Driving & Offroad

Roads — First-Class

The roads in Oman are among the best in the entire region: Wide, perfectly asphalted highways, clear bilingual signage (Arabic/English), and almost no potholes. Sultan Qaboos built a road network from scratch starting in 1970, which today has a quality level that many European countries can only dream of.

Traffic Rules & Peculiarities

• Right-hand traffic (like in Germany)
• Speed limit: 60 km/h in cities, 100–120 km/h on highways. Speed cameras everywhere!
• Fines: Sensitively high (from 10 OMR for speeding, up to 50 OMR)
• Alcohol limit: 0.0 per mille. Absolute alcohol ban at the wheel!
• Driver's license: International driver's license recommended, in practice, the EU license is accepted
• Gasoline: 0.22 OMR/liter (approx. €0.53) — a fraction of European prices. Fully state-subsidized

Offroad & Desert Driving

• 4x4 required for: Wahiba Sands, Jebel Akhdar (police checkpoint!), some wadis after rain, Musandam coastal road, Rub al-Khali
• Tire pressure: In the desert, lower the tire pressure to about 1.2 bar (this gives more surface area on the sand). Refill at the next gas station
• Never alone: Never drive alone in the desert — always at least in pairs (two vehicles) or with a local guide
• Sand tracks/shovel: Bring for real offroad in the desert. Most rental contracts exclude offroad!