02/08/2026
Muscat, Oman 🇴🇲
When I was booking our flights back to Asia, the cheapest and most manageable option I found took us through Oman. We had been trying to visit Oman for a few years, but somehow it never seemed to work out. So when I realized that this flight included a 12-hour stopover in Muscat, I figured, why not? It was a great way to make the most of a travel day and experience somewhere new along the way.
So, with very few hours of sleep, we arrived in Muscat.
I booked a private day trip with Oman Landscape Tours. Our first stop was the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat. Completed in 2001, the mosque can welcome as many as 20,000 worshippers. Inside the main prayer hall is an enormous handwoven carpet that took 150 people to create, as well as a spectacular chandelier covered with hundreds of thousands of crystals. The mosque was beautiful; all the details and the mix of different styles and influences throughout the building were beautiful.
From Muscat, we drove to Nizwa, a former capital of the country. We walked through Nizwa Souq, where we saw pottery, spices, dates, silver, and traditional Omani khanjars, the curved daggers that are an important symbol of the country.
We also visited Nizwa Fort, built in the 17th century. The fort was designed to protect the city, with narrow staircases, false doors, hidden traps, and openings through which defenders could attack anyone attempting to enter.
There were supposed to be a few more stops during our tour, but between the many questions we had for our guide, the heat, and how tired we were, we decided to reduce the itinerary. In the end, we were very happy with what we managed to experience.
Our guide gave us some amazing insights into Oman’s culture, religion, traditions, clothing, and everyday life. Those conversations became just as meaningful as the places we visited.
We arrived hoping to get a small taste of Oman, and we left even more curious about the country than when we arrived. 12 hours were definitely not enough, but now we have one more place we know we want to return to and explore properly.
