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Budget Guide To Oman

Grand Escapades’ Budget Guide To Oman – An Upscale & (Very) Expensive Destination

At the Cattle Market in Nizwa

At the Cattle Market in Nizwa

Type Of Travel

Oman is an upscale and expensive destination, no matter how you travel and how hard you try to save money.

Itinerary & Time Of The Visit

We spent 2 weeks in Oman over X-mas 2012 & New Year 2013. Our itinerary covered Muscat (the capital), Jebel Shams & Jebel Akhdar (the mountains), Nizwa (oases, fortresses and more), the Wahiba Sands (desert), Ras Al Jinz (turtles) & last but not least Musandam (the lonely peninsula on the Strait of Hormuz). This is roughly the route we covered, with many more places in between.

Global Budget

We spent 2.000 € in two weeks per person, which brings expenses to 141 Euros per person per day. If you add the flights from Europe, it means 200€ per person per day. And we did not even splurge!

Costs per Person per Day in €
Long Distances’ Transport € 29,30
Short Distances’ Transport € 0,00
Total Transport € 29,30
Hotels € 49,90
Restaurants & Food € 14,40
Drinks & Going Out €   0,00
Every Day Life (& Souvenirs) €   7,20
Total Living € 71,50
Visits & Tours € 17,70
Activities € 22,40
Total Tours & Activities € 40,10
Total Country: € 140,90
Heidi @ L'Espace Guesthouse in Muscat

Heidi @ L’Espace Guesthouse in Muscat

Hostels & Hotels

Hotels are extremely expensive: a guesthouse will charge on average 80 to 100 € and the people we met who ventured in cheaper options had a challenging time. If you want to splurge, you won’t have any problem doing so! There is an amazing network of 5 star hotels around the country… Expect to spend 200+ € per night though. Last but not least, expect very basic accommodation in the various camps, both in the Wahiba Sands and in Raz Al Jinz… No matter how much you pay!

City Name Type of Accommodation Type ofRoom Price per Night (€) Evaluation(1 to 5 Stars)
Muscat Lana Villa Guesthouse 88,20 ***
Jebel Shams Jebel Shams Resort 143,50 ***
Nizwa Majan Guesthouse 71,80 **
Wahiba Sands Nomadic Desert Camp 155,80 **
Ras Al Jinz Al Naseem Turtel Camp 123,00 *
Muscat Tulip Inn Hotel 112,70 ****
Khasab Al Taif Tours Accomodation 61,50 ***
Muscat L’Espace 112,80 ****
Al Shamaliah Grill Restaurant in Khasab at night, Musandam

Al Shamaliah Grill Restaurant in Khasab at night, Musandam

Restaurants & Food

Food is good and extremely cheap in comparison to accommodation. It can get a bit monotonous outside of Muscat though, when it is Indian or Indian. We spent 200 € per person in two weeks on food and had a few great dinners.

Drinks & Going Out

We have no detailed information on this, since we certainly did not party. Drinks are included in our Restaurants & Food Budget. Alcohol is available at the bars of international hotel, and there you actually find more Omanis in a party mood than Western visitors.

Transport

First, there is no network of public transport, so you have to have a car. Car rentals are cheap in comparison to Europe and gasoline costs close to nothing, nevertheless this remains a significant part of the budget: 350 € per person for the 2 weeks.

Sedan or 4WD?

This we asked ourselves quite a bit before we started off. Roads are excellent, so a sedan car will do for reaching most places, except crossing the Hajer Mountains, going from Nakhal to Jebel Shams. Even Wahiba Sands is doable in a sedan, since most of the agencies will pick you up for a small fee.

Common Dolphin (Delphinus Delphis) in the Fjords (Khor) of Musandam

Common Dolphin (Delphinus Delphis) in the Fjords (Khor) of Musandam

Tours & Activities

Activities such as dune bashing are costly. We spent 460 € altogether per person in 2 weeks, including twice scuba diving

Splurge At Reasonable Costs?

Oman is definitely not a place to splurge, if budget is of any importance for you.

Reduce Costs?

If you find any way to do so, we are interested…

In Khasab, Musandam

In Khasab, Musandam

 

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