Sultanate

You probably didn't know it, but Oman is a fantastic place for rock climbing. There are some challenges with the heat, but the rock is fantastic, and the climbing community is even better. Strap on your climbing shoes we are going to the crag. I met up with local rock climber and professional life coach Read Macadam to give us an insight into the climbing community and the ongoing development here in the Sultanate. We talk about some of the places to climb like Hadash, Khubrah Canyon, Wadi Dayqah, Umq Bir, Jebal Misht, and Bandar Jissah. In these places alone you will find world class bouldering, sport climbing, trad-climbing, multi-pitches, and deep water soloing. Read also made a film called Valley of the Giants which features himself, Philippe Ribière and Dan Bates. In it the trio explore a remote wadi that features giant limestone boulders. The film really gives you a good flavor of rock climbing in Oman. You can view the film here. So, come along as we go rock climbing in Oman with Read Macadam. Finally,

Wishing you all a wonderful National Day celebration in Oman. New episodes on the 5th of every month. Follow the show and find more about Oman at: www.beyondtheroute.com Facebook Instagram Twitter

When we travel and experience new places and cultures, inevitably we compare what is in front of us to what we know. Some things we easily understand, some we disagree with, other thing we even find funny. Being exposed to different ideas and experiences ultimately makes us better humans. Today, after six years of residency in Oman, I am still finding new and exciting observations in this wonderful place. During this episode of the Sultanate I take you on an audio tour and share with you "Nine Things You didn't Know About Oman." I teach you about honey wagons, construction, religion, mushkak, car horns, backwards water faucets, afalaj, the ocean, and of course, the weather. So, come along and join me as we search for the interesting things in the sultanate.  Sultanate Ep 010: Nine Things You Didn't Know About Oman Links Sultanate Ep 001: Introduction to Oman Follow the show and find more about Oman at: www.beyondtheroute.com Facebook Instagram Twitter Do you like what you hear? Be sure to tell a friend an

I always wanted to try out a via ferrata, and it finally happened with a visit to Oman's newest via ferrata at the Alila Jabal Akhdar hotel. A via ferrata is a protected climbing route, and Jebal Akhdar is one of the most beautiful places in Oman. Mix the two together to make a memorable adventure in the mountains. In this episode of the Sultanate, Jonty and I take you along the via ferrata course at Alila Jabal Akhdar with the help of our guides Majid and Rob. Along the way Majid points out the variety of plants growing on the mountain, and how they are used by the locals. We also learn about the history of the surrounding area before we muscle up the challenging section of the course to take in the spectacular view. Via Ferrata at Alila Jabal Akhdar Details Cost for hotel guests: 35++ OMR per guest for 2 Hours Cost for outside guests: TBA by management once this service approved Reservations: email: jabalakhdar@alilahotels.com OR call: +968 2534 4200 / +968 9910 4204 Sultanate Ep 009: Alila Jabal Akhdar L

There are so many opportunities for adventure travel in Oman. Rock climbing, abseiling, caving, canyoning, via ferrata, hiking, and off-road driving are just a few adventurous activities practiced in the sultanate. One man, who has been to all of the great places, is Justin Halls. Justin Halls is a Senior Instructor with Muscat Adventure Center, and basically he takes clients to wonderfully beautiful places in Oman that you can not access without special knowledge, training, or equipment. He's the man when it comes to adventure travel in Oman. In this episode of the Sultanate, I sit down with Justin to discuss the places that are currently open to adventure travel in Oman, including what we can expect from Oman in the future. We discuss canyoning in Wadi Tab and Snake Canyon; caving in the 7th Hole Cave and al Hoota Cave; abseiling off Jebal Shams; and climbing the Jebal Shams via ferrata. I finish the conversation by asking Justin to share with us his idea of the best way to see Oman, using his ten years of

With its narrow alleyways and tiny shops, Muttrah Souq offers shoppers a taste of traditional Omani life. Muttrah Souq quietly rivals other historical marketplaces around the world in terms of authenticity, but little was known about this important souq, until now. Meet Maxine Burden, the Australian author and expat in Oman, who literally wrote the book on the history of Muttrah Souq with her book Throw Down the Anchor: The Story of Muttrah Souq. She spent years gathering stories and photos from local merchants, residents, and shoppers to bring this history to life. In this episode of the Sultanate Maxine takes us on a tour of Oman's main shopping center to show us what she finds unique. She also gives us a great overview on the history hidden behind the souq's modern improvements. So, join Maxine Burden and myself as we go on-location to one of the worlds last remaining traditional arabian souqs. Grab your headphones, sit back, and relax!  View Muttrah Souq images in the associated episode post on my website

