Which Day Trips from Muscat You Should Choose

As the gateway to Oman, Muscat is the first part of the country that travellers get to see. While there’s plenty to do in Muscat, there’s so much more to see to get a better sense of what Oman is like.

Day trips from Muscat are the best option for visitors looking to really experience Oman. We booked a bunch of the main tours to really explore, and this is my advice on which you should choose and why.

1. Wadi Shab

When it comes to my favourite day trip from Muscat, it has to be the incredible canyon of Wadi Shab.

A day trip to Wadi Shab is ideal if you want to experience Oman’s mountains and enjoy outdoor activities, particularly hiking and swimming.

It takes about 1.5 hours to drive to Wadi Shab from Muscat. From there, it’s a short boat ride into the canyon and then a pleasant hike between its rocky walls, with the occasional little burst of nature.

What makes Wadi Shab feel like such an adventure is that the final stretch involves swimming up a series of pools to reach a cave.

While it’s a lot of fun, I can get that the hike and somewhat challenging swim are not for everyone.

What’s good is that the full-day tour to Wadi Shab also includes a stop at Bimmah Sinkhole, a gentler swimming option in an easily accessible huge open-air cave.

Oman has lots of wadis, but this is one of the most popular and easiest to get to, so if you want to see one in Oman, Wadi Shab is the simple choice.

2. Ad Dimaniyat Islands

The biggest surprise when planning our trip to Oman was learning about the Ad Dimaniyat Islands.

These islands, just off the coast northwest of Muscat, are a common day trip option, offering visitors the chance to go snorkelling among the local marine life.

At this point, you probably already know how you feel about boats and open sea swimming. I will say that even if you’re not a strong swimmer, the life jackets, calm seas, and attentive captains make it feel far less intimidating.

The reward for jumping in the warm water around these mostly barren islands is what lies beneath the water.

I didn’t associate Oman with marine life, but it’s actually known for its sea turtle population. Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve is where they nest, but here you can see them swimming around you, plus all sorts of fish.

This is more like a half-day trip, even with getting to and from Seeb Port. That may be useful if you want a little more time exploring Muscat in the afternoon/evening.

3. Nizwa

If you want more of Oman’s culture and history, visiting Nizwa is the way to go.

This small city near the mountains is one of Oman’s oldest and was once a capital. Its crossroads location made it important for trade, culture, and defence, shaping it into an interesting modern destination.

What drew me to Nizwa was that it’s home to three of Oman’s most famous forts and castles. Nizwa Fort, Jabreen Castle, and Bahla Fort each look impressive from the outside and offer a more involved visiting experience than Muscat’s various forts.

Nizwa Fort is the most convenient to visit, since it’s right in the city center, and offers great views of the city’s sea of greenery. However, the other two are worth a short drive—Bahla Fort is even a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The other main attractions in Nizwa are its souq, a great place to buy dates, and the ancient irrigation system that transformed the landscape in places like nearby Birkat Al Mouz.

Tours to Nizwa focus less on hiking and remote landscapes and instead focus on a more traditional sightseeing experience.

4. Jebel Shams

Oman’s mountains have popped up a couple of times already, but have yet to be the main attraction of these Muscat day trips.

That changes with a visit to Jebel Shams, the highest mountain in Oman. Although the peak at over 3,000 meters elevation is out of reach, you can still see an awful lot driving up into its remote mountainside.

Now, we stayed overnight in Jebel Shams, and I will say that some of my favorite parts are only experienced by staying in the mountains. But with one day to visit, you can still visit the area’s main attraction, the Grand Canyon of Oman.

Wadi Ghul, one of its real names, is a massive canyon that is roughly 1,000 metres deep. And you can see it all easily from a roadside stop at its edge, unless you feel like hiking down into it or scrambling across a via ferrata to see it up close.

Tours often combine Nizwa and Jebel Shams, but this day tour from Muscat lets you focus solely on Jebel Shams and the Balcony Walk at the Grand Canyon of Oman.

If you’re itching to stretch your legs and experience Oman’s mountains, this is the way to do it.

5. Wahiba Sands and Wadi Bani Khalid

Oman is a country with a lot of desert; it is on the Arabian Peninsula, after all. When visitors want to experience Oman’s desert, Wahiba Sands is where they go.

You visit this remote desert landscape on a full-day tour that also includes a stop at Wadi Bani Khalid, another of Oman’s most famous wadis.

Unfortunately, the desert is a 2.5-hour drive from Muscat, making it the longest drive of these Muscat day trips. Once you reach the dunes, you have time for photos, a chance to see a nomadic family tent, and a short dune bash experience.

I have to admit that if you’ve ever been to another desert before, it can be underwhelming. Maybe the sunset option would have made it feel more special.

The other part of your day is spent visiting Wadi Bani Khalid. Now, this wadi is nice enough once you’re swimming. It’s far less challenging a course than Wadi Shab.

However, nearby construction soured the atmosphere, and facilities such as restrooms and changerooms are lacking. Paying to change in a tent that can topple over at any moment isn’t great. I really hope this is what the construction is for.

Ultimately, this day trip is best for travelers dying to see a desert for the first time and those who haven’t swum in a wadi yet. Turning this into an overnight trip might be a fun alternative and give you more value for the hours spent driving.