Driving in Oman – What to expect as a foreigner

Driving in Oman and exploring the country was definitely the highlight of our most recent trip to the Middle East.  After spending a couple of days in Dubai, we decided to rent a car and drive from Dubai to Oman.  We spent four days driving around Oman and it was incredible!  If you are contemplating an Oman road trip, here are all our tips for self-driving in Oman as a foreigner and what to expect.

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Driving in Oman as a Foreigner – Top Tips and What to Expect

Driving in Oman is definitely the best way to see the country.  Oman is quite a large country with a lot to see, but it is unfortunately not well-connected by public transportation.  Therefore you really need a car to get to all the best places to see in Oman.

Road Conditions in Oman

Luckily, driving in Oman is quite easy and the roads are in amazing condition!  We were honestly surprised how nice the highways were – so wide open and smooth.

When we commented on how great the highways were, a local told us it was because Oman had a terrible storm in the 2000s.  Many roads were destroyed, cutting off parts of the country, and preventing them from getting food and water to other towns.  To prevent this from happening again, the Sultan had these huge multi-lane highways built to better connect the country.

What side of the road do they drive on in Oman?

They drive on the right side of the road in Oman.

Luckily, this is the same side we drive on in Canada so it was very easy for us!

Do I need an International Driver’s License to drive in Oman?

No, an International Driving Permit is not required to drive in Oman.  All you need is a valid driver’s license from your home country.  However, if your driver’s license is not in English or Arabic, it is advisable you get an International Driving Permit so that it can be easily translated and read by authorities in Oman.

We did opt to get an International Driving Permit, just to be on the extra safe side, but it really was not required.  When picking up our rental car, driving through the UAE/Oman border, and at the multiple military and police checkpoints, we were never once asked for it.  Showing our Canadian driver’s license worked just fine.

Renting a car in Oman

The first step of road tripping around Oman is obviously to rent a car.  You will most likely be flying into Muscat International Airport, which has all the major car rental companies operating out of it.  Alternatively, you may be driving from Dubai to Oman, as we did, and already have a car from the UAE.

At Muscat International Airport, you will find the following major car rental companies:

• Europcar
• Hertz
• Avis
• Enterprise
• Thrifty
• Sixt
• Budget
• Alamo
• National
• Dollar

Shop around in advance to get the best price.  Make sure you consider where exactly in Oman you will be driving to in order to select the correct type of vehicle for your itinerary.  In addition, consider how much driving you will be doing each day as some rentals only include up to 200km per day whereas others have unlimited mileage.

We decided to rent directly from Avis and went with a 4×4 SUV since we were going to be driving up Jebel Akhdar, where 4×4 is mandatory.  Our rental included unlimited mileage which was perfect for our road trip.

Note: If you plan to drive off-road, make sure your car rental allows this!  Many of the major companies we looked into did NOT allow the car to be taken off-road, including Avis.  Your best bet is to look into local companies specializing in 4×4 rentals that are insured for off-roading.

Do I need a 4×4 in Oman?

It depends where you are going.  If you plan to self-drive in the desert or drive yourself up Jebel Akhdar, then yes, you absolutely need a 4×4 vehicle.  If not, then no, you do not need a 4×4.  Just rent a 2WD and save the money.

Even if you do wish to go up Jebel Akhdar or visit Wahiba Sands, you don’t necessarily need a 4×4.  You can drive to a meeting spot and arrange to be picked up and driven into Wahiba Sands or up Jebel Akhdar.

Since our Oman road trip was going to include a stay at the top of Jebel Akhdar, we requested a 4WD vehicle.  Renting a 4×4 is definitely more costly than renting a 2WD, but you have no choice when driving up Jebel Akhdar.  There is a police checkpoint at the base of the mountain and they will not let you through without confirming your car has 4×4.

Had our Oman itinerary not included a visit to Jebel Akhdar, then we definitely would have just rented a 2WD.

Driving in Oman Using GPS Directions

Don’t rely on your rental car to include a GPS.  It is best to use Google Maps and download offline maps for areas where reception is spotty.

We used Google Maps extensively throughout Oman and it worked perfectly.  Directions were accurate all throughout the country.  English signage was pretty good throughout Oman as well.

The only tricky part sometimes was when Google Maps would show us directions using Arabic street names without a translation so it would just tell us to turn without giving us the street name.  However, it was easy enough to figure out by just looking at the map.

We drove from Dubai to Muscat to Wahiba Sands to Jebel Akhdar and back to the UAE, and the only place we lost cell reception was in Wahiba Sands.  Other than that, Google Maps worked great!  We did not get lost once 😉

Oman Driving Rules to Know

Most of the Oman driving rules were the same as back home in Canada:

• Seatbelts must be worn
• Cell phones must not be used while driving
• No drinking and driving (blood alcohol level must be ZERO)
• Turn signals must be used at intersections

However, there were a few additional rules that we are not used to back home:

1.  Road rage is illegal.
2. Driving a dirty car is illegal.
3. Minimum driving age is 18 for locals and 21 for tourists.

We found local drivers to be more relaxed than when we drove in nearby UAE.  I suppose this may be due to the fact road rage is illegal.  Drivers are not allowed to show anger, yell or use hand gestures.  We actually quite like this rule.

If you are going off-roading, make sure to clean your car afterwards, especially the license plate so that it is visible.  Otherwise you may get fined.  Not sure how much this gets enforced on the roads by police, but you definitely need to clean your rental car before returning it to avoid a cleaning charge.

Speed Limit in Oman

Speed limits are clearly marked along roads and highways.  There were often two different speeds posted. Cars could go 120 km/h, but trucks could only go 100 km/h.  So the odd times that there was traffic, avoiding the slow moving trucks with the speeding cars was a little tricky.

