I had no intention of writing a separate article on
Transportation in Oman because our solution was very clear: rent a car. However, since there are so many details about driving, and Muscat Since I had to give half of our travel money to taxis during the three days I spent without a car in , I wanted to talk about this at length.. Before I start, I must say that Oman has been the country we had the most difficulty in transportation!
Intra-City Transportation in Muscat
Oman’s capital, Muscat, is a city spread widely along the coastline.. When you look at the map, the places that seem close to each other are actually quite far.. I normally have the capacity to walk 22 km a day while traveling.. Although I tried to walk as much as I could to reduce transportation costs, I must say that walking in Muscat is not comfortable at all.. The biggest problem is the absence of pedestrian crossings on the main roads.. A road that you expect to walk in 10 minutes takes half an hour while trying to find a light to cross.. Fortunately, some drivers are very polite, they give way when they see you waiting.. However, it is necessary to use a vehicle to see the places to visit in the city.
I have detailed the alternatives you can use below.. If none of them suits you, two other alternatives you can use for Muscat and its surroundings: Rent a car with driver or join tours.. Many tour companies have daily tour packages or 3-4 day tour packages to cover the valleys in Sur.. You can choose the one that suits you.
Mwasalat Buses / Transportation in Oman
Mwasalat, the official bus company of Oman, has two different options: Muscat city domestic buses and intercity buses throughout Oman.
There is no rail system or minibus alternative in Muscat. The only public transportation alternative that can be used to get around the city center is Mwasalat buses.. The history of these buses is not very old and they have a very limited line for now.. Waiting time varies between 20-30 minutes. Although it says on the official website that you can pay for the ticket when you get on the bus, I am not sure of the accuracy of the information because I did not use it.. Click for more information about lines and ticket prices.
When you want to take a bus from Muscat to other cities, you can use Mwasalat buses.. There are even buses from Dubai to Muscat.. Although we thought about using the bus to go from Muscat to Salalah, we gave up after we learned that there are frequent accidents on the roads going south.. I also came across a lot of comments that it is not very comfortable.. Sometimes the vents don’t work. Click here to find out which cities you can use and to get more information about ticket details.
Hop on-Hop off Buses (Bigbus Muscat)
In Muscat One of the transportation alternatives that can be preferred to visit the main touristic points in the city is the red tourist buses that you can see in many cities.. As in Cape Town, after buying a daily ticket, you can take the bus and take a 2-hour city tour without getting off at all, or you can get off at the intermediate stops and then take the next bus and continue on your way.. There is only one route in Muscat and the daily fee is $67.8. The price was too high for me and I didn’t choose to take a taxi because I thought I could travel more economically.. It can be an easy alternative for those who don’t want the hassle of making plans.. Click for more information.
Taxi / Transportation in Oman
Taximeters do not work in Muscat except airport taxis. Therefore, the pricing is made according to the “at your own discretion” system.. Since all taxi drivers are Omani, they charge very high prices for taxis.. You have to bargain all the time and you pay figures that will blow your mind.. In the days when we were without a car, we finally managed to find suitable solutions, as we used a taxi and planted a fig tree in our quarry as the only remedy.
There is no Uber or Careem application in Oman.. The Marhaba Taxi application, which will replace these applications, was launched last year, but it does not work effectively.. The best alternative is a similar app Otaxi-Oman Taxi. I highly recommend using Otaxi wherever you will use a taxi.. (We gave 2 OMR with Otaxi to where we gave 7 OMR in our regular taxi, there is such a difference!) This application works both in Muscat and Salalah.. You may have to wait a little longer as there are fewer taxis in Salalah, but don’t be discouraged, a taxi will come eventually.. It may be a problem to call the airport because airport taxi drivers have taken over and they do not allow taxi drivers from outside.. Of course, there is a solution to this too.
First of all, let me explain why you shouldn’t use airport taxis.. Airport taxis opening fee is 3 OMR ($7.8) during the day, 3.6 OMR ($9.3) after 10 PM. No bargaining and is charged with the taximeter system. We stayed at the hotels closest to the airport and still had to pay 7 OMR ($18) taxi fare. The most suitable alternative for getting from Muscat Airport to the city center by taxi is: Instead of going out directly after getting off the plane, you should go to the “Departure” section, that is, to agree with the taxi drivers who come to drop off passengers.. With a good bargain, you can go to the city for a much cheaper price.. Or you can try calling Otaxi to the “Outgoing passenger” section.
