Mr. Goat waiting at our car for us

 Overall, it is an easy hike with just small inclines up and down and pretty clearly marked trail right along the rim of the canyon.  Although it was middle of August the breeze from the canyon and elevation we were at made it not too bad. If we had a little more time we could have completed the entire hike in 2.5 hours roundtrip, but take your time and enjoy the views of Nahkr Canyon, cause its breathtaking!  Along the way, also keep your eyes peeled for a small abandoned village which is kind of cool.  Had we had more days we would have camped up here on top of Jebel Shams or stayed at the hotel at the top, consider that on your trip. I can only imagine waking up to a sunrise over that amazing canyon.

Nizwa Fort

On the way home we stopped at a town called Nizwa.  Oman has TONS of forts and planning was hard in order to decide which ones to actually see.  We chose The Nizwa Fort as its directly on the drive home from Jebel Shams AND it has an impressive souq to shop in.  The fort was impressive too! We arrived late though, it had closed about 20 minutes earlier, so we took a few pictures from the outside and continued to the souq to browse the stalls.  This was a huge market with a building for each different Souq including a spice souq, vegetable souq, meat souq, fish souq, date souq, and one souq just for trinkets/souvenirs. 

Nizwa

We spent at least an hour here before stopping at a convenience store for some cold drinks and a delicious pistachio ice cream bar.  We found our way back to our car and continued on our way back to Muscat.  If you do this drive remember to get a full tank of gas before you leave the main city as we got back to Muscat basically on fumes, we didn't see any places to stop along the way. Once we hit the road in true Rachael form, she instantly fell asleep leaving Dan in charge of getting us back. 

Before leaving the Mutrah Hotel this morning, we packed our bags and put them in the trunk knowing we had a late night flight and didn't want to go back to the hotel or pay for an extra night at the hotel.  Plus we didn't want to worry about being late so had all our backpacks ready to check in at the airport after our full day hiking and exploring.  There wasn't a lot of options to eat at the airport so we quickly stopped for food.  We always like to try local food and avoid anything American when abroad but right next to where we got gas we spotted a Subway.  We know they always have vegetarian options so we grabbed some dinner, filled up the rental car with gas, and headed to the airport for our late night flight to Dubai. 

    We left Oman in love with the country and vowed to be back!  We were both amazed by the kindness and beauty of this country!  If we come back we will be spending an extra day in Muscat to see the Royal Palace, Royal Opera House and Grand Qaboos Mosque/ We also would camp in the Wahiba Sands and go Wadi bashing.  We also would snorkel in the amazing waters and see the turtles on the beach in Ras Al Jinz. Lastly, we would do a short flight to Salalah for a few days, as everyone told us how pretty and green it is there. 10 days in Oman would be a good relaxing vacation! Safe, friendly, beautiful and not too expensive. We cannot recommend Oman enough and we will be back!