As of March 24

Food

There are huge shopping malls near larger towns where you can buy everything you need for everyday use and much more.

Water

Water was not always easy to obtain. There are a lot of water points in urban areas, but they are only intended for a bottle of water. Oman produces drinking water from salt water. The water is then distributed throughout the country using a huge pipeline system. Water can be drawn from the local pumping stations using a kind of credit card. As a tourist, you can sometimes get water directly at these stations, but most of the time there is no tap that fits smaller connections. It is also possible to purchase water directly from a water tank truck.

Diesel

Diesel is not a problem in Oman. There are gas stations everywhere that always have diesel and are very cheap. We always fueled with premium diesel.

Money

The currency, the Omani Rial (OMR), is one of the few currencies that is worth more than one Swiss franc per unit. The exchange rate is fixed to the USD. The Rial is freely convertible and can be obtained via an ATM. However, in larger shops and especially at gas stations, payment with credit cards is always possible.

Overnight places

We didn’t see any official campsites in Oman. We have always had wild camping places. This is easily possible; the Omanis are very generous, and we could stand anywhere. However, we never stood in urban areas because those are not our aim.

Internet

With Omantel we could only buy data packages of 30 GB, which expired after four weeks. Now you can also buy 100GB for four weeks. The reception with 4G is exemplary, we always had network except in the desert.

Streets

The major roads always have at least four lanes and are separated by direction. To turn left you often have to drive to the next U-turn. Almost the entire country is asphalted, we always had to look for dirt roads, but of course these were the tracks that were really fun.

Regulations for heavy motor vehicles

We have not found any different regulations to Europe. The local trucks all have an orange flashing light mounted on the roof that they have to turn on at night. The intercity roads look appropriately lit at night.

Customs formalities

Entry

We entered Khatm Al Shiklah from the UAE. We were able to easily obtain the visa in advance via the Internet. There is a multi-entry visa and a single-entry visa. The first is valid for one year and entitles you to stay in the country for a maximum of ninety days, but only a maximum of thirty days is possible per entry; this cannot be extended, you have to leave the country to come back for the 2nd respectively 3rd time! The second visa is a normal thirty-day visa, which, however, can easily be extended twice after thirty days at any larger police station (or online) for another thirty days. When we arrived, the officer responsible for clearing the vehicle had a shift change in an hour, so he just made us wait an hour until his relief arrived because he was too lazy to clear something he doesn’t have to do every day. His colleague then wanted to stamp our Carnet de Passage (CdP), even though he had no idea where he had to stamp what.

Handling time: 3 hours

Visa fees: 178 EUR, vehicle insurance: 62 OMR

Exit

We left for the UAE at Bu Baqara. On weekends, export customs clearance is unoccupied and is actually closed. So for our CdP we had to go through the customs offices to the import side where it was stamped. A nice official showed us the way and explained the procedure. However, the actual transaction was very efficient and polite.

Handling time: 1 hour

Personal observations

We got to know the Omani people as very friendly and hospitable people. They are very approachable and open, but never bothered us, instead they waited for us to approach them. There are orthodox Islamists where women wear a niqab, where the face is almost completely covered except for a narrow slit for the eyes, but there are also Omani, who at least with the dress code are very western on the street.

Our personal highlights

1  Saiq Plateau, over the gorge, N23° 08.734′ E57° 32.215′
2 Route 42 im Jabal Samhan NP, scenic route, N17° 29.504′ E55° 13.597′
3 Natif Waterfalls, waterfall, N17° 28.548′ E55° 13.779′
4 Route 45 bis zur Air Base, scenic route, N17° 02.965′ E53° 21.379′
5 Wadi Shuwaimiya, Bathing pool, N17° 55.973′ E55° 31.588′
6 Rumaylah – Murri, enchanted valley, N23° 24.484′ E57° 03.033′
7 Al Khali-Wüste bei Alhisshiman, sandy desert, N18° 36.290′ E53° 06.072′

Our statistics

Average daily expenses for 2 people in CHF:

Food                                        22.24
Alcohol                                     2.71
HH non-food                             0.15
Clothes                                      0.18
Excursions                                2.63
Restaurant                                 4.63
Accommodation, campsite       0.00
Transport, road customs         19.76
Internet/phone                           2.61
Fees                                           4.67
Personal care                             0.00
1 liter diesel                              0.60