Places you have to visit when teaching in Oman
Teaching in Oman is on the rise. More EFL folk are flocking to this sand-topped, salt-washed, bazaar-laden destination on the horn of Arabia to ply their trade than ever before. We can hardly blame them, what with spicy souks and shifting dunes, subtropical forests and enthralling oases towns in the peaks to encounter. Check them out…
Muscat
No list of the top places to see in Oman could possibly be complete without at least a mention of buzzing, bustling, brilliant Muscat. It should be a pretty easy spot for folk teaching in Oman to check off the list, too – there’s a high chance you’ll be based here anyway! Void of any UFO-like high rises a la some of Arabia’s other megacities, it’s managed to retain a classic look and feel. There are spice-scented, gold-jangling souks to get through in Muttrah. There’s the mighty and muscular Al Jalali Fort to wonder at. There are bobbing dhows and earthy Arab teahouses to enjoy along the Corniche.
Misfat al Abryeen
While much of teaching in Oman carries on in the big cities, a taste of the Arabia of yesteryear is still on offer up in the ochre-hued hills of Al Dhakhiyla. It comes in the form of Misfat al Abryeen, an ancient town of adobe-faced brick homes that tower over the wide wadis with their half-timbered faces. Blooms of palm trees decorate the place as its winding alleys shoot this way and that amid the historic center, there are verdant agricultural terraces to wander, and ancient lookout posts to encounter. It’s a world away from buzzing Muscat for sure.
Bandar Jissah
Just a short jaunt along the spectacular coastline south-east from Muscat, the salt-washed seaside resort of Bandar Jissah is a great spot for those teaching in Oman to seek a little rest and relaxation. A smattering of luxurious resort hotels now spills right down to meet the Indian Ocean, feathering out onto the glowing, yellow-tinged sands. The water is crystal-clear too – the abundance of SCUBA diving outfitters, boating tours and other watersports is testimony to that.
Wahiba Sands
The Wahiba Sands might just be the glimpse of Arabia you’ve been searching for while teaching in Oman. Covering a vast region of desolate desert in the heart of the sultanate, they draw adventure tourists with the promise of shifting dunes topped with pockets of scrub and peppered with oases. You can come and conquer them on heart-thumping 4X4 rides, make an odyssey through the dunes on a traditional camel caravan, or encounter the local tribes that call the wild land their home.
Salalah
Feel the trickle of subtropical humidity on the skin and wallow in the stuffy airs of southern Dhofar with a trip to off-the-beaten-track Salalah. Each year the second-largest city in the whole sultanate blooms into life with the coming of the khareef in June, July, August and September. If you can find some time to take away from the classroom while teaching in Oman around about then, you can look forward to trading in tthe shifting deserts for moss-clad stones and waxy forests, fog-doused oases and the like. And if you can’t make it down here then? There’s always those sun-scorched beaches and their lines of regimented coconut groves to enjoy…
Jebel Akhdar
Running for more than 300 kilometers through the spine of the Omani Al Hajar Mountains, Jebel Akhdar is a rock-ribbed gorge that’s awesome enough to give even the Grand Canyon a run for its money. You’ll want to pack the hiking boots and hardy clothes for this one, because the trails that wiggle over the soaring bluffs and rust-tinted peaks can be tricky. The reward makes it all worth it though – think views of cascading pomegranate and walnut orchards, glimpses of the hulking Jebel Shams (the highest mountain in the country), and sightings of mysterious highland fortresses like the Birkat al-Mawz.
There are oodles more amazing places to see while teaching in Oman. If you’re a veteran of the sultanate’s TEFL schools, we’d love to hear your additions to this list in the comments below. Alternatively, if you’re looking to get TEFL qualified, be sure to check out our offering of courses…