Beaches of Oman

Just off the suburb of Shatti al Qurm is The Intercon Beach facing the Muscat Intercontinental Hotel. This beach is ideal for family outings, morning walks or a jog in the evening.

Close to Al Bustan is the road to Qantab Beach and Bandar Jissah Beach. At Qantab, local fishermen will offer to take you fishing while at Bandar Jissah the view of the rocky coastline is fabulous and just beyond it is the Oman Dive Centre (contact no: 968-9340096), where you can arrange diving excursions and take courses (PADI instruction).

From the Al Hamriyah roundabout near Ruwi is the road to Yitti Beach. This drive on a single causeway road through hilly terrain will lead to a fishing village with winding dirt track and that will further lead to the beach through a long shallow cove. At the beach, fishermen are busy at work, but there is ample room for all kinds of beach activities.

If you would like to spend more time investigating Oman's beaches, rent yourself a four wheel drive and head southeast down the coast beyond Quriyat. After Dibab there are a variety of beaches between rocky outcrops, the most prominent being Mokallah (also known as White Beach). This spot is very popular for overnight camping on the shore. Here the snorkeling is excellent.

About an hour west from Muscat is the popular Al Sawadi Beach Resort, an ideal weekend getaway. For aqua sports enthusiasts, the resort offers dives, snorkeling speedboat rides, water scooters, temperature controlled swimming pool and Jacuzzi.

360 km from Muscat is the beach at Ra's Al Jinz where you can spend a night watching Oman's green back turtles nesting almost any time of the year.