Sports and leisure activities Oman

Budget & Tips

For a breath of fresh air without spending a penny (unless you absolutely want a guide), hiking and trekking are 2 disciplines widely practised in Oman, where countless trails have been marked out. For other activities, which are generally supervised, budgets vary according to the services offered. However, as the sultanate's standard of living is relatively high, sporting activities are quite expensive, especially as they often require special equipment and, especially for mountain sports, there are few centers with experienced instructors trained to international standards. All the companies listed in this guide are accredited. On the other hand, avoid advertising by local freelance guides, especially for climbing or canyoning. They're certainly very good, but none of them are insured.

What's very local

With its immense coastline, countless beaches, mountains, deserts, wadis, steep cliffs, caves... Oman offers an exceptional playground for outdoor sports and leisure activities, whether on land or water. Canyoning, abseiling, climbing, via ferrata, caving, hiking, mountain biking, scuba diving, snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, sailing, golf, camel riding, quad biking, kitesurfing... the list is long and non-exhaustive.

Snorkelingand diving - Oman's seabed is renowned for its beauty and diversity. The territorial waters are very rich in plankton, which, apart from occasional problems of visibility, is conducive to an abundance of fauna. Rays, sharks, barracudas, moray eels and reef fish of all kinds can be found close to shore, just 10 to 30 minutes by boat from the coast. A number of reputable companies are based on site www.eurodivers.com, www.global-scuba.com, www.extradivers.com, etc.

Mountain sports - Canyoning, caving, climbing... The possibilities in this field are numerous and as yet little exploited, offering amateurs and enthusiasts alike an almost virgin playground. Otherwise, hiking and trekking can be enjoyed everywhere on marked trails, and the mountains are ideal for mountain biking.

Kitesurfing - Masirah Island, some 450 km from Muscat, is home to the best spots. It benefits from a tropical microclimate, with the arrival of monsoon tails and accompanying winds between May and September, the sultanate's windsurfing and kiteboarding season. At the height of the season, winds blow non-stop at between 20 and 40 knots, enough to make the best spots on the planet jealous. Kiteboarding Oman (www.kiteboarding-oman.com) is the specialist in this field.

Golf - With 5 18-hole golf courses, Muscat is a destination that can satisfy golfers wishing to combine the practice of this sport with a change of scenery and seaside leisure activities.

Camel riding - This is one of the must-do activities for those wishing to bring back some exotic snapshots of their oriental adventure! This activity is generally offered by the camps established in the Sharqiya Sands desert and is a must for soaking up the silence and discovering the Bedouin environment. The dunes are also ideal for sandboarding, 4x4 driving, quad biking , etc.

Big-game fishing - Omanis love to fish, and the abundance of fish in Omani waters only reinforces this appeal. Big-game fishing is available everywhere via a number of excellent service providers, including www.alsansool.com in Muscat, www.arabianflysportfishing.com in Salalah and www.msaoman.com in Khasab.

To be booked

Reservations are required for golf courses, excursions and spa treatments. The same applies to supervised activities such as caving, canyoning, scuba diving... especially in high season, at weekends and during school vacations.

Main events

Sporting events are generally held in winter, when the weather is at its mildest and allows for outdoor activities. In January and February, international sailing regattas are organized(44Cup Oman, for example), as well as theTour of Oman, the Muscat Marathon, the Desert Marathon...