Advice changes quickly. Check it before you travel and again before you leave.
Prices here are about 47% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Sources disagree on the details of the visa rules, which depend on your passport. Before booking, consult the nearest Omani embassy or the e-Visa portal of the Royal Oman Police. Use the official site alone for applying, and avoid paid middlemen. A passport with at least 6 months of validity should be brought.
A conservative and very welcoming Muslim country, Oman expects modest dress in public, with shoulders and knees covered, and at beaches outside resorts too. Alcohol is available only in hotels and restaurants that are licensed, and drinking in public or driving after drinking is never acceptable. Eating, drinking or smoking in public should be avoided in daylight during Ramadan. Permission should be asked before photographing people, women in particular; military sites must not be photographed, and drones need a permit. The weekend falls on Friday-Saturday. Visitors to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque should follow its dress code, under which women cover their hair. Flash floods when it rains and extreme heat are hazards in the wadis and desert, and dune driving calls for a licensed guide. Halal food is available everywhere.
9999 for police, ambulance and fire.
UK advice says Omani law makes no distinction between soft and hard drugs, and some offenders face the death penalty. Alcohol may be bought and drunk in licensed venues such as hotels, but drinking or being drunk in public is illegal, and vaping products are banned. Dress should be modest, with swimwear only at tourist beaches and pools. Photographing some government and military sites is illegal, and drones need a licence.
In Oman, Canadian travel advice says to ride only in officially marked taxis. It also advises negotiating the fare beforehand or insisting that the driver use the meter, since you may otherwise be overcharged.
Licensed taxi apps named by Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology are Otaxi, Yango, Marhaba, Oman Taxi, Taxi Muscat, Taxi F, Hala Taxi and Tasleem Taxi. According to the ministry, passengers can view the trip fare beforehand and follow the driver in real time, and it urges the public to avoid unlicensed services.
local government
Helps with: Oman's tourism ministry. Its headquarters contact page lists phone numbers and email for inquiries, and the ministry's website has a suggestions and complaints section.
Who qualifies: Anyone visiting Oman or planning a trip there.
Phone: +968 22088000
Email: [email protected]
Address: P.O. Box 200, P.C. 115 Madinat Al-Sultan Qaboos, Muscat, Al Khuwair, Thaqafah St
local government
Helps with: Oman's national police. Its website has a general email, a phone directory page and a map of police stations. No tourist police unit is shown there.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Oman who needs police services.
Phone: 9999
Email: [email protected]
embassy
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. This official list gives each mission's email, phone and address; some missions are based in other countries.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or consulate.
MuscatLying between mountains and sea, the capital has Mutrah Souq, a seafront corniche and the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.Photo: Tristan, CC BY 2.0
NizwaCrafts souq, Friday livestock market and a round-towered fort give this historic inland town its fame.Photo: Andries Oudshoorn, CC BY-SA 2.0
SalalahWaterfalls, beaches and frankincense sites draw visitors to this southern city, which turns green during the khareef monsoon season.Photo: StellarD, CC BY-SA 3.0
Wahiba SandsTall orange dunes make up this desert, where visitors go camel riding, drive 4x4 vehicles and camp overnight beneath starry skies.Photo: Aidas U., CC BY 3.0
Jebel AkhdarCanyon views, rose gardens and terraced villages mark this cool mountain plateau, which contrasts with the hot lowlands.Photo: Philipp Weigell, CC BY 3.0
MusandamSnorkelling and dolphin spotting are part of exploring the fjord-like inlets of this northern peninsula by traditional dhow boat.Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mccaffrey_uk/, CC BY-SA 2.0
festival
In Muscat's parks, this winter festival offers lights, shows and food.
nature
The mountains are green and misty while Arabia elsewhere is hot, and the hotels are full of Gulf families.
festival
In Muscat's parks, this winter festival offers lights, shows and food.