The system is different in Salalah.. Airport taxis are affiliated with a company and have a pricing system by region.. After leaving the airport, you pay the taxi driver after you stop by the company and buy a ticket for the region you are going to.. Unfortunately, you can’t play the “Outgoing passenger” card here because they both have the same exit, you’re stuck with airport taxis.. Getting to the city center is between 7-10 OMR ($18-26).
You have a very difficult time and you want to take a taxi from the road… Then try to negotiate with one of the orange taxis.. Since blue taxis are connected to a hotel or shopping mall, they move within a certain area and when they go outside of it, the price increases a lot.. Although there is no taximeter, you cannot get a lot of discounts because they have a certain tariff.. However, orange taxis are more flexible on price as they move throughout the city.
Hire a Car in Oman / Transport in Oman
For transportation in Oman The most comfortable and economical alternative is to rent a car.. If you do not intend to go to Jebel Akdar or unheard of valleys around Muscat, you do not need to rent a 4×4, you can easily reach everywhere by normal vehicle.. In Salalah, you may need a 4×4 vehicle, especially during monsoons.. If you intend to go to the desert, you should either go on a tour or take an experienced driver with you.
No documents other than a driver’s license and passport are required to rent a car in Oman.. Since we already have an international driver’s license, we did not have any problems with the driver’s license.. “How to get an international driver’s license?” Click to read the article.
We rented our vehicle in Muscat from Europcar company. We paid a total of 41 OMR ($106) as a 3-day rental. In addition, a deposit of 150 OMR ($390) was taken from the credit card, to be paid back within 15 days of delivery of the vehicle.
We made a choice accordingly since we needed a 4×4 in Salalah and We found the most suitable tool from Interrent company. We used Europcar’s car even though we rented cheaper as it is a subsidiary of Europcar.. We paid a total of 65 OMR ($169) as a 3-day rental fee. In addition, a deposit of 250 OMR ($650) was taken from the credit card, to be paid back within 21 days of delivery.
What you need to know about car rental and driving:
* It is very important to make the reservation before you arrive, because there are not many car rental companies at the airport, you may not be able to find a car when you try to arrange it last minute.
* Google and Apple maps do not give directions in Oman, your destination you can only see the path as a preview. There is no problem as the roads are clearer outside the city, but there is a serious problem when traveling in the city center because especially Muscat is a highly developed city and its roads are equally developed. The “Here we go” app gives directions, but some addresses are also misspelled.. You should also check it on Google.
* The main problem is that most roads in city centers are newly built and have not been mapped yet.. The healthiest way to go to a touristic point is to follow the signage.. Getting GPS from car rental companies can make your job easier.
* The roads from Muscat to Sur are very smooth, I don’t think you will have any problems while driving, but then the roads going south start to deteriorate.. That’s why we chose to go from Muscat to Salalah by plane instead of driving.. All roads have been renewed in the city center of Salalah. The roads leading to the waterfalls are largely clean. The road to the border with Yemen is a bit troublesome. The need for a 4×4 arises when you want to go off-road.
* Be prepared to encounter camels and goats, even on the highway. Sometimes you have to wait on the road because of a camel in front of you.
* You can often find gas stations on intercity roads on the north side, but this number decreases as you move south. “Fill where you can.” they say. In addition, places to eat are usually called “Coffee Shops”, places that give everything except coffee but mostly appeal to truckers.. I think it’s better to shop from a central place and hit the road.
* The straight roads in the middle of the desert are extremely boring and there’s really nothing to see! That’s why there are always accidents on the road on the south side, because the drivers are sleeping… Keep everything to keep you awake with you.
* Except for a few in Salalah, all traffic signs are in both Arabic and English. Speed control is done by radar and the roads with speed limits are very clear.. You can drive at a maximum speed of 120 km/h on the highway.
* The tolerance for drunk driving is 0%, but it seems like there is nothing to worry about because it’s not that easy to find alcohol anyway
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