Best Places to See When You’re in Oman

Oman is a great country to spend your vacation. Located within a stone’s throw from Saudi Arabia and North of Yemen, it is pretty surprising how Oman is famous for its openness and hospitality – and they don’t even discriminate based on your religious preferences. So why not book an Oman resort today to enjoy the country’s beauty surrounded by its friendly natives!

Muttrah Corniche

A stroll along this long esplanade will bring you the joy of glimpsing Oman’s living history. This scenic waterfront promenade is peppered with cafés and restaurants. One should particularly visit Muttrah Corniche at night when the surrounding fountains are lit up and the atmosphere takes up a romantic glow.

Juozas ŠalnaMuttrah Corniche 2CC BY 2.0

Bimmah Sinkhole

Want a free pedicure? Why not sit on the edge of Bimmah Sinkhole and dip your toes in its beautiful emerald waters. Let those small fish nibble at your toes and scrape off those unsightly skin off your feet! This sinkhole can be found in the Falling Star Park (Hawiyat Najm Park), and it may feel as magical as it sounds.

Birkat Al Mawz

Located within a driving distance from properties such as Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort, Birkat Al Mawz appears like an abandoned ghost town at first glance. It is nestled at the base of the Al Hajar Mountains, offering a window to observe what life in Oman was like several hundred years ago.

Wadi Shab

Wadi Sahib can be described as a playground gifted to the adventurous travellers by Mother Nature. Hiking, swimming, mountain climbing, and diving again – it has everything a thrill-seeker desires.

How COVID – 19 will change the travel industry?

COVID 19 both as a life-threatening disease and as a fast-spreading pandemic has caused so much of damage to the world – it has resulted in the death of many individuals as well as it had made a huge impact in the economies of almost all the countries around the globe. Read on to know how it would affect the travel industry in particular in the coming months and even years.

Overview

The COVID 19 Panedmic has indeed taken the world by a dark and ominous storm. It has claimed the lives of over 0.9 million people by the time of this writing and it has crippled the economies of a great many nations. Numerous industries have been highly affected as imports and exports have come to a complete standstill. Among the many industries, travel and tourism is the one which has been hit the hardest and countries which GDPs greatly rely on tourism are struggling to surface back to where they were financially before the calamity.

Personal Hygiene

As we are now moving towards embracing the ways of new normal – learning to live amidst the spread of the pandemic, numerous precautionary measures and safety practices are being implemented and adapted into the daily routines of people around the globe. Hygiene practices such as washing hands occasionally, wearing a mask all the time when you are out in public places, maintaining a distance of at least a meter from others, are being followed by many and they are already being instilled on to people’s daily routines.

Laws and regulation

Travel laws and regulations are being changed drastically to ensure safety and to curb the spread of the virus. Many countries now request a COVID 19 report during the visa approval process and tourist destinations around the globe have decided to not offer visas on arrival. Some nations have also gone to the extent of enforcing hygiene practices for if a person fails to follow them would be fined or face other types of penalties and punishments.

The future

The scene of the future of travel, although seems a bit bleak during this time, there are occasional glimmers of victory in the news media of nations succeeding in the battle against the pandemic. Some countries have already opened their gates for tourists and numerous resort establishments are already preparing to receive guests with upgraded health and safety practices. For example, Oman Resort properties the likes of Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort now use enhanced cleaning technology and have digitalized most of its operations so that you won’t have to interact with others directly. There is now a lot of hope that things would return to normal very soon.

Hiking in Al Hajar Mountains

Trekking to North-eastern Oman will bring you to the wonderful Al Hajar mountain range which provides a wealth of tales to learn of. Having served as a barrier which prevented foreign invasions from overpowering Oman, this mountain range is by far the most stunning of its kind in order for adventure enthusiasts to set about for some hiking. Easily reachable from most Oman resort properties such as Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort, some of the more frequented hiking trails can be found in regions such as Jabal Shams and Jabal Akhdar where warm, searing temperatures would greet hikers by day before more freezing climes would tend to take over the minute the sun begins to go into hiding.

While hiking in this region would be better with the aid of a guide, journeying to these parts from wherever you maybe based would have to be done in a robust 4×4 which could easily navigate this terrain with no fuss at all. First up is the Balcony Hike which can be enjoyed in Jabal Shams and takes approximately 4 hours to complete though the views of Oman that will be at your disposal would quite simply leave you breathless. Though moderate in nature, this hiking experience will lead you past abandoned villages while guiding you across a well-marked out trail along the rim of a canyon. If you do keep your eyes peeled for sudden surprises then you will be treated to the odd sight of hidden waterfalls that only add to the charm of the journey. Next up would be the region demarcated as the Western portion of the Al Hajar Mountains that hold its own secrets and fascinations. Walking on top of cliffs and savouring the cool mountain air may seem like the best feeling in the world right now but do make it a point to venture deeper, into parts that have been lost to the modern world. Moving into the wadis in this part will lead you into a collection of old villages where no trace of life can be found but the stillness and eerie silence of these once thriving communities will welcome you to a side of Oman which has now been forgotten though in terms of a hiking experience, is “just up one’s street,” so to speak. However though carrying your camera would be a pre-requisite, so too would be your trusty canister of water as you must not be placed in a position where you would be caught out by the weather in these regions.

Auburn Silver is a travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world. Google+