Easy Day Trips From Muscat, Oman
Quriyat and Nizwa Offer Interesting One Day Excursions from Muscat
© Rod Quin
Visitors to Muscat, Oman, looking for day trips from the city which offer insights into Omani life should consider excursions to the nearby towns of Quriyat and Nizwa.
Quriyat
The fishing town of Quriyat, an hour’s drive east of Muscat, is worth visiting for the journey alone. The route winds through the foothills of the Hajar mountains, passing whitewashed villages, free-ranging camels and donkeys, and lone individuals tending herds of sheep or goats.
Hajar means rock and one of the pleasures of the drive is the opportunity to observe the mountainous rock up close. What appears to be a uniform dark brown from a distance reveals on closer inspection a diverse array of colours, ranging through shades of jet black, flint grey, jade green and burnt orange. The road to Quriyat culminates in a dramatic descent offering spectacular views of the coastal plain below.
In the middle of the day Quriyat is a sleepy town where goats wander freely, foraging in front yards, sleeping on door steps and chewing on fishing nets. In the shaded alleys between the houses local women seated on carpets gather to share the latest news.
Quriyat’s harbour is surprisingly modern with its own attractive corniche. Fishing boats with outboard motors lie on the beach alongside more traditional vessels, the hulk of an old dhow providing a reminder of earlier days when Quriyat was a major trading port.
Nizwa
An hour and a half drive inland from Muscat into the Western Hajar mountains is Nizwa with its seventeenth century sandstone fort. The best time to visit NIzwa is Friday morning when the weekly livestock souq is held. At one of the liveliest souqs in Oman, visitors can watch cattle, goats and sheep being traded, and pushed, pulled or lifted into pickups and trucks.
There is also a general merchandise souq, selling household goods and clothing, including traditional items such as shawls and pashminas at bargainable prices.
A major commercial crossroads for centuries, the Nizwa souq attracts Omanis from a wide range of outlying communities and cultural groups. Visiting the souq provides an opportunity to appreciate the rich variety of Omani dress styles and appearance codes.
Most men wear the grey, brown or white traditional Omani full length gowns called dishdashas. Many wear the traditional embroidered Omani skull cap known as a kimar, but turbans in a range of styles and colours are also common. Here the dagger known as a khanjar is worn not just for ceremonial occasions, but as a normal part of everyday attire.
Amongst women the variety is even greater. While many wear the traditional cloak and shawl, the variety of styles, patterns and colours is extensive. Others wear colourful knee length tunics and trousers with embroidered ankles. Most striking are the Bedouin women in their black abayas and the dramatic pointed, golden, metallic looking facemasks called birqas which protect their faces from heat and sand.
Getting to Quriyat and Nizwa
- Drivers to Quriyat should take Sultan Qaboos Street to the Wadi Aday roundabout, approximately halfway between Wattaya and Ruwi. At the roundabout take the exit to Quriyat which is signposted.
- English spelling of place names in Oman can vary amongst signposts and maps, even official ones. Quriyat might be spelt Quryat ,Qurayat, Quaryat or Quarayyat, among other possibilities.
- For Nizwa, head west on Sultan Qaboos Street towards Seeb International Airport. The turnoff to Nizwa is about four and a half kilometres past the airport and is well signposted.
- The roads to Quriyat and Nizwa are sealed and in good condition. But be aware that, though it does not rain a lot in Oman, when it does rain roads often become flooded.
- Many tour companies offer one day excursions to Nizwa and to the Wadi Shab waterhole. A tour to the latter normally includes a stop in Quriyat. Try Oman Premier Tours and National Travel and Tourism.
