Travelling to Oman has been our most expensive trip so far, and to be honest, Oman is not exactly a cheap destination. The biggest cost is plane ticket, car rental and hotels. One of the many savings we can make is wild camping, which is allowed in Oman. So here are costs and prices for 13 days in Oman…
Our costs
We traveled for 13 days (12 nights) in Oman, rented a 4×4 car for the entire trip and most days, we were wild camping …
- visa = 40 OMR (20 OMR / person) (94 €)
- 4 nights in hotel = 56 OMR (132 €)
- gasoline = 52 OMR (122 €) (2100 km)
- supermarkets = 60 OMR (140 €)
- coffee shop = 19 OMR (45 €)
- car rent Dacia Duster = 204OMR (477 €) (17 OMR / day = 40 €)
- other (souvenirs, magnets) = 41.40 OMR
- entrance fees = 5 OMR (11,76 €)
TOTAL = 1060 for two people
On a 13-day trip to Oman, we spent a total of € 1840, which is € 920 per person. We saved a lot of money at the expense of wild camping and to hire a Renault Duster, which was by far the cheapest (but less powerful) of 4×4 drive vehicles.
Rent a car
The final price depends mostly on what kind of car you rent. To rent a regular car, you will pay between 10-12 OMR / day (23-28 €), and for a 4×4-drive car from 17 OMR to 35 OMR / day (40 – 82 €). For example, if you take a regular car, you will pay 130 OMR (305 €) for 13 days, and for an average 4×4 car, it would cost around 390 OMR (915 €).
The only thing that is really cheap in Oman is gas. A liter of fuel costs 0.20 OMR (0.47 €), which is a minimal cost at the end of the trip. More information on car rental can be found here.
Overnights
A great way to cut costs is wild camping, which is legal in Oman. You can set up a tent anywhere, except that you are not in the wadi or near the village or houses. If you are not exactly a fan of camping, here are the hotels with their offer. Nights in Oman are not cheap, but there are also rooms that are affordable for our wallet. Prices for basic accommodation start at € 30-35 per night and goes up to € 60, mid-night prices range from € 80-100, and luxury hotels will need to be paid from € 150 onwards.
Because of the heavy amount of rain, we were forced to spend the last two nights in Muscat, where we rented a room. We booked the cheapest accommodation we found at Booking for those dates and we have to admit we were surprised by the room (clean and nice room). More information about wild camping can be found here.
Food
There is almost no local food in Oman. Most of the food available is Indian. You can find food in coffee shops runed by Indians and Pakistanis. You can find these coffee shops (almost) in every village, and the food is very cheap. Food prices start at 0.5 OMR (1.18 €) and go up to 2 OMR (4.70 €) for more expensive meals.
You can also prepare most of the meals by yourself and saving some more money. To prepare a basic meal, you will need a pan and a gas burner, which can both be bought at a good price in all major supermarkets (LuLu and Carefour). In all cities, you will find a wide range of food and drinks. Products prices are similar to ours or little bit more expensive.
Visa
To enter Oman, Slovenian citizens need a visa, which depends on the time of our stay. For a trip shorter than 10 days, you will pay 5 OMR (11.76 OMR) for a visa, for a trip up to 30 days you will pay 20 OMR (47 €). More about the visa can be found here.
Entry fees
Most things to see in Oman are free. We only paid the entrance fee to see the Bahla fort (0.5 – 1 OMR) and the boat ride in wadi Shab (1 OMR).
And for the end …
Even though our 13-day trip to Oman was not the cheapest, we would be most happy to return to Oman immediately. We recommend Oman to anyone who likes camping or would like to try it, love nature, meet extremely friendly and hospitable people, but above all appreciate and love freedom. It is true that Oman is not exactly a cheap destination, but it can save a lot on wild camping.
