Best Travel Time and Climate for Oman
According to naturegnosis, Oman lends itself to a wide variety of trips. Most visitors spend their time in the north of the country and combine the cities of Muscat and Nizwa with the surrounding mountains, the desert and some time on the coast (to see nesting turtles) on a round trip.
Usually 7-10 days are enough for a trip through Oman. You can also top off your vacation with some culture by flying to the stunning Musandam Peninsula or Salalah to see an area that is very different from the rest of the country.
Best travel time
In contrast to other Gulf states, southern Oman has a monsoon season (“Khareef”), which lasts from June to September. Even if you don’t want to visit the country during the monsoons, October is still a good month to travel because everything in Dhofar is lush green and the rest of the country is pleasantly warm. This is mainly due to a thick fog that covers the mountains and whose moisture ensures the green on the ground.
The varied topography of Oman makes the climate very different. Muscat is hot and very humid from mid-March to October and pleasantly warm from October to March. Oman is therefore not a good summer destination . In Muscat, temperatures rise to 40 ° C or higher in May and June. The country is a wonderful travel destination for winter and spring, when the temperatures are very pleasant around 25 ° C. The temperatures are much cooler in the mountains than on the coast. In the Salalah region, temperatures reach around 30 ° C in December. But the monsoons bring rain to southern Oman (Salala) every year from June to September, but this only lasts for a very short time. The area around Dhofar is very green and lush in October.
Basically, there are two main types of climate in Oman: the Mediterranean climate in the east and north and the tropical climate in the west and south. In the central inland, however, there is a desert climate with permanent heat, even during the nights.
The best time to travel to Oman is between November and March , the temperatures are warm and you avoid the monsoons in the south.
Optimal travel time after months
January February
January and February are excellent times with the coolest temperatures of the year. In the first two months of the year there are sometimes short, heavy rain showers. Around New Years Eve and New Years Eve there is a lot going on and the hotels often charge higher prices.
March April
Temperatures are warmer and around 30 ° C, which makes March and April an ideal time to travel. At this time of year, the heat and humidity are not that high. Another positive thing is the fact that it is no longer as crowded as it was in the winter months.
May
May is a month of transition between the cooler temperatures of winter and spring and the great heat of the summer months. The temperatures are already quite high, but the humidity is lower. That still makes this time very bearable. In May more and more fruits are ripe and you can find plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in the markets.
June August
The summer months in Oman are extremely hot and characterized by high humidity. We do not recommend visiting the country at this time of the year. Due to the monsoons, the south is cooler, but even more humid. Salalah and the surrounding coastal areas are also packed with local tourists looking to escape the heat in the rest of the country during the summer. Due to the climate, almost all hotels across the country are lowering prices during these months, so it can be a relatively cheap time to visit.
September
September is still very hot, although the temperatures are not quite as high as between June and August. The costs are lower than in the winter months. Plus you can spot turtles in September as it marks the end of the breeding season. Numerous species of migratory birds live in the landscape around Salalah, especially in the summer months. The slightly cooler temperatures and lower visitor numbers in September make it a great month for bird watching.
October November
Traveling in October and November is much more pleasant and pleasant than in the summer months when temperatures are around 30 ° C. November in particular is an ideal month for a vacation, although the lower temperatures attract quite a few tourists to the country.
December
In December, the temperatures in Oman are lowest and hover around 20 ° C. At night it can get quite cold in the mountains and the accommodations do not always have sufficient heating facilities. If you are planning a trip at this time, we advise you to keep this in mind. Christmas and New Year are extremely popular times in Oman, especially Muscat. Therefore, hotels increase their prices accordingly and often have a compulsory gala dinner on New Year’s Eve. Hotels and rooms are usually scarce during this time, so it is advisable to book early.
The maximum temperature in Oman is 37 ° C in July. In January the thermometer rises to a maximum of 19 ° C. The summer (June to September) with average 36 ° C hot . In the winter months it is around 23 ° C warm . During the day, the average annual temperature in Oman is a warm 29.1 ° C.
At night it gets coldest with 14 ° C in January. The thermometer rarely falls below 30 ° C in August. While the nights in summer have averages of a very warm 29 ° C, the thermometer drops to a warm 17 ° C at night between November and March. The temperature at night averages a pleasant 22.3 ° C throughout the year.
The water temperature is up to 32 ° C in August, in February the sea has a maximum of 18 ° C. In the summer months from June to September the water is very warm with an average of 29 ° C. Between November and March the values are a pleasantly warm 22 ° C. Over the year, the sea has an average temperature of 25.4 ° C.
With only 2 rainy days, February and April are the rainiest months of the year. From June to September, Oman is extremely dry with an average of only around 0 rainy days, the winter (November to March) is very dry with only 1 rainy day. On an annual average, rain falls on only 0.7 days per month.
Language
Arabic is the official language, but Oman is a melting pot of cultures. English is therefore widely spoken, as is Hindi, Swahili and Baluchi. The whole thing adds a little more flavor to this mixture of cultures.
Tip
A tip of 10 percent is the standard in hotels and restaurants. It is uncommon to tip guards in museums, forts and the like.
Food and Drink
Outside of the hotels you will mainly find restaurants with either Indian or Lebanese cuisine, although Omani cuisine is hardly to be found. Traditional Omani cuisine is actually pretty simple, but using different marinades and impregnating meat with spices creates a delicious aroma that stimulates the taste buds. Chicken, fish, and mutton are used in most dishes. Rice is widely available and served in a variety of ways, from steamed rice to elaborate mixes that include meat and vegetables. The bread ranges from simple white bread to variants with dates, sesame, thyme and garlic. Omani Halwa, a traditional dessert with all kinds of exotic flavors such as cardamom, saffron and almonds, is often used as a desert. One of the most popular drinks is laban, a salty buttermilk. Yogurt drinks with cardamom and pistachios are also very popular.
Culture and Social
Oman is generally very traditional. Shorts and shorts are perfectly fine on the beach, but nowhere else. Women should wear clothing that covers their upper arms and legs at least to their knees, and men and women are expected to dress conservatively in public places . The etiquette must be strictly observed in Arab countries. Overall, Oman and its neighbors are very conservative countries and it is important (and sometimes required by law) to adapt. When taking photos of local people, especially women, ask people for permission first. Photographing military installations is not permitted. Only Muslims are allowed to enter mosques (with one or two notable exceptions).
Currency
The official currency is the Omani Rial (OR). A rial is divided into 1000 Baisa (bz). ATMs and credit cards are common in Oman. Many of them, especially those from HSBC, are integrated into international systems. The most popular card in Oman is Visa, but Mastercard is also accepted.
