Short answer: October to April. Long answer: it depends on what you want. Muscat has two seasons, a long gentle winter and a hard summer, and inside those there are weeks that are better for the sea, the mountains, the souq or the price of a room.
The quick version
- November to March: the best weather. Days of 22 to 30 °C, cool evenings, calm sea. This is high season, so book ahead.
- October and April: warm but fine, around 30 to 35 °C. Fewer visitors, good prices, and the sea is at its warmest.
- May to September: very hot, often above 40 °C. Possible if you plan early mornings, evenings and a car, and rooms are cheap.
Month by month
January and February are the coolest months. Daytime around 24 °C, nights down to 16 or 17 °C, so bring a light jacket for the rooftop. Occasional rain, which turns the wadis green. Hotels are full of European visitors and prices are at their highest.
March is warm and clear, about 28 °C, and the sea is pleasant. A good month for Wadi Shab and the coast.
April starts to heat up, around 33 °C by the end of the month. It is the month of the rose harvest on Jebel Akhdar, when the terraced villages at 2,000 m smell of rosewater. Fewer tourists, lower prices.
May to August is summer. 38 to 45 °C in the day and warm nights. Life moves indoors or to the evening; the souq and the corniche are busiest after 7 pm. Diving is still good, and this is when green turtles start nesting at Ras Al Jinz. In the far south, Salalah has its monsoon, the khareef, and is cool and green from July to September.
September is still hot, dropping from 40 to the mid-30s by the end of the month. Turtle season continues.
October is when the city breathes again: around 33 °C in the day, warm evenings, and the sea like a bath. Many regulars choose October for exactly that reason.
November and December are perfect: 25 to 30 °C, clear skies, the corniche full every evening. Oman’s National Day celebrations fall in mid-November. December is busy around the holidays.
Ramadan
Ramadan moves about eleven days earlier each year, so check the dates for your trip. During the month, eating and drinking in public are not allowed in the daytime, and most restaurants open only after sunset. Museums and the souq keep shorter morning hours. In return, the evenings are wonderful: families out until midnight, special sweets, and a calmer, friendlier city. Inside the house, our guests eat and drink whenever they like. The Eid holiday at the end of Ramadan is a busy travel time for Omanis, so book early for those days.
Sea, mountains and desert
- Swimming and snorkelling: the sea is warm all year. Visibility at the Daymaniyat Islands is best from October to May.
- Wadis: any time outside the summer heat; after winter rain the pools are fullest.
- Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams: cold in winter, with frost on the summit in January. Roses in April. In summer the mountains are the only cool place in the north.
- Desert (Wahiba Sands): November to March for sleeping out under the stars.
- Turtles at Ras Al Jinz: July to October for nesting; hatchlings from September.
What it means for your booking
For the best weather at a fair price, come in late October, November or March. If your dates fall in summer, choose a room with a good air-conditioner, plan the days around the heat, and enjoy the evenings. Whatever your dates, ask us before you book our rooms in Muttrah and we will tell you honestly what the weather will be like.
