Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #495501 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

From the Back Cover
If you think of Oman as an arid land of desert and oil, it's time to open the pages of this book and discover a very different country--rich in nature reserves, world-class diving sites, and archaeological wonders. In this new Bradt guide, Diana Darke and Sandra Shields lead you through the coasts, plains and mountains of this spellbinding sultanate. Browse the perfumes and spices in the souks, cheer on a camel race, visit the Queen of Sheba's Palace or camp with the Bedouin under the stars. You'll probably want to stay for 1,001 nights. *Exploring the "land of frankincense" in Dhofar *Caves, tombs, and ruined cities *The art of wadi-bashing *Where to watch turtles nesting *Shopping and sightseeing in the capital, Muscat *Essential Arabic

About the Author
Diana Darke has 25 years' experience studying, living, working, and traveling extensively throughout the Arab world, first with the British foreign office, then as an Arabic consultant. She has written several books on the region and is the author of Bradt's North Cyprus and the new Syria guide. Sandra Shields lived and studied in Oman, accompanying her partner whilst he was on project work in the country. She has keen interests in writing, travel, and photography and is currently working on a travel narrative on Oman.

Customer Reviews

Extensive Local Travel Information
I'm a former Peace Corps volunteer in Oman, 1974-1976 (before they got wealthy). I'm planning a return visit there and found the the Bradt Guide quite useful. I worked in the interior: Ibra, Buraimi, Sohar, Nizwa, Bahla. The book refreshed and supplemented details about the interior. I checked out the Lonely Planet Oman guide from my local library and will supplement that budget travel information with the greater local depth here.

Useless - Unless You Are Another Wealthy Expat!
Despite claiming to be written for expats and backpackers alike, this book is one of those poorer quality Bradt guides that were written only with wealthy expats and maybe package tourists in mind.

There is extensive info on sights and endless lists of very expensive, upmarket accomodation options and tour-operators - even those hotels put into the "budget" category often costing over 100 USD/night!
There is almost NO information whatsoever on public transport in the country. The author listed some companies running buses to the UAE and to a grand total of four (4!) Omani cities in the introduction chapter, and then gives no information at all about how to get to to destinations she describes without your own car (which she obviously has and can't imagine living without) throughout the rest of the book. Such is her ignorance of public transport that the locations of bus stations and shared taxi stands are not even marked on the town maps! As for the shared taxis, the true workhorses of Omani transport serving most towns throughout the country at fixed, low fares, she won't even tell you of their existance - never noticed them herself, maybe???

About crossing the country's border with Yemen, she claims it is impossible as the border is closed. In reality it has been open for many years, with regular buses connecting the two countries - but you wouldn't know from this book.

Activities? Oman has an excellent system of marked trekking trails in various parts of the country, one of its main highlights actually, but this book won't tell you a thing about any of them.

So if you are an expat living in Oman and looking for info on where to drive your car for the weekend, this book may be OK for you.
Anyone planning to explore this fascintaing country on their own should look elsewhere - I found the 66 pages on Oman in Lonely Planet's Arabian Peninsula guide contained far more useful, practical info than this entire 280 pages long book. That book gives fares and details of buses and shared taxis, and hints on camping and other important tips for budget travellers, too.