Jeep Grand Cherokee · 2025
fromOMR 57/per day≈ $148
Winter rate
Eid al-Fitr in Salalah
Eid al-Fitr 2027 is expected 9–12 March; school breaks run to 13 March. Salalah is 27°C with water in the wadis. Reserve a 7-seater or 4x4 early.
Eid al-Fitr dates and school breaks
Eid al-Fitr ends Ramadan and, like every Islamic date, falls about eleven days earlier each year. Governments confirm the holiday only once the moon is sighted, so treat the table as expected dates.
| Year | Expected first day of Eid | Oman public holiday | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 March | around 19 to 22 March | timeanddate.com |
| 2027 | 9 March | around 8 to 11 March | timeanddate.com |
| 2028 | 26 February | around 25 to 28 February | timeanddate.com |
In 2027 Omani schools are expected to break until about 13 March, and the UAE and Saudi holidays overlap the same days. Because Eid al-Fitr comes straight after a month of fasting, families tend to leave on the first morning of the holiday rather than the day before, so the airport and the Thumrait road are busiest on Eid day itself.
March weather and what to do
Early March in Salalah is about 30°C by day and 22°C at night, with a sea of about 26°C and almost no chance of rain. It is the last of the cool months and the water from the previous khareef has not yet gone.
- Wadi Darbat, 40 km east on tarmac: a low lake, camels at the water and the picnic ground under the trees.
- Ayn Razat and Ayn Athum, still flowing.
- Mughsail beach and Marneef Cave, about 50 minutes west; calm sea, wide sand.
- Mirbat and Sumhuram along the eastern coast road.
- Al Baleed and the Museum of the Frankincense Land, then the Haffa souq once the heat of the day has gone.
The Empty Quarter is still workable in early March with a dawn start and a 4x4 with low range; see the Empty Quarter page for the rules.
Cars families book first
Seven-seaters: Prado, Fortuner, Land Cruiser, Pajero, Haval H9 and Tank 500. They are followed by the five-seat 4x4s and then the sedans. If your plans include the tracks above Wadi Darbat, the Fazayah descent or the dunes, add Adventurer cover at OMR 15 per day and the excess is zero; off-road driving is permitted only in our 4WD cars. For a beach-and-souq week, an Elantra or the Mitsubishi ASX is enough.
March is in the winter-rate period, which runs from 16 September to 14 June, so there is no separate Eid rate. Minimum rental: 4 days.
Arriving by air, from Muscat, from the UAE
By air. Our office is about ten minutes from Salalah Airport. Send your flight number and the free shuttle meets you at arrivals. Normal handover hours are 08:00 to 18:00; outside them an out-of-hours fee of OMR 50 per vehicle applies and is shown on your quote. Hotel delivery is available for quoted on request.
From Muscat. Collect at Al Azaiba or Shatti Al Qurum, drive Route 31 south and leave the car with us in Salalah with no relocation fee. The reverse direction carries a one-way fee of OMR 125.
From the UAE. We bring the car to Al Quoz in Dubai or to Abu Dhabi for OMR 90 plus one day's rate; the OMR 30 cross-border pack covers the border documents and includes cross-border insurance. We need 72 hours' notice, and your Oman entry permission is your own responsibility.
Request now, pay nothing until confirmed
Choose the dates and the car, send your name, phone and e-mail, and we reply within a few hours on WhatsApp or e-mail. There is no card at this step. Once we confirm, we place a hold on your card to secure the booking, and at handover we take the OMR 100 deposit on a card in the driver's name. Documents: driving licence, an International Driving Permit if you are not an Oman resident, and your passport or ID.
Rent a car
All cars
Jeep Wrangler JL 4-Door · 2024
fromOMR 57/per day≈ $148
Winter rate
Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GXR Twin-Turbo · 2023
fromOMR 67/per day≈ $174
Winter rate
FAQ
Eid al-Fitr 2027 is expected to begin on 9 March 2027, with the Omani public holiday running from about 8 to 11 March and the school break to about 13 March. The exact day depends on the moon sighting at the end of Ramadan and is announced a day or two before. In 2028 Eid al-Fitr moves to about 26 February.
Yes, for four or five days. Families from Muscat, the UAE and Saudi Arabia fly in or drive down on the first morning of the holiday, resorts fill, and the beach car parks at Mughsail and Al Haffa are full by mid-morning. It is less intense than August and shorter than the December break, but 7-seaters are requested well in advance. The rest of March is quiet.
No. Our minimum rental is 4 days at every pickup point, all year, including Eid. If your stay is three days, the fourth day is still charged. Most Eid visitors stay four or five days in any case, and a 4-day rental lets you combine the beaches, Wadi Darbat and a day east to Mirbat without rushing.
Our cars are Oman-registered, and the UAE-start product brings one to Dubai or Abu Dhabi with the cross-border pack and insurance included, so the question does not arise. If you plan to bring your own UAE-registered car, you need insurance valid in Oman, the vehicle registration and, for a financed or rented car, the owner's permission letter. Entry rules for drivers depend on nationality and are yours to check.