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Where is the country of Oman located? Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. According to the Köppen system, Oman has a warm desert climate (type BWh), with high temperatures and little precipitation. With an average of more than 3,500 hours of sunshine and less than two hundred millimeters of precipitation per year, Oman is one of the sunniest and driest countries in the world. The central part of Oman is the driest. Rainfall is rare in this desert area. Somewhat wetter are the mountain areas (Hajar Mountains) in the extreme north of Oman and the extreme south. The point near the border with Yemen is wetter and has a short rainy season at the end of the summer. The vegetation in this part of Oman is therefore considerably more lush, making the landscape look a lot greener than many other places on the Arabian Peninsula.

Hot summers

Oman has to deal with hot summers, in which the daytime temperatures easily reach 40 to no less than 50 degrees. In the south the temperatures are more moderate and during the summer it is about 30 to 33 degrees during the day. The khareef (monsoon) provides cooling, clouds and precipitation at the end of summer. The capital Muscat has the warmest period from June to August. In the city, in the sun and out of the wind, the thermometer even rises well above fifty degrees during the hottest days. The very high relative humidity (above 90%) makes it uncomfortably muggy in summer in large parts of Oman.

Regen

In total there is an annual average of ten (the driest desert areas) to four hundred (parts of the Hajar Mountains) millimeters of precipitation in Oman. All precipitation falls in the form of rain, part of the precipitation amount that is registered ends up in the rain gauges as a result of dew. The low-lying desert areas are almost completely dry for much of the year. In the winter months it can rain one or two days a month. On the windward side of the Hajar Mountains in the north and the area between the mountains and the coast, rainfall can be greater. Sometimes it can even rain for a few days in a row in the period from October to March. It is also very dry here in the summer months.

The southern area of ​​Oman has a small chance of rain all year round. In mid-summer, from July to September, the chances of precipitation increase and it rains on average about five to ten days a month. This part of Oman is experiencing a tailwind from the monsoon period, which causes significantly higher amounts of precipitation in neighboring Yemen.

Winter

Winters in Oman are warm (north, desert and south) to mild (mountains). In the mountains, the temperature can drop to well below ten degrees; along the coast this is virtually impossible. The average daytime temperature in the winter months along the coast is between 25 and 30 degrees. During days with significant precipitation, temperatures may drop slightly further. It does not get much warmer than thirty degrees in the period from December to March, making this the most pleasant period for many to visit Oman.

Holiday in Omani

Many people opt for a tour through Oman. That means you can deal with different types of weather during your trip. Check the climate information per destination in Oman for the correct information. Also don’t forget to arrange your visa for Oman before you travel to Oman.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Best time to visit Oman

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Oman? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. The Sultanate of Oman is one of the countries in the Arabian Peninsula. Partly due to the variety of landscapes and the relatively mild climate in some places for this region, Oman is a popular holiday destination. In Oman, the focus is mainly on quality tourism. It is mainly people who are interested in the culture who book a holiday to Oman. Although tourism has an influence on the destination, it does not leave a mark on Oman as much as it does in nearby Dubai, for example. People who travel to Oman mainly opt for a round trip.

Best months

Oman has a mix of arid climates. The warm desert climate (BWh) is dominant. In addition, the warm steppe climate and the cold desert climate occur. You can roughly divide Oman into five areas: the northern coastal areas that lie on the Gulf of Oman, the Hajar Mountains immediately below, the east coast, the southern mountain areas and the desert in the interior. Because every area has its own weather pattern and there can be clear differences in temperatures and amounts of precipitation, it is not so easy to indicate a period as the best travel time. Looking at the weather conditions across the country, the period is December to February the best time to travel to Oman. For a beach holiday in Oman, we would rather opt for the period from mid-February to mid-April. The period before that can sometimes be just a bit too cool for a sun holiday.

Omani’s North Coast

The coastal strip on the Gulf of Oman has a desert climate where there is a lot of sunshine throughout the year and the amount of precipitation is very limited. In winter there is occasional rain. That chance is small between May and November. Because it gets seriously hot from May, it is better to avoid the summer period. The weather only becomes pleasant in the second half of October, with afternoon temperatures still above thirty degrees.

Hajar Mountains

The highest places in Oman can be found in the Hajar Mountains, which lie parallel to the north coast. This mountain range extends over a length of more than four hundred kilometers and has heights of more than three thousand meters. In the mountains it is cooler and there is more precipitation: about 250 to 350 millimeters on an annual basis. Rain can fall here during any month of the year. The temperatures are a bit more tempered. As a result, it is still bearable in the mountains in summer. You can actually visit the Hajar Mountains all year round. In winter there is a chance of night frost in the higher areas. It can even snow during the night.

Desert

Wahiba Sands is a beloved desert area in the interior of Oman. This is the sandy desert as you imagined it as a child. The desert also known as Sharqiya Sands is one of the hottest and driest areas in Oman. In summer, afternoon temperatures of 40 to 45 degrees Celsius are normal. It is best to visit Wahiba Sands between December and February, when the daytime temperatures are between 25 and 30 degrees.

The East Coast of Omani

The part of Oman that lies along the Arabian Sea has a different precipitation pattern. Here it is almost dry in the winter and it rains regularly in the summer. If you look at the southern coastal city of Salalah, you will see that around May/June the temperatures start to drop and the amount of sunshine drops drastically. In July and August it is downright gloomy in this part of Oman. However, the seawater remains warm enough, with long-term averages amounting to around 24 to 25 degrees Celsius as the coolest temperature.