Oman

The Sultanate of Oman surprises with wildly rugged high mountains, deep canyons, idyllic oases, blooming rose gardens and extensive plantations. Endless expanses characterize the fascinating sand and gravel deserts. The 3,165 km of coastline is characterized by the varied rhythm of white beaches and steep cliffs. Muscat is the perfect introduction to Oman and, in addition to the traditional, historic districts of Mutrah and Muscat, is a young city with impressive, modern Arabian architecture that has emerged in the last 30 years.

The "Capital Area" now stretches around 50 kilometers along the coast.
Between mosques and palaces, the view of the glowing sea opens up again and again. In the souk of Mutrah, the air is filled with the scent of frankincense, the most expensive luxury good of antiquity from southern Oman. Colorful fabrics, the finest cloths, gold and silver jewelry, but also household goods, shoes, toys and all kinds of more or less handcrafted items are traded. The traces of 5000 years of maritime trading tradition are also omnipresent here.
It is only a few minutes' walk from the souk to the fruit and fish market. In the early hours of the morning, the fishermen unload their catch directly at the pier - a noisy, colorful hustle and bustle that is worth getting up early for!

Historic Muscat lies in a small sheltered rocky bay: "Muscat" means anchorage and was once of great importance as a stopover on the way to India. It is still the seat of the Sultan today. His colorful palace is flanked by two old Portuguese fortresses. The Bait al Zubair Museum and the Muscat Gate Museum bear interesting witness to this bygone era. The city is dominated by the large Sultan Qaboos Mosque, which was opened in 2001 and is particularly impressive when illuminated at night.

From the coast to the mountains
From today's capital, it is 160 kilometers inland to the former capital. At the foot of Jebel Akhdar, the "Green Mountain", in the Hajar Mountains, surrounded by endless palm groves, lies the oasis of Nizwa, the capital in the 6th and 7th centuries and still a spiritual and cultural center of the country today. The main attraction is the large souk with its animal market, where every Friday there is loud haggling over goats, sheep and cows.
The Hajar Mountains impress with terraced fields on steep slopes, grandiose gorges and canyons, imposing fortresses and palaces as well as idyllic mountain villages. At an altitude of around 2,000 meters, where temperatures are no longer a humid 35 degrees, the mountain village of Al-Ayn is lined with neatly laid out terraced beds, apple and fig trees grow, garlic is cultivated and the roses that are known worldwide for the luxury perfume "Amouage" produced in the sultanate bloom. Thanks to two luxury hotels, the Alila and the Anantara, on Jebel Akhdar, you can enjoy this unique mountain world in extreme comfort.

In Oman's south
Speaking of temperatures: when the Arabian Peninsula is sweltering in summer, thousands of tourists from the Gulf States seek refuge from the heat in Salalah, in the south of Oman. From July to September, this coastal strip is shrouded in thick fog and drizzle by the foothills of the monsoon. "Khareef" is the name given to the period of the southwest monsoon. The vegetation in the mountains explodes, waterfalls cascade down into the valley - a cool green paradise in the middle of a blazing furnace. Salalah, the "Shining One", stretches for 15 kilometers along an endless sandy beach, fringed by a belt of subtropical plantations. Bananas and papayas grow particularly abundantly under the green canopy of coconut palms. No wonder that a tourist zone with a marina and comfortable hotels has developed around the country's second largest city and capital of the Dhofar governorate in recent years. Finally, Salalah Beach is also ideal for all kinds of surface and underwater sports.

Deserts from 1,001 nights
Not far away, in the mountains, lies Wadi Dawkah, an inhospitable rocky desert where the shaggy frankincense trees grow as they once did. Even today, frankincense is omnipresent in Oman's everyday life and the archaeological sites along the Frankincense Route bear witness to its former wealth.
Large parts of the province of Dhofar and Oman are desert. Many visitors from the Emirates drive their powerful SUVs the 1,000-kilometer route from Muscat to Salalah via the well-developed "desert highway". Along the border with Saudi Arabia, the majestic dune mountains of the Rub al-Khali, the "Empty Quarter", push far into Omani territory. But there is an easier way: just under three hours' drive from Muscat, the Wahiba Desert, also known as Ash Sharqiya Sands, is an easily accessible excursion destination. The Bedouins still roam the endless expanse of the sea of sand with their camels, goats and mobile palm branch huts. Exploring this breathtaking landscape under the expert guidance of a Bedouin and spending the night under the stars is one of the highlights of a trip to Oman - especially as trips into the desert with romantic nights under the stars are now also offered in the luxurious "glamping" version.

CC travel tip:
Wild Musandam
The Musandam region is an exclave in the far north of Oman, surrounded by the territory of the United Arab Emirates.
Here, the foothills of the Hajar Mountains drop steeply into the sea and form a unique coastal landscape with pristine bays and fjords. Some of Oman's greatest diving spots are also located on this remote, rugged stretch of coastline with a multitude of small offshore islands. The journey to this natural paradise is arduous. Although there are some flights, most people travel by 4WD jeep over gravel roads and through untouched mountain landscapes. Alternatively, the route can also be covered by boat across the sea. The easiest way, however, is to travel via Dubai or Ras al Khaimah with a subsequent transfer.
With the Six Senses Zighy Bay (see Check In, p. 115), the peninsula has one of the most luxurious hotels in the entire sultanate.

