Yes, Oman is safe to travel. When I arrived in Muscat in spring 2026, I found exactly what I had come for: calm streets, warm encounters, and a country going about its normal business. The German travel warning (Reisewarnung) for Oman has since been lifted — though the Foreign Office continues to advise strongly against travel. My name is Natascha Plankermann. I am a journalist, and I spent several weeks travelling Oman at a time when most other European visitors had stayed home.

What does Muscat look like right now?

I ran into Elizabeth again on my first morning back at Qurum Beach. She was settled into her folding chair at the top of the steps, her sky-blue swimsuit bright against tanned skin, a warm orange lipstick visible beneath the brim of her sun hat. “Ah, you again! Have you noticed how the temperatures have crept up since last week? At least there’s no one around,” she called out in English, then climbed down to the warm waves. She was right. The two of us had the beach almost entirely to ourselves.
Nearly 40 degrees of humid heat keeps most people indoors until late afternoon. At sundown, the families appear: grilling on the grass, playing football on the sand, children building castles at the water’s edge — exactly as on any other Friday. The European visitors who would normally be strolling along the Corniche are gone. The sunloungers outside the Mandarin Oriental sit empty. In the malls, locals have the cafés to themselves — lemon mint juice in the afternoon, Spanish lattes in the morning. If anything, I feel more warmly welcomed than usual when I browse the shops for the Indian block-print dresses I love.

What did nomad’s guests report from Oman in March 2026?

Several nomad guests were travelling Oman independently in March 2026 — at the same time that airports in Dubai were closed and thousands of passengers were stranded on cruise ships. Our guests were exploring the Sultanate without incident. After their return, they shared their experiences with us.
In the souq of Muttrah, traders call out more insistently than usual: pashmina scarves, frankincense, spices. Apart from a handful of Italians I can hear in passing, the narrow lanes are quiet. Irfan, the carpet and fabric dealer I’ve trusted for years, shrugs at the empty alleyways: “It’s not in our hands.” Where three staff once sold together, one remains — the others have already returned to their home countries. Irfan himself is nearly packed: he leaves for Kashmir at the end of May. Over a glass of spiced karak tea, he tells me his losses in a low voice. September will be better, he is certain of it.

Is Oman safe? Business as usual in Duqm

A few hundred kilometres south of Muscat, Duqm tells a different story. Before I set off, I had doubted I would get here at all — news of drone strikes on Omani ports had reached Germany, Duqm among them. This is where Oman’s industrial future is taking shape: steel producers planning to use green hydrogen, companies building green ammonia for European markets. One of them, belonging to the Indian ACME Group, I visit during my research.
Standing among cranes and excavators, I ask my guide Naveen about the drone strikes. Yes, it happened over near the port, he says. No, they hadn’t noticed much. Around 800 workers are on site around the clock. The rock face has already been cut in steps for the pipeline that will carry green molecules to the sea. It took a year and two months to complete the access road from the clifftop down to the coast, Naveen tells me, not without pride. On the way back, a road checkpoint — IDs, please. The officers look just as relaxed as everyone else here.

Is Oman safe for independent travellers? Wadi Shab and Nizwa

Back towards Muscat, the guides at Wadi Shab are almost enjoying the quiet. When I last visited in late 2025, buses were stacked at the trailhead and thousands hiked between the canyon walls. Now Hussein, one of the guides I reach via WhatsApp, reports no visitors at all. He is fishing. Like Irfan, he does not doubt the guests will return.
The same calm holds in Nizwa. “A guest!” calls out painter Abdelwahab in mock surprise when I arrive at his hotel — I had of course announced myself, and received a beautiful room with a view of the fort’s great tower. Abdelwahab and I have known each other since the Covid years; I drove to Nizwa shortly after recovering, when he was selling his watercolours from a small booth above the market hall. His paintings of Al Hamra and camels with Bedouin women have hung in my hallway in Düsseldorf ever since. Today he is artist-in-residence at the hotel with its fine rooftop terrace. We both feel the parallel: when we first met in 2022, there were barely any visitors either. The famous goat market was easy to photograph, uninterrupted.

Where can you find reliable information about Oman?

Anyone who wants to understand Oman in depth should combine several sources. For current news from an Omani perspective, the most useful are the Oman Observer, Times of Oman, and Muscat Daily. The Oman Observer closely follows official government positions; Muscat Daily is comparatively independent. Middle East Eye provides geopolitical context on Oman’s role as a regional mediator. The Middle East Institute offers well-grounded analysis of politics, economics, and energy. In German, the Deutsch-Omanische Gesellschaft publishes background information and media links. The German Foreign Office travel advisory pages are also worth checking regularly for current safety information.

Is Oman safe to travel? UK and Dutch travel advisories explained

Travel advisories for Oman differ significantly depending on where you are travelling from — and that matters for insurance cover.
The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises British nationals to exercise increased caution. It does not advise against travel to Oman as a whole. The FCDO notes limited missile and drone activity in the commercial ports and industrial areas of Duqm, Salalah, and Sohar, and recommends staying away from ports, energy infrastructure, and military sites. Muscat and the main tourist regions are not subject to any travel-against advice. Crucially, standard travel insurance remains valid for most of Oman under this level of advisory — but check your policy before you book.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs operates a colour-coded system. For most of Oman, the advisory is yellow — travel is possible, though travellers should be aware of specific safety risks. Orange applies to the ports of Duqm, Sohar, and Salalah, the area around the military airfield at Thumrait, the Musandam peninsula, and the border region with Yemen. Orange means travel is only advisable if necessary. The remainder of the country, including Muscat, the interior, and the coast south of Muscat, sits at yellow. 

In both cases, the practical message is the same: Oman is open, Muscat is accessible, and the areas most travellers visit are not under any travel-against advisory. Check your insurer's specific wording against the current advisory level before departure — that is always the step that matters most in practice.

On social media, Oman's tourism and hospitality sector continues without pause: new luxury hotel projects are announced, openings are flagged. Whether Elizabeth will be among the first guests at one of them is something I plan to ask her on my next walk along the beach.

Travel Oman with a specialist

Travelling with a specialist means you are not going in blind. nomad monitors the situation on the ground continuously, stays in direct contact with local partners and family in Oman, and adjusts your itinerary if necessary. As the first German Oman specialist — with over 30 years of experience — we are with you from planning to return. Browse our Oman travel programmes here: Oman self-drive travel with nomad