10 Reasons to go to Oman
- Oman has many great spots for kitesurfing and they are not as crowded as many other spots around the world, most of the time it is just you or with a maximum 5 other kiters
- 25-30 knots from June to September
- Wild camping is legal and free in Oman
- You can camp right on the kite spot
- The temperature is 25-30 °C at Masirah Island (it is hotter inland, more like 30-40 °C!)
- Gas is super cheap
- Car rental is pretty cheap
- People are super friendly and we have not had one bad or scary experience
- You can swim with whale sharks
- You can kitesurf with turtles
- The ONE wavespot in Masirah (if you’re into wave surfing)
Preparation:
It was already some time ago, but Lennart and I went to Oman in July 2019 to have an adventure there. After having stayed in Egypt for 5 weeks we went to Oman to stay there for 3 weeks and 3 weeks was way too short! We flew to Muscat with all our kitesurfing gear and rented an suv there. Originally we had booked a smaller car, but the renting company gave us a bigger car for the same price, just because it was available. The people of Oman are super friendly, we found out. Lennart was the only one able to drive since I was too young (20 at the time).
Our first night in Oman we had booked a room at a hotel to prepare for the trip. The next day we bought a tent and camping gear at a hypermarket. You can buy it at several stores such as LuLu or Carrefour. You can, of course, also bring your own. If you buy it just like we did, please make sure not to dump it after your trip, which is terrible for the environment! You can sell it, gift it, donate it or take it home and use it again.
What camping gear did we bring?
- a tent
- an air mattress and pump (we used our kite pump of course)
- a sleeping bag/ blanket (only needed in Masirah Island, more inland it was way to hot)
- bbq with coals
- camp stove
- cooking equipment (I think we just bought a pan, a knife, a fork and some plates)
- biodegradable soap/ shampoo (I brought a shampoo bar from home)
- car cigarette plug charger (to charge the phones)
- bin bags
- bowel-trowel
- camping chairs
- food (we survived on oats, bread, fruits for breakfast/lunch with tea and coffee and bread, noodles and vegetables from the bbq for dinner) Also there are lots of places to get some nice cheap food like curry or dahl from indian restaurants.
After having packed our car with camping gear, water, food and our kitesurfing equipment we made our way south. Driving in Oman is super easy, google maps works just fine, just be careful not to run a red light, since you will have to spend the night in jail if you do.
Tips for driving in Oman:
- always follow the speed limit, there are many traffic cameras (less outside Muscat of course and the locals do not always follow the speed limit there)
- never run a red light
- no road rage allowed, or you will also end up in jail (the Omanis are very respectful people)
- watch out for speed bumps, they are everywhere!
- watch out for camels on the road outside of Muscat
- 4×4 is sometimes very helpful if you go exploring, we have got stuck on the beach once with our suv.. while tide was coming up…(luckily we were saved by some very friendly Omani)
Wild camping spots in Oman
Without a 4×4 the wild camping spots are limited.
The first night wild camping was terrible. We went to a wild camping spot which we had seen on a blog which was supposed to be very idyllic and also looked beautifully, from a distance. But in reality it was littered with plastic everywhere, the rocks were pretty uncomfortable, it was super close to a hotel and it was soooo hot! That night when we slept in our tent, we couldn’t really sleep because our sweat was literally raining on us from the condensation on our tent. Worst night ever. We were wondering whether this whole trip was a mistake.
The second night we slept at an amazing and clean spot at the coast, the Hidden Beach. It was still hot, but there was more wind and we slept partially outside the tent under the stars. Location: Hidden beach, 242C+2R7, Unnamed Road, Bimma, Oman.
Kitesurfing with turtles at Ras al Hadd
The first time kitesurfing in Oman was at the lagoon of Ras al Hadd. Watch out for the turtles! They were curious and stuck their head out of the water and you don’t want to hit them. The lagoon is a nice flat water spot that we had all to ourselves. The wind was great 20-25 knots.
It is not allowed to camp on the beaches where the turtles are hatching their eggs such as Ras al Hadd or Ras al Jinz. So we stayed in a hotel for one night, because we didn’t want to sleep on the rocky ground with our poor air mattresses.
Kitesurfing and camping at Masirah island
After Ras al Hadd we drove to the ferry that would take us to Masirah island in one day.
When we arrived at the island it was late in the evening and we found the kite camp where we stayed eventually in the dark. The kite camp was very cozy and right at a kitespot, so we went kitesurfing right away the next morning when we woke up. After this session we went on our way to explore the island and the many kitespots it has to offer. With wind ranging from 25 to 40 knots Masirah island has many kitespots to discover.
