Oman rewards travellers with their own wheels. The country's main roads are excellent — four-lane dual carriageway from the UAE border all the way to Muscat, and good two-lane asphalt on most other major routes. Off the tarmac, a 4WD becomes necessary: the wadis, the Hajar mountain tracks, and the approaches to Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams all require it. At the Jebel Akhdar checkpoint, police will turn you away if you don't have a 4WD.
Car hire is available at Muscat International Airport from all the international agencies (Europcar, Hertz, Budget, Avis) as well as local companies. A basic saloon runs from around 13–15 OMR per day; a 4WD from around 35 OMR. You drive on the right. You don't need an international driving permit — a home-country licence is accepted for up to three months.
Public transport
Oman has no train network. The state bus company Mwasalat connects Muscat's neighbourhoods and runs intercity services to major destinations including Sohar, Nizwa, Salalah, and Sur. The fares are cheap but the schedules are infrequent and the buses don't go to most of the places travellers actually want to visit — wadis, mountain villages, desert camps. If you're on a tight budget, the buses work for moving between big towns; otherwise, car hire is the practical choice.
Within Muscat, taxis and Uber/Careem are both available and easy to use. Local taxis may or may not use their meters; agree on a price first or insist on the meter.
Domestic flights
Oman Air and the low-cost carrier SalamAir fly between Muscat and Salalah, cutting a twelve-hour drive to an hour-and-a-half flight. If you're combining the north and south of the country, this is worth considering. There are also occasional flights to Khasab in Musandam and to Duqm.
Off-road and wadi driving
If you're heading off-road, carry more water than you think you need, let someone know your plans, and check weather forecasts. Flash floods in wadis arrive without warning and are genuinely dangerous. Never camp in a wadi floor. A long tow rope and a traction board are worth having if you're going into serious sand.