One thing to be careful of are the speed cameras. Along the highways, you will see these white and black columns in the median that have cameras inside.  Be careful not to get a ticket!  The nice thing in Oman is that there is apparently a 19 km/h buffer, meaning you will only get a ticket if you drive 19 km/h or higher over the speed limit.

Tip: Cruise control is your friend

Many cars even come equipped with an annoying alarm that beeps once your speed hits 120km/h or higher.  Luckily our UAE rental car did not have this, but it did flash a warning signal on the dash.  As annoying as it may be, at least it will prevent you from getting a speeding ticket 😉

On the freeways, there were speeding drivers, but they would just overtake us once it was safe to do so.  We didn’t encounter anyone tailgating us.

Tip: Watch out for yellow speed reducers on the roads!

Within the cities and towns, the speed limits are much lower, but always clearly sign-posted.  We found that drivers in Oman did not drive as crazy as in Dubai, luckily.

Driving in Oman – Road Signs

Road signs were pretty self-explanatory in Oman.  Many were the same as we are used to back home.  And luckily signs were always both in Arabic and English.

Points of interest are clearly sign-posted as well.

However, there were some signs we saw that we don’t see back home such as camel crossing signs and flood zone warning signs.

How much is gas in Oman?

Good news – gas in Oman is super cheap!  This is especially great when having to fill up a 4WD SUV.  We only paid 0.229 OMR per litre, which works out to about $0.60 USD!  Filling up our SUV was definitely much less painful than it is when filling up in Canada.

Better yet, the $0.60 gas was actually for 91 octane, which was the lowest grade offered.  They also offer 95 octane as well.

Gas Stations in Oman

It was not hard to find a gas station anywhere during our Oman road trip.  The main companies are Shell, Omanoil and Al Maha.

One thing to note is that gas stations here are not self-serve.  You pull up to the pump and an attendant will come to your car.  Let them know which grade of fuel you would like and how much (we just told them “full”).

After filling up, they will bring you a credit card machine, or you may pay with cash.

Tip: We always used gas stations for toilet breaks as we didn’t see many public toilets along the way on our road trip.

Driving in Oman through military/police checkpoints

Don’t be alarmed if you are driving in Oman and suddenly encounter a police or military checkpoint.  There are a number of them on the highways throughout the country.

On our Oman road trip, we went through at least three of these checkpoints.  At first it was a bit alarming to see military vehicles and armed men, but there was nothing to worry about.  The first time, they looked at my ID and saw “British Columbia” so they asked “Colombia?”  I responded, “No, Canada.” This seemingly made them more confused, looking at me with my Asian features.

Then they checked our license plate and it said Dubai. So we had to show them our vehicle registration and rental contract. However, after a minute, they saw we were no harm and let us pass.

Our experience at other checkpoints was much the same.  We weren’t really sure what they were looking for, but they stopped each and every car and checked IDs.  Just be polite, comply, and you should be on your way again in just a few minutes.

Driving in Muscat

Once we got into the city, there were lots of traffic circles.  It was nice that mostly everyone abided by the traffic rules and stayed in their lanes.  This made it feel organized and civilized on the road.

In Oman, drivers on the inside of the traffic circle have the right of way and if you see them flashing their lights at you, that means they want to be let out.  Only stay in the outer lane if you are going to take the next exit.

Something we noticed in Muscat was that the traffic lights had a very cool feature. Before turning green, the street light turned yellow, warning you that it was about to turn green. This was the first time I had seen a street light use the yellow to both warn you it was turning red and warn you it was turning green.

We found it was much easier to drive in the city of Muscat than it was to drive in Dubai.  Drivers are definitely more patient.

Parking in Oman

Parking was never an issue for us wherever we drove in Oman.  It’s not a densely populated country so parking is usually plentiful.  Not only is parking easy to find, but it is almost always free!  We never once had to pay for parking, even in downtown Muscat.

Driving in Oman at Night

We only drove in Oman at night while we were in Muscat.  Streets were well-lit so it wasn’t a problem.

However, we would try to avoid driving at night outside of the city where visibility is limited out of fear of hitting a roaming camel or other animal!

Additional tips and notes on driving in Oman:

Water and snacks

Bring lots of water and snacks in the car.  It gets very hot and we found ourselves drinking many bottles of water during our drives and snacking on potato chips!

Colored license plates

You will notice different colored license plates on cars.  A red license plate indicates a commercial vehicle, such as a tour company, taxi or rental car.

Yellow is for personal use while green indicates a government vehicle.  A white license plate, like ours, means the car is from the UAE.

Highway mirage

Don’t be surprised if you see what looks like pools of water on the highway up ahead.  We witnessed numerous mirages on the highway along our Oman road trip.  It was kind of neat since we don’t normally see these back home in Canada.

Desert driving

Don’t attempt to drive off-road in the sand unless you are prepared and know what you are doing, ie. deflating your tires and traveling in a group.  You definitely do not want to get stuck and stranded!  There is often no cell reception in the desert.

We parked our car and let someone else do the driving when we visited Wahiba Sands (detailed blog post coming soon!)

Radio Stations

The radio surprisingly worked very well almost everywhere we went in Oman. On the long stretches of highway in what we thought was the middle of nowhere, there was perfect reception. They had a Virgin Radio station that played American music from the 90s until now.

It was actually very enjoyable to listen to all the music as they played some popular old school and less popular new school.  Only high in the mountains did we start to lose a little reception, but still better than most radio stations back home in BC, Canada. And much better music too.

Driving up Jebel Akhdar

Full post coming soon – stay tuned!

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