On the west of the island you can find all flat water spots, some a bit choppier and some totally sheltered, with butterflat water perfect for freestyle, depending on the wind. They are very beginner friendly with sandy beaches to launch your kite. You can drive everywhere and camp right on the kitespot here. The east side of the island is more of an advanced and wave spot with rocky beaches and cliffs. We stayed here for about 10 days, but could have stayed here for a few weeks. Just waking up every day at the kitespot, making some coffee and breakfast, and going kitesurfing right away.
Camping at Masirah was the easiest with all the beautiful sand beaches. You can camp right at the kitespot. We camped almost every night at the same spot because we enjoyed it and the kitespot there so much. Keep in mind though that the wind doesn’t stop during the evening, so it makes cooking more of a challenge. We ended up cooking mostly near some abandoned fishing houses sheltered from the wind.
On the way to the kite spots also don’t forget the…
- Wadis
We went to two nice wadis, Wadi Shab and Wadi Bani Khalid. The wadis can be quite busy on weekends since the locals are also visiting them at that time. They are both really worth the time to visit, it’s really an oasis compared to the otherwise rocky and sandy landscape of Oman. It can also be a lovely refreshing dive in the transparent waters of the wadis which almost look like swimming pools.
The entrance of Wadi Shab is very easy to find, also on google maps. When driving on the highway you drive to the bridge and park your car at the parking spots which are free. After having parked your car you have to take a boat ride across the river which costs 1 rial and has to be paid in cash. The wadi consists of a 45 min walk towards three pools and make sure to reach the last one as there is a secret cave and waterfall hidden which you can reach by a rope ladder. (Only go here of course if you are a good swimmer!) There is also some climbing which you can do to reach a pool above the waterfall.
The hike itself is beautiful, through the lush green vegetation, the big canyon and alongside the clear blue water. It really is a hike with some slippery and climbing elements so make sure to wear hiking boots, or at least something you will be able to climb with.
Wadi Bani Khalid is a wadi which does not require a hike. You can reach Wadi Bani Khalid by walking just 5 min from where you park the car. The first pool is big and also has a restaurant on the side where you can get some food, drinks or ice cream. This pool can also be busy and touristy, but the upper pools which are 10 minutes walking from here are much quieter and beautiful. Be sure to check them out!
- Although it is tempting, don’t go camping in the wadis, the water level can rise very quickly in case of rain!
- Out of respect for the locals, avoid wearing a bikini especially on the weekends when local families visit the wadis. Cover up with a lycra or a one piece suit.
- Dhow boats in Sur
When you drive to Ras al Hadd, make sure to stop and have a look at the traditional Dhow boats in Sur. The sailing vessels were historically used for transporting heavy items along the coast of East-Arabia and Sur is famous for building the wooden boats.
- The whale sharks
My plan was also to go snorkeling or freediving in the sea at Masirah Island because I read there is a lot of wildlife there. But the visibility is terrible so really no chance. While at Masirah Island I was also researching whether I could go diving with dolphins in Oman since I know they are there. But when I reached out to dolphin tours they all answered me that these are wild animals and can only be seen from the boat and that you can not swim with them.
Then I came across Daymaniat Shells whale sharks tours in Muscat. We were a bit early in the season, we were there in August, but you have the best chance from September – November. You really don’t know of course, since they are, you know, wild animals and go wherever they want. But it really turned out to be the best experience ever.
Our captain Fahad, who is very passionate about nature and is a good freediver/ snorkeler himself (and also took amazing pictures underwater), knew a spot where the whale sharks like to hang out and all though it is no guarantee that the animals will be there, we got to dive with three of them. They were swimming around an underwater mountain of corals where they were feeding. Also we got to see manta rays, an octopus and many fishes and corals. So if you love wild life in the ocean as much as I do go check them out!
- Visiting the markets in Muscat
When we were back in Muscat we also went to the traditional markets, the souks, which can also be very touristy. There were a lot of tourists walking with sleeveless tank tops and short shorts, which was weird to see after having gotten used to covering up ourselves out of respect for the locals. Which was funny because we could almost understand how the Omani were looking at these tourists. Anyway, the souks are charming and a cool experience to walk through. A lot of the stuff you see at the market is imported, but you can get the traditional crossed daggers here, a symbol of the sultanate, or nice dates, perfume without alcohol or spices.
What would we do differently if we would do this trip again?
- Go with a 4×4, it gives you the freedom to camp everywhere and go to all kitesurfing spots, no matter where they are
- Have more time there. We would have loved to stay longer at Masirah Island or to explore more kitesurf spots such as the flat water spot Bar al Hickman and others more to the south of Oman.
