Visiting Oman and want to experience the spectacular Middle East beaches? Daymaniyat Islands is an absolute must do. Increasingly growing in popularity over the last few years, Daymaniyat Islands are full of pinch-yourself-rub-your-eyes-this-can’t-be-real scenes. Known for its beauty but also its impressive snorkelling opportunities, read on to discover how to explore Daymaniyat Islands in Oman
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Where is Oman?
Oman is a country located in West Asia/Middle East, just below the United Arab Emirates. One of the gulf countries, Oman is actually considered to be one of the oldest human-inhabited places in the World and is full of a rich history. The best way to visit Oman is to fly into its capital, Muscat. I did this myself when exploring Abu Dhabi, Oman and Doha on a trip to the Gulf. In addition to the Daymaniyat Islands, you will find a number of beautiful things to do here such as the Bimmah Sinkhole.
Where are the Daymaniyat Islands?
The Daymaniyat Islands are also called the Ad Dimaniyat Islands and you will see these names being used interchangeably. A protected area of Oman, the Daymaniyat Islands are located about 70km off the coast of Muscat. The area is actually nine islands with surrounding coral reef.
How to get to Daymaniyat Islands?
Daymaniyat Islands is only accessible via boat and as it is unlikely as a visitor to Oman that you’ll have one handy, the best way to get to Daymaniyat Islands as a tourist is by a day tour. The tour I booked with is linked below.
What was a Daymaniyat Islands day tour like?
In one word: incredible. The natural beauty and the beaches of Daymaniyat Islands truly blew me away, and given that I was raised in Australia that is truly saying something.
We had an early start, with the boat leaving the Al Mouj Marina at 8am. The Al Mouj Marina is located near the Muscat International Airport (on the opposite side of Muscat from the popular Mutrah). I was staying near the airport so I caught a taxi here from my accommodation.
The day started off as brilliantly as it went on. On the way out to the Daymaniyat Islands, we were greeted with dolphins swimming alongside our boat – which was a fantastic way to start the experience.
The tour took us to two different spots on the islands. Our first spot was primarily for snorkelling and was home to a number of turtles. I found the water a little chilly, and having snorkelled with turtles a lot back home I didn’t stay in the water here for too long – but during my brief encounter I saw 5 turtles – which was very impressive.
After we snorkelled with the sea turtles at the first spot, we hopped back onto the boat and continued on around to a different side of the island. This was the side that truly blew me away.
We only had about an hour or so here, which really wasn’t enough to take in its beauty. I didn’t snorkel here at all as I wanted to spend the time taking in the beautiful beaches. After we left here we headed back to Muscat and arrived at about 130pm. A light lunch was also included in the day trip.
Don’t forget to pack
When visiting the Daymaniyat Islands don’t forget to bring swimmers, hat, towel, sunscreen and clothes. Due to the wind on the boat when heading to and from the islands from Muscat, I would also recommend bringing a jumper or warmer clothing (and a hair tie would not go amiss either!). If you have a dry bag, this would be helpful to bring, but I didn’t have one and was fine without it. If you have your own snorkelling gear, bring it along but the tour company I went also provided this for us. Whatever you do, don’t visit Daymaniyat Islands without bringing your camera – whether that be your DSLR, phone or GoPro if you have one – there’s one thing guaranteed: you’re going to want to take photos!
When to visit Daymaniyat Islands?
It is important to take the time of the year into consideration when deciding when to visit Oman and the Daymaniyat Islands. As Oman is in the Middle East/West Asia, summers here can be hot with a capital H. I visited in early March and found the temperature great for exploring Oman; however, admittedly because I am from north Australia I found the water on the chilly side – I still went in, of course!
If you want to visit the Daymaniyat Islands beaches (like I did) don’t visit between May and October as my tour company told me that the beaches at Daymaniyat Islands are closed from the 1st of May to the 1st of November because of the turtle nesting season.
How much did it cost?
For my half-day (8am to 130pm) Daymaniyat Islands tour, I paid 30 OMR (approximately $120AUD or £65) I could pay this by cash or card at the end of the tour which was convenient. I found Oman to be quite an expensive country to travel around so I wasn’t surprised by this price and given that I was able to see the beautiful beaches I wanted to, I was happy with the day.
Who should I book a Daymaniyat Islands tour with?
There may be other options that are also great, but I booked directly with Daymaniat Shells and it was brilliant. I wish they had spent more time at the second spot and less at the first, as I could have spent the entire time at the second spot but overall it was an easy, fuss-free and enjoyable way to explore this beautiful section of Oman.
Update:
Since I wrote this article on my experience, Daymaniat Shells competitor Panorama Travel has contacted me and threatened me (with violence) for working with Daymaniat Shalls. The message I received from their official email account was “We know who you are and we know everything about your work with Daymaniat Shells. We are more capable of threatening you and causing you more excruciating pain than you can, bitch.” Firstly to note this is not a collaboration blog post, I paid for my tour, I have never been in contact with Daymaniat Shells company and this was a genuine review of my time with Daymaniat Shells but even if it was a paid marketing campaign, that doesn’t excuse the insanity of the email I received. I am sharing this as a warning for everyone, if you are looking to book a tour to Daymaniyat Islands or anywhere else in Oman, do not travel with Panorama Travel in Oman, from the email I received from them, they seem dangerous.
