Arrival by PlaneMost travellers will enter Oman through Muscat International Airport. Much smaller than the large modern airports of the Emirates, Muscat Airport may not be as pretty but it works well. At present, all gates are bus gates; however, a new terminal is currently being built, due to be completed 2015. On arrival at the airport, most international travellers will need to buy a visa on arrival. Queue for the Travelex money exchange to buy rials, but also to buy your visa (tourist visa costs 5 OMR). Then move over to the immigration queue for entry to the sultanate. Your luggage will probably be waiting for you by the time you get to the reclaim area - if travelling business class make sure to check the area between the belts as your case may have been removed for you. Fixed-price taxis are available from the arrivals hall. Taxis in Oman are not yet metered, so fixed fee cars are useful.
Salalah Airport in the south of the country offers regional flights to/from Muscat, the UAE, Doha, Jeddah and India. |
Travel by CarOman has a relatively high rate of car accidents with speeding being the main cause of crashes. On average, someone is injured in a road accident every hour, with one fatality every 8 hours. As such, it is probably best to travel with a local driver (and if you find one you trust, book him for the rest of your trip).
For many roads in the interior, including the trip to Jabal Akhdar, a 4x4 is required due to the steep mountain trails. This will be enforced by a police checkpoint, where you can also receive advice about road conditions if required. There are currently no metered taxis in Muscat (although there are calls to change this) and fares are expensive compared to the UAE, especially if you are travelling from a 5* hotel and are obviously a tourist. |