Things to do in Sur
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Sur
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overlap of easing heat and turtle nesting and hatching, with November the single best month.
Best weather for forts and wadis, with higher prices and only small numbers of turtles nesting.
Warm and still comfortable for wadis, a good shoulder season before summer heat builds.
Peak turtle nesting but extreme coastal heat and humidity, so start all outdoor plans at dawn.
Worst months for most visitors unless turtles are the sole mission, due to heat and humidity.
What's on
- Oman National Day 18 November
Flags, lights and decorated streets across the country, with hotels and turtle walks booking up.
- Eid al-Fitr Lunar, dates shift yearly
End of Ramadan feasting and peak domestic travel, the hardest week to find a room at short notice.
- Eid al-Adha Lunar, dates shift yearly
The second great Eid, with the same domestic travel surge and booking warning as Eid al-Fitr.
- Muscat Nights January to February
Oman's biggest cultural festival season, held in Muscat and worth a capital night at either end of a Sur trip.
Best things to do in Sur
Dhow Factory
A working yard in Al Ayjah where craftsmen still build wooden dhows by hand, Sur's defining maritime sight.
Sur Maritime Museum
A small museum centred on the Fath Al Khair ghanja that explains the seafaring world behind the dhow yard.
Al-Ayjah Lighthouse
The lighthouse viewpoint above Al Ayjah for the panorama back across the lagoon to Sur at golden hour.
Sunaysilah Fort
A four towered hilltop fort in central Sur with small displays and the best tower view over the town.
Bilad Sur Castle
A larger, quieter fortified residence inland from the corniche that shows how a Sur fort actually worked.
Sur Corniche
The lagoon waterfront walk where Sur comes out at sunset, with dhows at anchor and the bridge lit after dark.
Ancient City of Qalhat
A UNESCO listed ruined port city north of Sur whose only standing monument is the Bibi Maryam Mausoleum.
Sur Traditional Souq
A working town market for dates, frankincense and daily goods, best in the morning when the town shops.
Where to stay in Sur
Al Ayjah
character and first trips
The historic quarter with the lighthouse, dhow yard and museum, whitewashed lanes and the best sunset views.
Central Sur and the corniche
practicality, choice and budget
Hotels, restaurants, souq and services concentrate here, with easy parking and the lowest prices in town.
Ras al Hadd and Ras al Jinz
a dedicated turtle night
A five minute walk to a nesting beach with no late night drive, but 45 minutes from Sur restaurants and wadis.
Think twice about
- Highway edge on Al Aise and the Route 23 approach
Car dependent, noisy and charmless on foot. Stay there only for a specific hotel, not for the location.
- Ras al Hadd village as a whole stay base
Very quiet and dark at night and 45 minutes from Sur restaurants. Use it for a turtle night, not for a whole stay.
Best restaurants in Sur
Sahari Restaurant
Sur's seafood splurge, choosing grilled fish and lobster from the daily catch on a terrace over the water.
Al Hawash Restaurant
A large Omani restaurant by Al Ayjah bridge for shuwa, mandi and grilled fish with a sea view.
RazmAzaan
Yemeni mandi and shared rice and meat platters in Sur's mall area, the change of pace from grilled fish.
Forum Istanbul Turkish Restaurant
Sur's Turkish grill house for mixed grills and kebabs when the table wants neither fish nor curry.
Zaki Restaurant
Sur's busiest cheap restaurant for biryani, seafood noodles and huge portions near Bawan Masjid.
Sur Sea Restaurant
A no frills room near the souq grilling the day's cuttlefish, kingfish and tuna at budget prices.
Pakistani Jabl e Kashmir
A small Pakistani kitchen cooking curries and kebabs for regulars at the lowest prices in town.
Best coffee in Sur
Phenuq Café
Sur's specialty coffee stop for a flat white, brunch and planning a wadi day out of the midday heat.
Outdoor things to do in Sur
Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve
Ranger guided night and dawn walks to watch green turtles nest on one of the world's key nesting beaches.
Wadi Shab
A 45 minute gorge hike to turquoise pools and a swim through a rock crack into a cave with a waterfall.
Wadi Tiwi
A lush plantation gorge 2 km from Wadi Shab with a scenic canyon drive, villages and far fewer crowds.
Bimmah Sinkhole
A huge limestone crater holding blue green water, a 30 to 60 minute swim stop on the coastal highway.
Fins Beach
A wild white sand arc with clear turquoise water for swimming and picnics, with no facilities at all.
Wadi Bani Khalid
Oman's big easy swimming wadi, with developed main pools and quieter upper pools beyond the rocks.
Wahiba Sands
A vast sea of orange dunes west of Sur for a guided sunset drive or a night in a desert camp.
Al Mouj Golf
Oman's flagship championship course in Muscat, playable only on a Muscat night, never as a day trip from Sur.
Best hotels in Sur
Best Western Sur
Sur's top town hotel with a big pool, buffet dinners and a licence, five minutes by car from the corniche.
Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve
Plain rooms inside the reserve so the night and dawn turtle walks end at your door, with walks included.
Turtle Beach Resort
A beach resort in Ras al Hadd with sea view rooms, a pool and a bar, 30 minutes from the turtle reserve.
Al Ayjah Plaza Hotel
A mid priced hotel in historic Al Ayjah, the character base for the lighthouse, dhow yard and museum.
Sur Grand Hotel
A dependable mid range town hotel with breakfast and parking, well placed for early wadi and turtle starts.
Zaki Hotel Apartment
Thirty apartment units with kitchens by Zaki Restaurant, the value base for families and longer stays.
Sur Hotel
A simple central budget hotel with friendly staff, the cheapest full hotel base for touring by car.
Is Sur expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | OMR 30 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | OMR 65 a person |
| Splurge | OMR 130 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve: weeks ahead
- Wahiba Sands: weeks ahead
- Al Mouj Golf: a few days ahead
- Best Western Sur: a few days ahead
- Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve: weeks ahead
- Turtle Beach Resort: a few days ahead
- Book Ras Al Jinz turtle walks and rooms weeks ahead for May to October, weekends and Omani holidays.
- Book Sur and turtle coast hotels and Muscat rental cars ahead in the October to April season.
- Everything else in Sur is walk in, so spend booking effort only on turtles, beds and the car.
Is Sur safe?
- Never enter a wadi if rain is forecast upstream, and leave at once if water rises or turns muddy.
- Wadi Shab's cave requires real swimming ability, and its trail passes villages so dress modestly over swimwear.
- Drinking or being drunk in public is a criminal offence in Oman, and the emergency number is 9999.
Sur travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Doing Ras al Jinz as a late night return to Muscat instead of sleeping in Sur or at the reserve.
- Wadi Shab at midday on a Friday, when crowds, heat and the boat queue all peak.
- Expecting Sur town alone to fill four or five days, when it is a two to three night base.
- Using the town beach as your swimming plan instead of Fins, Shab, Tiwi and Bani Khalid.
Getting around Sur: public transport and more
- Rent a car in Muscat and bring your home licence plus an International Driving Permit, as no tours run from Sur to Wadi Shab.
- A 2WD handles all the paved roads, while Wahiba soft sand and the roughest Tiwi tracks need a 4WD and a guide.
- Avoid driving outside towns after dark where you can, because camels and donkeys use unlit roads, and drive the turtle road back slowly.
- Download offline maps before the wadis, as signal thins in the canyons.
Who Sur suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Sur your trip
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