50 Days in Muscat: Amazing Place to Travel, Visit and Live

     It been 50 days since I first arrived in Oman and living in the capital city of Muscat has been a totally amazing experience for me. The journey of reaching here, adjusting to the new environment, meeting new people and travelling around has been really great and must say this welcoming and friendly city has made me fall in love with the experiences I had here in Muscat in the last 50 days.

The Beautiful Sultan Qaboos Mosque, Muscat

     Ever since the first time I reached here, the friendly and welcoming attitude of the local Omani people has been always visible in this city. It has been very prominently seen that this city has a cosmopolitan residents residing here with a large fraction of the city’s population comprising of expats from around the globe, making it a multi-cultural place to live in and meet people from various places, cultures and ethnic backgrounds.

Making friends from various cultures in Muscat.
Picture: Nischal Gurung

     I have always been a wanderer who loves to go places, see things and travel around and I didn’t plan to make an exception while I was living in Muscat so the last 50 days here I spent, a large part was spent wandering around seeing places. The word ‘ Nischal’ which is my name, is a Sanskrit word which means ‘Stationary’ and ‘Non-moving’ but my nature has been very contrasting to what my name means. So, the last 50 days here , every time I got time, I spent seeing places around, whether it be shopping malls, beaches, historical sites, restaurants and bars or local markets, going around Muscat has been truly a great time.

Totally a beach lover. Shots from Qurum Beach.
Picture: Nischal Gurung

     For a beach lover like me, Muscat has been a paradise with so many beautiful beaches in and around the city and I have been fortunate enough to visit few of the beaches in the city and plan to visit more beaches in the days to come. One very much popular beach which I usually visit is the Qurum beach which is quite popular in the city. Other beaches which I love is the Ras Al Hamra beach which is another beautiful beach to visit. The beaches at Al Khuwair and Azaiba is also quite nice, especially to visit in the evenings and go for walks, which is quite peaceful and calming. The unique thing about Muscat’s landscape is that it is a coastal city surrounded by hills so it is quite a unique thing to see hills near beaches or hills arising from the coast, which you see a lot towards Matrah.

Along the Matrah Corniche

      If you’re a sea lover, there is more than beaches to see in Muscat. The Corniche in Matrah is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in Muscat. As you enter Matrah which is towards Old Muscat, the port is the landmark from where the Corniche begins and there you can see the really beauty of nature amidst the crowd of Muscat. The architecture of houses in Matrah is one of a kind, expressing the beauty and art of Omani architecture in various ways. A walk along the Corniche in Matrah is a must if you want to see the amazing natural wonders of Matrah with forts, hills and beaches.

Delicacies at Palayok Filipono
Restaurant at Ruwi in Muscat.

Grabbing some beer at Habana Sports Bar,
Grand Hyatt, Muscat.

      I am a total foodie and love eating out, and my eating out experience is not only limited to fine dining restaurants, but the attractive local restaurants and coffee shops as well. Small coffee shops in Muscat with an outdoor seating is very much popular, selling Turkish and other Arabic delicacies. I personally love Shawarma, whether it been in the form of a sandwich, a roll or a platter. The Turkish delicacies I love also includes the Sheesh Tawook, Fateera and Labanah which I have found to be quite popularly eaten and sold in the city. As an Indian, I always crave for Indian food and there is a hell lot of Indian restaurants everywhere in the city, whether you want to dine in a high end fine dining outlet or casual Indian coffee shop. With this city having a lot of Filipino population, I did try visiting Filipino restaurants and having a taste of Filipino cuisine as well and I say it is a must to try if you’re in Muscat. Bars are quite limited here and drinking isn’t much widespread but there are plenty of bars, pubs, lounges and clubs to go out and drink, in various high end hotels and restaurants providing you great beverage and services. I did visit few of them, like O’Malley’s in Hotel Radisson Blu and Habana Sports Bars and Club Safari in Hotel Grand Hyatt, with the amazing brands that these places recognize themselves, the services too are up to the mark.

     Shopping is fun and you’ll not miss it if you’re in Muscat as well. Every street and block has a Hypermarket that caters to everything that one needs and if you’re someone who loves big shopping malls and big brands to shop, you’ll not miss that as well in Muscat. I’ve been to various shopping malls as well which includes Grand Muscat Mall, near Al Gubra Round about which is quite convenient place to go, that has every international brands to shop, whether you’re looking for clothes, shoes, electronics, books and just food. If you’re visiting Grand Muscat Mall, also make a point to visit LuLu Hypermarket just near Grand Muscat Mall, which is quite big and has a large varieties and products for a shopaholic. LuLu Hypermarket is actually present in various other parts of Muscat as well so if you’re passing by those places, then you can always stop by for a visit. I also loved visiting the City Centre malls, like the City Centre Qurum and City Centre Seeb which are the ones I did visit and these malls do make me shop till I am broke.

Muscat, totally a paradise for a sea lover.

     If you want to try something different and nice when it comes to shop, shopping at the local markets known as Souq is a perfect idea. Souqs are located in Matrah and I think it’s an amazing and different experience visiting one of them. It is great to shop for local handicrafts, souvenirs, jewelries, clothes especially the local wears and handlooms, perfumes which are quite unique and traditional Omani stuffs and these all comes at great bargains so visiting Souqs at Matrah for shopping would actually be quite a unique experience if you’re tired of shopping malls.

     Muscat is a beautiful place, and every day is different and each day new things come and new experiences are gained. My journey has been amazing and I suppose that the days to come will be full of surprises and adventure. I will be updating this blog and coming up with new posts on my future experiences here as well.

You may also read:
Journey To Muscat – Darjeeling Boy Goes His Way Via Kolkata and Mumbai

Palayok – The Taste of Filipino Cuisine in Muscat

Qurum Beach – The Miami of Muscat

Habana at Grand Hyatt, Muscat – Sports Bar Experience in Oman

Ras Al Hamra Beach in Muscat - The Small Hidden Paradise

The Pakistani Restaurant and the Omani Biryani Blunder – The Weird Experience