Oman Tours from Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Oman is the closest foreign holiday most UAE residents can take, and it feels very different: fjords and fishing villages in Musandam, a calm capital with mountains behind it in Muscat, and green monsoon hills in Salalah while the Gulf is at its hottest. You can drive to Musandam and Muscat, or fly to either city in about an hour or two.

• 01

  Day trip: Musandam

  A long day out from Dubai: drive to Khasab or Dibba, a few hours on a dhow in the fjords with swimming and dolphins, and back for dinner. From Abu Dhabi, add a night so the drive is not all in one day.

• 02

  Weekend: Muscat

  Two or three nights for the Grand Mosque, Muttrah Souq and the Corniche, with a wadi or a fort on the last day. By road from Dubai or Al Ain, or a one-hour flight from Abu Dhabi.

• 03

  Longer: Salalah and the interior

  Three or four nights in Salalah for the khareef, beaches and frankincense sites, or five nights combining Muscat, Nizwa, Jebel Akhdar and the Wahiba Sands.

Oman fits the UAE calendar well. Musandam and Muscat work for a normal weekend, and Salalah is the classic Eid al-Adha and summer escape. Over the winter long weekends, Oman is one of the trips we book most for families who want a change without a long flight; see our National Day holiday packages for dates. To ask about any trip type, WhatsApp +971 54 525 6521 with your dates and where you are starting from.

Musandam is the Omani peninsula at the tip of the Strait of Hormuz, cut off from the rest of Oman by the UAE. Its mountains drop straight into the sea, forming inlets often called the fjords of Arabia. You see them from a dhow, a traditional wooden boat with carpets and cushions on deck.

1. 01

   Early morning: pickup

   The drive to Khasab passes through Ras Al Khaimah to the border.

2. 02

   Mid-morning: the border

   Passports are checked on both sides.

3. 03

   Late morning: board the dhow

   The dhow sails into Khor Ash Sham, the longest of the inlets, past cliffs and small fishing villages reached only by boat. Dolphins often swim alongside in the morning.

4. 04

   Midday: Telegraph Island and swimming

   A stop near Telegraph Island, where the British ran a cable station in the 1860s, for swimming and snorkelling in clear water. Lunch is served on board.

• Bring your passport, Emirates ID, swimwear, a towel, sun cream and a hat
• The sea is calmest from October to May; summer days are very hot on deck

Want the Musandam day trip? WhatsApp us your date and the number of adults and children, and we confirm the pickup point and the border documents for each passport.

• 01

  Wadi Darbat

  A valley with a lake, seasonal waterfalls and caves, with pedal boats in the khareef. The most popular stop on every Salalah tour.

• 02

  Ayn Razat and the springs

  Spring-fed pools and gardens east of the city, with Ayn Athum and Ayn Khor nearby. At their fullest after the rains.

• 03

  Al Mughsail and Marneef Cave

  A long beach west of Salalah, with blowholes in the rocks that spray seawater high into the air, and the Marneef Cave headland with a boardwalk.

• 04

  Jebel Samhan and the east

  Mountain viewpoints over Dhofar, the Tawi Attair sinkhole, baobab trees, the Anti-Gravity Point, Mirbat Castle and the old frankincense port of Sumhuram.

• 05

  Salalah city

  Al Baleed and the Museum of the Frankincense Land, Al Haffa Souq for frankincense and perfumes, the Nabi Imran tomb, and coconut and banana farms selling fresh juice by the road.

Outside the khareef, from October to March, Salalah is dry, warm and quieter, with clear water at the beaches and lower hotel prices. The hills are brown rather than green, but the coast and the frankincense sites are easy to tour in the mild weather. Ask us on WhatsApp for Salalah dates and we send both seasons' prices.

GCC citizens enter Oman without a visa. Other UAE residents need an Oman visa or entry permission, either on arrival at the border or airport, or as an eVisa approved before the trip.

We check every passport before you book. The full process, documents and fees are on our Oman visa for UAE residents page.

1. 01

   Choose the trip

   Musandam, Muscat or Salalah, and whether you drive, are driven or fly. Tell us your dates and where you start from.

2. 02

   Send your passports

   WhatsApp a photo of each passport and residence visa. We check the Oman entry route for each traveller.

3. 03

   Get the quote and confirm

   We send the plan, price and inclusions.

4. 04

   Travel

   Vouchers, pickup times, driver details and border guidance a day or two before you go.

Visit us at Office 329A, 3rd Floor, Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi, next to du and opposite Spinneys, with free parking. We have been open since 20 May 2020 and are rated 4.6 on Google from about 280 reviews. We take cards and NFC mobile payments. Looking further afield? Browse all our holiday packages from Abu Dhabi.