One of the qualities I like most about Oman is the small population. You can be 20 minutes outside of Muscat and find yourself, seemingly, the only person for miles. This seclusion gives you the feeling of owning a piece of Oman for yourself, even if it's just for an afternoon. One such place that makes me the sultan of my own kingdom is As Sifah Secret Beach. I took Lady M to As Sifah Secret Beach for a nice afternoon swim, not once; but twice during our travels recently. And in this episode of the Sultanate we discuss the exceptional qualities that make As Sifah Secret Beach our favorite place to have a private, peaceful swim in the greater Muscat area. Lady M is probably better known as Emma France to most. The two of us met at a friend's wedding in the Summer of 2015 in the Allgäu area of Germany. Lady M works for a children's book publisher and lives in sunny London. (Currently we are touring my home town of San Clemente, where there are no secret beaches at all!) After our discussion of As Sifah Secret

The Sharqiya Sands is one of my most favorite place in Oman. It has everything you could want; beauty, emptiness, mystery, easy access, and uniqueness. Whether you are into off-road sand driving, or you just enjoy the peace and quiet, the Sharqiya Sands is a must see in Oman. In this episode of the Sultanate I sit down with David, a geologist here in Oman, to discuss in-depth, what created the amazing Sharqiya Sands. Because of David's position in the oil industry, he has access to a wealth of research which he shares with us to give us a better insight and appreciation of the vast sand dunes. Before wrapping up we examine: the environmental impact recreational sand driving has on the Sharqiya, David suggests a few camps to stay at if you are not keep to tent camp, and why this location is sometimes confusingly called the Wahiba Sands as well as the Sharqiya Sands. Before speaking to David, I head out on a two day, off-road, trip through the Sharqiya with three of my mates: Goos (also featured on episode 3 of

The Rub' al Khali (الربعالخالي) literally means Empty Quarter in Arabic, and is the world's largest contiguous sand desert covering about 650,000 square km of land. To put that into perspective, the Rub' al Khali covers most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula with potions existing in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and of course, Oman. During the winter my mates Jonty and David joined me on the most epic off-road journey I have every embarked on. Destination: The Rub' al Khali. It's not the off-road conditions that make this journey epic, although they were challenging. But by no means extreme. It was the amazing views that stratified this journey for me. Pictures, words, or sounds cannot describe the feelings during this trip, but I'll try my best. We started off our Rub' al Khali journey in Muscat and drove all morning to petrol station one in Shib al Muqayrida where we filled up our tanks, grabbed some cool drinks, and started the GPS track recording. From here to the dunes is Oman's

In this episode of the Sultanate I chat with two of the most adventurous people I know, Goos and Agnes, about cultural respect as visitors to Oman, as well as clothing choices you need to make when planning a trip to the Sultanate. Goos and Agnes are a Dutch couple I met here in Muscat shortly after I arrived in 2011, and they bring to the table a wealth of knowledge from a lifetime of travel, including living and raising children abroad in some very exotic countries. Goos works in the oil industry which has taken him and his family to live in places like Pakistan, Scotland, Nigeria, Australia, and Oman. Currently Goos and Agnes are on their second posting in Muscat and can tell you some great stories about what it was like here on their first posting in the 1980s. We discuss the topics of: what to wear and what not to wear from both the men’s and women’s perspective, how to respect the Omani culture, how to project your marital status as an unmarried couple, how to stay cool when it is hot, handshaking, and

In this episode of the Sultanate I sit down with two of my friends Abdullah al Wahaibi and Fayad al Zadjali to discuss; the different languages spoken in Oman, how widely English is spoken, Omani greetings, and we learn some useful Arabic phrases and words to help you on your travels. Abdullah is a Photographer for the Oman Chamber of Commerce. He works his butt off at the chamber so it's hard to nail him down to catch up with him because he sometimes travels for work and has a family life to mind. Abdullah lives in al Bustan village between Muttrah and the al Bustan Palace He speaks Arabic, English, and a bit of Hindi. You can connect with Abdullah through YouTube and Instagram. Fayad is an Operations Manager for Khimji Ramdas, Shipping Division. He speaks Arabic, English, Hindi, and Zadjali. I have definitely reaped the benefits of having a Hindi speaking friend, as he has helped me communicate with Indian expats a number of times. Muttrah is where Fayad calls home, as do a number people from the Zadjali tr

Planning a trip to Oman? Start right here for a traveler's introduction to Oman. In this episode I sit down with my good buddy Jonty for an introduction to the Sultanate of Oman. Jonty has been an expat in Oman, off and on, for the past 35 years!  So how does a Brit stay so long in Oman? Well, Jonty moved to the sultanate as a small child with his parents and was raised here. Leaving to study in europe as a teen, he later returned to be closer to his family and gain employment. His most recent stint in the sultanate has been for the last nine years. Jonty has the unique ability to talk about how things have changed during the reign on His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, and we touch a little on this topic based on his experiences. Our goal for this episode is to introduce you to Oman so we talk about money, oil, history, religion, culture, safety and security, geography, expats, food, agriculture; and because Jonty is English, the weather. The next episode of the Sultanate will continue the introduction to Oman and is