Highlights

■ Experience Muscat privately
DERTOUR Deluxe offers attractive private excursions with driver and guide. The offer includes: city tours in Muscat with a visit to the vegetable market and cooking class, luxury yacht tours with dolphin/whale watching and BBQ on the beach as well as trips through the mountains with wadi visits. www.dertour.de/deluxe

DIPLOMATISCHE VERTRETUNGEN

in Germany
Embassy of Oman
Clayallee 82, 14195 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 8100510
Fax: +49 30 81005199
www.oman-embassy.de

in Austria
Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman
Währinger Straße 2-4/24-25, 1090 Vienna
Tel. +43 1 310864344
Fax: +43 1 3107268
E-Mail: embassy.oman@chello.at

Lage

Sultanat Oman

Fläche

309.500 km2

Bevölkerung

3,632 Millionen

Sprache

Arabisch

Anreise

Erst in diesem Frühjahr wurde am Flughafen von Muscat ein neues Terminal eröffnet. Die Airline des Sultanats, Oman Air www.omanair.com,fliegt direkt von München und Frankfurt nach Muscat. Inlandsflüge, etwa nach Salalah, werden ebenfalls von Oman Air durchgeführt. Auch andere Airlines fliegen den Oman an: Qatar Airways www.qatarairways.comhat beispielsweise täglich sehr gute Verbindungen von Berlin, München und Frankfurt über Doha nach Muscat. Aber auch die KLM oder Turkish Airlines bieten Flüge in den Oman an. Nach Salalah geht es auch von Frankfurt, München, Düsseldorf, Wien und Zürich –beispielsweise mit Emirates und Fly Dubai über Dubai.

Hauptstadt

Nutmeg

Religion

Islam, predominantly Ibadites; other religions are respected

Weather

Im Winter liegen die Temperaturen im Norden bei etwa 25° Celsius, das Wasser ist angenehm warm, nur hin und wieder kommt es zu gewitterartigen Schauern. Im Sommer dagegen sind Temperaturen von über 40° die Regel, im Landesinneren sogar bis zu 50°. Die Küste der Südprovinz Dhofar wird zwischen Juni und September von Monsunausläufern gestreift. Diese hüllen die Region in dichten Nebel und Nieselregen (Kharif Season), der das Küstengebirge subtropisch ergrünen lässt. Wegen der starken Strömung im Sommer, kann an der Südküste Omans nur im Winter im Meer gebadet werden. Die Durchschnittstemperatur im Süden liegt ganzjährig bei cirka 30° Celsius.

Beste Reisezeit

Die beste Reisezeit für den Oman liegt zwischen Oktober und April mit Temperaturen zwischen Mitte 20 und 30 Grad. Im Sommer kann es weit über 40 Grad werden – in den Bergen ist es jedoch generell merklich kühler als in Muscat. Ausnahme: Salalah wird in den Sommermonaten von den Ausläufern des Monsuns gestreift. Das ist dann Hochsaison für Urlauber aus den arabischen Nachbarländern.
Die Küstenstadt Quriat hält im Übrigen den Rekord für die heißeste Nacht auf unserem Planeten. Die Temperatur sank am 26. Juni 2018 nicht unter 42,6 Grad Celsius, tagsüber wurden 49,8° Celsius gemessen.

Klima

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperaturen	25	26	29	34	39	40	38	36	36	35	30	27
Min. Temperaturen	17	17	21	24	29	31	30	28	27	24	21	18
Sonnenstunden	8	9	8	10	12	11	10	10	10	10	10	9
Regentage	3	5	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	3

Zeitverschiebung

MEZ: +3 Stunden

Währung

Ein omanischer Rial entspricht derzeit etwa 2,30 Euro. Kreditkarten werden überall akzeptiert.

Visa

Achtung: Für die Einreise wird ein elektronisches Visum benötigt, das auf der Homepage
der Royal Oman Police evisa.rop.gov.om beantragt werden kann.
Am Flughafen werden keine Visa mehr erteilt.

EU-Bürger benötigen einen Sichtvermerk, der bei der Omanischen Botschaft oder direkt bei der Einreise in den Oman beantragt werden kann. Der Reisepass muss bei Visaerteilung bzw. Einreise in den Oman noch mindestens sechs Monate gültig sein. (Ausnahme: Ein zwischen Oman und dem Emirat Dubai geschlossenes Sichtvermerksabkommen besagt, dass EU-Bürger, die aus dem Emirat Dubai kommend in den Oman einreisen wollen und über einen gültigen Sichtvermerk verfügen, der von den Behörden des Emirates Dubai erteilt wurde, mit diesem auch in das Sultanat Oman einreisen und sich maximal drei Wochen im Oman aufhalten dürfen.)
Hält man sich über den im Visum genannten Zeitraum im Oman auf, wird für jeden Tag, der durch das Visum nicht gedeckt ist, eine Geldstrafe von OMR 10,- verhängt.