Getting Around in Masirah Island

From the lush beaches of Salalah to the rocky shores of Masirah Island, Oman has begun to be noticed as one of the Middle East's great destinations for tourists and travelers. Located on the Southwest tip of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman's coastline reaps the benefits of the breezes blowing off of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, a welcome respite from the otherwise hot and arid region.

If you're going to fly into Oman chances are you will fly into Seeb International Airport in Muscat, the capitol city. Although you can fly into Salhalah, Muscat is actually easier because they are more accustomed to handling tourists and visas. Once you are there you have a few options to travel around the country. Oman Air is the national airline and travels regularly between Muscat and Salhalah. Since Masirah Island is located closer to Muscat, however, it makes more sense to just travel by land. A bus service connects all the major destinations in Oman. Other options include renting a car or taking a taxi.

To actually get to Masirah Island you have to take the ferry. It runs fairly regularly and will drop you off by the town of Hilf. Most of the Hotels on the Island are located near the ferry, which is very nice. There are paved roads on the island, but if you really want to be able to explore it is worthwhile to invest in renting some kind of 4-wheel drive vehicle.