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Mr Mazloumi's everyday pick: good food at a fair price.
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Visitor guide · Oman
Oman, from the driver's seat.
Every week visitors ask us the same things: what petrol costs, what a taxi costs, what the cameras cost, where to go, where to eat, where to live. Here are Mr Mazloumi's answers, in one place.
Answered by Seyed Javad Mazloumi, founder · October 2026
Getting around
Should we take taxis or rent a car?
We don't tell you. Do the sum.
Most visitors ask about taxis before they rent. Mr Mazloumi sends them to a taxi app to check for themselves: even the shortest ride rarely costs less than 1.5 to 2 OMR, and a 10 to 20 minute ride is about 3 to 4 OMR each way. There and back, 8 to 9 OMR.
Buses won't get you far in Muscat. Taxis are the one thing that works, and at rush hour they cost more and drivers often won't take the ride.
By taxi60 to 80 OMR
Our lowest-priced car40 OMRToyota Yaris, 200 km a day included. Petrol is yours.
See every car and price Taxi: 3 to 4 OMR a ride, Mr Mazloumi's figure for 10 to 20 minutes. Car: our price for 5 days, with week rates applied.
Petrol
How much is petrol?
1 OMR ≈ 4.4 L
About four and a half litres for every rial.
Regular petrol (91) is 229 baisa a litre, and a rial is 1,000 baisa. Super (95) is about 240. These are the prices we quote in October 2026.
Which one does your car take? We tell you when you collect it.
Pump
You pay5.000OMR
You get21.83litres
229 baisa a litre
Cameras & fines
What do the cameras cost?
From 10 OMR, and a red light can mean jail.
Oman's roads are full of cameras, and a fine on a rental car is the driver's to pay. That is why the deposit is held 30 days after you return the car. With an Omani licence and ID there is no deposit at all.
These are the amounts Mr Mazloumi explains to renters. The Royal Oman Police set them and can change them.
- Not paying for parking10 OMR
- SpeedingMore the faster you gofrom 10 OMR
- Parking across the lines10 to 15 OMR
- Phone or food in your hand at the wheel15 to 20 OMR
- Parking in a disabled bayPlus black points on an Omani licence50 OMR
- Red lightRunning one can cost 200 OMR and jail. We have seen a month.50 to 200 OMR
A headlight or brake light that doesn't work is fined too.
Where to go
What should we see?
Three stops in Muscat, then the mountains.
In Muscat we send people to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Al Alam Palace and Muttrah. For a day out of the city, Nizwa Fort.
If you love a good hotel, go up Jebel Akhdar: it sits high, so the air is cooler and the view is better.
21 km25 min
Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque
42 km45 min
Muttrah souq and corniche
45 km45 min
Al Alam Palace
143 km1 h 45
Nizwa Fort
151 km2 h 30
Jebel Akhdar
The road up is 4x4 only, past a police checkpoint.
See the 4x4s1,002 kmA full day
Salalah
Beautiful, and 1,000 km away. Long trips are priced by destination, and small engines stay local.
Road distance from our office. Times are rough, without traffic.
Hotels
From about 30 OMR a night to over 100 OMR, depending on the hotel. We know the prices at some of them, so ask us before you book.
WhatsApp usRather not drive?
Our city tour comes with a driver: 8 hours, 50 OMR in a sedan or 100 OMR in a 7-seat 4WD, fuel included.
See the toursWhere to eat
Where should we eat?
Two names we give everyone.
In Oman for a week or so? Try both. They're known all over the country.
Omani · traditional
Rozna
Omani dishes in a building made like an old fort, with rooms where you sit on the floor, the traditional way.
Open in Google MapsStaying longer
Thinking of living here?
Muscat costs about the same on every side.
Some visitors come to look around before they move. These are the questions they ask Mr Mazloumi.
An ordinary flat
170 OMRa month
From about 170 to 180 OMR a month, and up depending on the area.
Home internet
28 OMRa month
Unlimited. Nobody pays by the gigabyte here.
A SIM card
Omantel · Ooredoo
The two networks Mr Mazloumi recommends.
Is there an uptown and a downtown?
Visitors from Iran ask this most. Muscat was a string of villages, Seeb, Al Mawaleh, Al Hail and more, that grew into one city over the years. Toward the centre it is more built up, and Seeb keeps more of its own character. Rent and food barely change: 10 to 20 OMR a month at most. Choose the side closest to your work.
- Seeb
- Al Mawaleh
- Al Hail
- Al Khuwair
- Qurum
- Muttrah
Older villagesMore built up
Rent and food: 10 to 20 OMR a month apart at most
Something we didn't cover?
Ask us on WhatsApp. The office answers in English, Arabic, Persian and Hindi.