Salalah, oman

Horror stories abound about the rip offs at the port entrance in Salalah by taxi drivers. We would appreciate any positive ideas about how to avoid these problems and have a good experience during our visit to Salalah. Tour ideas, companies etc. would be appreciated

Salalah taxi drivers (and the Locals there as a whole) are a very different people than in the rest of Oman. Mostly the sort of people that give Arabs a bad name.

Avoid the taxis as much as possible, unless a pre-arranged one or an organised tour, be it via your ship or privately organised.

My wife goes down to SLL quite frequently, so i will ask her for a reputable driver if you want.

Personally I think that there is f.. all to do in Salalah itself and the immediate sourounds.

A drive of 45 minutes + gets you to some quite pretty scenery in the mountains or desert. This should not be attempted alone if you are not a confident driver. The roads ARE good (apart of course the desert tracks), but road signs are not too accurate, distances are deceiving and driving customs are "adventurous".

Some beaches in and around SLL are nice to look at but can be very, very dangerous due to high waves and / or dangerous rips and currents. Not to mention the village youths using the beaches as race tracks for their 4WDs....

During late June, July, august the area is niece and green (nearly a bit like Kerala in India), but at other times very dry and bare. If yo have other stops in Oman, tere are nicer places elsewhere.

Salalah taxi drivers (and the Locals there as a whole) are a very different people than in the rest of Oman. Mostly the sort of people that give Arabs a bad name.

 

Avoid the taxis as much as possible, unless a pre-arranged one or an organised tour, be it via your ship or privately organised.

My wife goes down to SLL quite frequently, so i will ask her for a reputable driver if you want.

Personally I think that there is f.. all to do in Salalah itself and the immediate sourounds.

A drive of 45 minutes + gets you to some quite pretty scenery in the mountains or desert. This should not be attempted alone if you are not a confident driver. The roads ARE good (apart of course the desert tracks), but road signs are not too accurate, distances are deceiving and driving customs are "adventurous".

 

Some beaches in and around SLL are nice to look at but can be very, very dangerous due to high waves and / or dangerous rips and currents. Not to mention the village youths using the beaches as race tracks for their 4WDs....

 

During late June, July, august the area is niece and green (nearly a bit like Kerala in India), but at other times very dry and bare. If yo have other stops in Oman, tere are nicer places elsewhere.

absolutely agree, Ive been there 3 times, the last time I didn't even bother leaving the ship.

i would recommend a ship excursion, there isn't a lot there and an organised excursions will show you what little there is, The Queen of Shebas ruins, the tombs in the hills, the frankensence tree,a fort, a museum, the harbour and finally the small souk. The tour took 7 hours.

From memory the free shuttle just takes you to the port gates and then you have the gauntlet of the taxi drivers...an experience to be avoided.

Im sure its an environment and culture you are not used to and for that alone its worth experiencing.

have a great trip...

Roscoe

Salalah taxi drivers (and the Locals there as a whole) are a very different people than in the rest of Oman. Mostly the sort of people that give Arabs a bad name.

 

Avoid the taxis as much as possible, unless a pre-arranged one or an organised tour, be it via your ship or privately organised.

My wife goes down to SLL quite frequently, so i will ask her for a reputable driver if you want.Personally I think that there is f.. all to do in Salalah itself and the immediate sourounds.

A drive of 45 minutes + gets you to some quite pretty scenery in the mountains or desert. This should not be attempted alone if you are not a confident driver. The roads ARE good (apart of course the desert tracks), but road signs are not too accurate, distances are deceiving and driving customs are "adventurous".

 

I will be in Salalah on Oct 16th. I would love the name/contact information for a reputable driver. Only there for the day when on the HAL Ryndam.

Thanks!

I would either do a ships tour or I would stay on the ship.

The last time we were there the taxi drivers were ripping off the fellow passengers.

If you don't do a tour make it a sea day.

Going into the local town has very little to offer.

Keith

I would either do a ships tour or I would stay on the ship.

 

The last time we were there the taxi drivers were ripping off the fellow passengers.

 

If you don't do a tour make it a sea day.

 

Going into the local town has very little to offer.

 

Keith

I definitely don't want to make is a sea day. Have enough of those on this trip, but thanks.

You might try Mark Tours. Comes recommended from a friend.

http://www.marktoursoman.com

You might try Mark Tours. Comes recommended from a friend.

 

www.marktoursoman.com

Thank you for the information

Did your friend have any comments, good or bad, about the tours by this company.

Please email Eventschair@aol.com Subject: Muscat

Thank you

Lorraine:)

Have never been to Salalah so do not want to stay on the ship and tours are ho-hum. Is the souk worth going to and can one safely walk in town with a small group or possibly only 2 people?? Is the frankincense museum still open?

Have never been to Salalah so do not want to stay on the ship and tours are ho-hum. Is the souk worth going to and can one safely walk in town with a small group or possibly only 2 people?? Is the frankincense museum still open?

Salalah as a whole is Ho-Hum. One of these stops by cruise lines to desperately bulk up the itinerary.

The "nice" things are not really near the town.

The souk is not what you would call pretty and 1001-nights material.

If you are stopping in Muscat, I'd visit the market there. Much nicer.

Walking around is safe enough. Extremely unlikely that you would get in any danger (apart from being run over by moronic drivers. Expect the unexpected, traffic wise. ANYWHERE in the Arab world!). You will probably get stared at and/or honked at by passing taxis and single guys. Just ignore them. Don't even wave at them. Salalah is quite disappointing to walk around. Not a pretty place by any means. Be very, very careful at the beaches. They look inviting but have dangerous currents and rips. (and people using the beach as drag race courses)

Frankincense museum should be open, but hours are a bit whenever they feel like opening the place. Very cheap admission. Half the time they don't even bother collecting the fee.