Drive to Salalah, Oman

IT is a Loooong drive & feels even longer since the Road after Nizwa is almost totally straight & featureless…all white gravel with not even a tree in sight, most of the times.
Make sure you have Oman Car insurance, which you can get on top of your existing insurance for a few Hundred Dirhams.
you can take either one of the routes from Hatta-Sohar or from Al’Ain-Buraimi.
Keep some extra fuel, the tank that you bought for Liwa trip earlier, will come in handy once again.

Some nice outings once you are there.
Hazrat Ayyub’s (Job’s) Tomb is a popular excursion from Salalah.
Taqa Fort & Castle.
Wadi Darbat – close to Taqa. This is a beautiful green wadi with a river running through it. Nice Green shaded spot, you can see some waterfalls as well after the rains in this season.
Mirbat Castle and the harbor.
A 3/ 3.5 Hrs. drive to Hasik / Hadbin with amazing costal views as the road goes along some spectacular cliffs, beaches and a tourquise Indian Ocean!!!
Mughsayl beach.
Khor Rori Bird Sanctuary, which is very close to Taqa.
The Dalkut Mountain Road with some amazing limestone landscapes.

You should make advance booking for accomodation as the area is very popular with Omani & GCC Nationals & Expats during the Khareef season.

I had gone last month via Hatta and it did not take much time at the border. during Eid you can expect some rush. All other points are very clearly explained by Ahmed. We stayed over night at Muscat at our friend’s place and went early morning for Salalah. From Dubai to Muscat it is 400 KMs. From Muscat to Salalah it is 1,090 KMs and it should take around 10 hours. Straight road with one side Sea and other side Emty Quarter. We had taken longer as we had a 2 hour lunch break in between at a guest house at Haima. As described by Ahmed it is a long and straight road and advisable to fill/top up your tank at every petrol station. About 40% of the road work has been completed and new road is very comfortable to drive. but at many places still it ends up on the old road which is till rough. the entire climate changes when you reach Thumrayt which is on hill top and full greenery and misty. Here you have to be careful with your lights on as at time the visibility is very poor. You get Salalah Catalouges at this point. there are many places of interest but the antigravity road is now made as the main eoad although you still can experience it if the traffic is not much. You might need a local guide to show you the ways as some sign boards can be confusing. We had stayed in Samharam Tourist Village near Holiday Inn which was a good place near the beach and also affordable.

Trust this information will assist you. Wish you all the best and have a safe journey.