Eid holidays: Time to tap local tourist locations

Thinking of how to spend Eid Al Fitr holidays inside the Sultanate of Oman without causing a big hole in your wallets? Here are some suggestions from the leading travel and tourism offices on how, where and when to visit in three days' time of holidays.

Waheed al Balushi, Head of Ground Operations of Salam Air says that there are a number of beautiful local destinations with lots of experiential factors for people to pursue which one wouldn’t get bored of.

“Well, I would suggest and recommend that the main spots of Eid holidays would be Al Jabal Al Akhdhar, Nizwa ‘Harrat Al Aqr’. This is the place where renovation of the old buildings has brought back life to the old quarters. Harat Al Aqr has become a major tourism attraction and is one of the best kept secrets of Oman,” Waheed said.

"My next choice would be the Oman Across Ages Museum which I understand, would be closed only on the Eid day but it will be open the next day and I'm pretty sure, a visit to domestic destinations of Oman wouldn’t be complete without visiting the museum. Also, there will be people who will be going camping to Bidiyah because the weather is still nice for outdoor camping,” he added.

Sunil D’souza, CEO, Travel Point feels that mountains are the major unique selling point of Oman tourism and visiting the rugged mountains and feeling the wilderness of these mammoth natural shapes would be an ideal thing to do during the holidays.

“For me, the ideal travel means a visit to Al Jabal Al Akhdhar or Jabal Shams and a visit to Nizwa, the city in the Unesco list followed by a visit to Wakan village and Wadi Shab and Majlis al Jinn hikes near Sur. Consecutively, a visit to Salalah would be ideal although it is not the tourism season there but to explore the landscape and to surf on the beaches," said Sunil.

There are many places in Oman that are still not explored yet and majority of people have not visited.

However, there are places that are still not explored yet and majority of people have not visited. According to Ejaz Kazi of Eazy Travel, those in the city can do an early morning or late afternoon Muttrah-Riyam trek, a low impact healthy activity.

“Apart from the trek, one can try out the Jarnan Cave and the Zukait beehive tombs in the Wilayat of Izki, which are lesser known attractions,” Ejaz listed the less treaded places.

“Visiting a wadi most likely the Wadi Al Arbiyeen combined with a bit of trek at Misfat Al Abriyeen mountain village, overnight camping in the mountains such as the usual Jabal Shams or Al Jabal Al Akhdhar, visiting the Snake Canyon in Wadi Bani Awf, Wild camping in Rimal Al Sharqiya are some of the activities one can try their hands on and wouldn’t require long-term planning as such,” Kazi added..

For Nishad of Caravan Tours and Travels, the five places in great demand for local holidaymakers from both inside Oman, from GCC as well as from western countries are Wakan Village, Al Alia Village, Wadi Shab, Wadi Al Arbiyeen and the Majlis Al Jinn which is the world’s second largest cave. "We are getting a lot of visitors to these destinations and I would strongly recommend one should visit them during the holidays,” said Nishad.

Nonetheless, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) has urged people to give safety utmost importance during the holidays for a safe Eid. "Usage of mobile phones is the major reason behind most of the accidents and one should abstain from using phones while driving," ROP official said.

Additionally, special attention to avoid domestic accidents, accidents at the holiday spots and against drowning should be applied.