Salalah
This has got to be the most beautiful green and flourishing location in the GCC! Everywhere you look there are plants, trees, greenery, friendly and happy people, spectacular scenery, and some amazing places to explore! I was able to do 3 days, and it was a great experience and worth every minute! If you can spare a few more days, I’m sure you could add to this itinerary easily! These are the points I found online and based on my friends recommendations. There are some really nice hotels, or you can save money and find some clean and comfy apartment hotels. Next time I would definitely look for some camping options.
Here we go…..
Salalah Airport– beautiful airport and it was really easy to navigate through. Taxis are ready to go- get a ticket at the outside booth, no negotiating for fees, they are a set price. I used the Muscat International Hotel for my first night and had an easy check in on arrival late at night. It was a clean and cheap option for some quick ZZZZ’s before starting to explore. (clean, downtown and really close to the mosque to start the itinerary the next day)
Car Rental- the counters were closed when I arrived, so I opted to sleep, then went back to the airport in the morning and grab a rental car for my stay. They have a few options in the lower area of the airport (basement?) OR time your flights better than I did and not worry about them being open! Haha!
Day 1: Itinerary (Salalah area)
- SQ Mosque
- Tomb
- Mughsayl Beach
- Marneef Cave
- Blowhole
- Mountain Drive
- Camel farm on the way to Taqah (random find, I saw the farm from the road and pulled over for some pics. We were invited in for a closer view)
Hotel: I recommend the Marriott, it’s a good location to explore this area.
Day 2: Itinerary (Taqah area)
- Taqah Castle (Coordinates: 17.04113, 54.39600)
- Khor Rori /Khawr Rawri – Archeologiccal Park, with the best view of camels cooling off in the water and the old ruins of the archeological site. (Coordinates N17.014176, E54.43580)
- Wadi Dharbat (Derbat)- very crowded and lots of cars and people. Don’t miss this, it was very beautiful and it has a lake you can rent a paddle boat. Lots of families having picnics and kids flying kites. Lots of local food sellers under orange tents selling mostly meats and rice.
- Tayq Cave/Tawi Atayr
- Barobab Trees
Hotel: I recommend the Juweira Boutique Resort (Hotels.com had a good deal)
Day 3: Itinerary (Mirbat Area)
- Mirbat Castle
- Old town area, abandoned buildings but some interesting doors.
- Beach– bevause you have to got to the beach!
- Ayn Atoom (Aythum) – Nice drive with great scenery, the waterfall was dry when I was there, but was told it was full a few days later. They have a few snack booths and a mosquito repellant booth. There are two levels, the bottom one is an easy walk.
- Itin Cave– Head back to Salalah and take a drive up the mountain to Jebal Itin. It’s on the way behind the airport road. You will see a ton of food stalls and big tents. The local families will rent out their homes during Kahareef to make extra money and stay in the tents. There is also a children’s amusement park, horses, and huge blow up slides. It was very foggy when we were there, so drive carefully! The pull off to Itin Cave is on the right. There is parking and an eating/picnic area. The cave area is open, nothing to climb into, but it’s got some great overhanging areas with lots of character. It’s an easy walk around the path and there is a wooden fence. It can be slippery, wear good shoes.
Last evening: Return to Salalah
Salalah Souk at night time, enjoy the local shops and trinkets to buy souvenirs of Oman
**Take a Late flight out to get the most out of your last day
I can’t leave without sharing one last thing….
One of my favorite parts of traveling….. the food! Here are some pics of some food I tried in Salalah! It’s so fresh! Make sure you try the outdoor grill where they cook meat on the stones!
20 Comments
Highly descriptive article, I liked that bit. Will there be a part 2?
Hi.Any idea regarding the cost? How to book? Thanks
Hi! It would depend on how many days, what you would like to see, etc.. I am happy to pass on some tour guides names so you can ask about your details?
I spent about 80 OR on the flight from Muscat, 200 OR on hotels, and another 100 OR for food and fun.
Enjoy!
Oman is one of the countries i really want to go this year. It seems great 🙂
Looks amazing! I love all of the beautiful photos you included and that food looks incredible. I didn’t know about Salalah before and I’m glad I found this post, finding new places to explore is the best!
what stunning scenery and places to explore in the GCC. It really makes me want to travel around the MiddleEast more.
Far more green spaces than I expected to see in Oman. I enjoyed my first look at this region. Nice adventuring.
Salalah looks like a really nice destination to head to get a quick experience of the Gulf. I like the fact that you are able to get so many experiences on a 3-day itinerary.You have provided some valuable information which is a boon to first time visitors to the place.
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I’m going to be honest and say I didn’t know that GCC was the acronym for gulf countries! I learned something today. Lovely photos! I do wish they were a bit bigger…
Salalah looks like such a beautiful place! I must admit I didn’t expect to see so much greenery in Oman but I absolutely love it. You did an amazing job capturing both the natural and manmade beauty of this destination, I absolutely have to visit and take it in myself!
This is so beautiful… Images are awesome and convey the beauty of Salalah really well!
That’s a spectacular rock formation! We have a similar one in Kapurpurawan here in the Philippines. And that local food in Salalah—-so yummy! We love sampling local, authentic food!
I never knew about this place. Photos are beautiful. Thanks for introducing this new destination.
I would never have thought about taking a trio here but your words and images have certainly inspired me. Thanks for writing this article, I am always looking for different destinations.
The food in sallah looks great! It seems like there is a lot of nice things to do. We enjoy reading about the unexpected stops people make like at the camel farm. Those can turn out to be great finds
Oman is on my bucket list since forever! I would love to visit that beautiful country full of stunning Mosques and wonderful landscape! Salalah seems like a perfect place to visit! And OMG that food looks so good!
Looks like you had so much fun. I have never heard / read about this place – so thanks to you, now I know something new and a beautiful place to explore in the future 🙂
For me the first day is my favorite. I love to explore mosques and admire all the art and history the place spreads!
The photos are so inviting 🙂
Mosques, beaches, castles, caves and markets – I can’t believe how many things there are to do in Salalah! I hadn’t heard of this place before, and now I’m intrigued. Thanks for sharing.
I never even heard of the Salalah area. Looking at this guide, it would be something I would be interested in visiting. Great post and loving the photos.
Looks a beautiful area! I wouldn’t have expected there to be such greenery in Oman – I would have just associated it with deserts!