Bradt Oman

by Diana Darke

In a region notorious for religious extremism, turbulence and unrest, Oman stands out as an oasis of calm and composure. If you think of Oman as an arid land of desert and oil, it’s time to open the pages of this book and discover a very different country – rich in nature reserves, world-class diving sites and archaeological wonders.

Oman is a place of awe-inspiring natural landscapes: mountains, ravines, cliffs, canyons, desert and coastline under an incessant Middle Eastern sun.

Diana Darke leads you through the coasts, plains and mountains of this spell-binding sultanate. Brimming with up-to-date information on restaurants and bars, hotels, sports facilities and trip itineraries, this guide has everything for the traveller who wants to explore the land beyond the myth. Browse the perfumes and spices in the souks, cheer on a camel race, visit the Queen of Sheba’s Palace or camp with the Bedouin under the stars. You’ll probably want to stay for 1,001 nights.

 

‘Beautiful photography with clear information of where to go, where to stay and what to do.’ A reader review.

Genres: Travel, Guidebook

312 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

In late 2025 I spent a month bikepacking Oman, namely the Al Hajar Mountains, Muscat, the Nizwa Corridor, and the Al Buraymi province. I used the fifth edition of the Bradt guidebook, apparently researched circa 2020–2021, since that was the most recent available. Where this guidebook particularly shines, as usual with Bradt, is all the background information. The book explains in detail the remarkable rise of Oman, a country of Third World poverty elevated to a smoothly running welfare state thanks to the half-century-long reign of Sultan Qaboos who was remarkably competent and kind as far as autocrats go. The age-old system of falaj canals that brought water to communities is explained as the wonder that it is, when tourists might otherwise overlook all those little channels, now concrete-lined, in villages.

As a guidebook to individual sights inside the country, however, this feels somewhat mediocre by Bradt standards. The general focus of the book seems to have been determined several editions before by original author Diana Darke and then not much changed once handed over to another author. They seem to have been writing for a certain kind of (fairly posh) traveler who will fly into Muscat and rent a 4WD. In recent years, bicycle tourism has exploded in Oman, more overlanders are coming now that Saudi Arabia is open, and there are backpackers and trekkers trying to get around without their own transportation. These more recent demographics are somewhat overlooked.

To give an example, lots of travelers are entering Oman at Al Buraymi now because they are coming from the UAE. In the chapter for Al Buraymi city, the author takes pains to emphasize there were no international chain hotels in the city at time of writing. Does that really matter to the intrepid travelers who buy Bradt guides? I think most of them are perfectly fine with midrange accommodation. Moreover, in Oman a hotel often gives one not just a room, but an entire furnished apartment, and that is its own kind of luxury.

[Nickolai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Отличный путеводитель. Хорошо сбалансирован для самостоятельных путешественников по Оману. Для меня единственным недостатком было отсутствие отдельного раздела по истории страны. Вместо этого исторические факты приводятся относительно отдельных регионов и городов в соответствующих главах книги. Тем самым снижается целостное восприятие истории.

[Kalei · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY in-depth look at traveling in Oman. A good travel book where there weren't many options to choose from. Different style of writing, picking places, and book layout than the conventional travel guides