Salalah in December
Salalah in December: 26–28°C days, sea 25°C, dry and sunny. What is open, which car to drive, and cars from OMR 15/day at the airport.
December weather: air, sea, rain days
December is the first full month of Salalah's high winter. The sky is clear most days, the humidity of autumn has gone, and the breeze along the corniche after sunset is cool enough for a light jacket.
| Measure | Typical December value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average daytime high | about 28°C | en.wikipedia.org |
| Average night low | about 19°C | en.wikipedia.org |
| Sea temperature | about 26°C | seatemperature.org |
| Rain days | 0 to 1 | en.wikipedia.org |
Inland the numbers change. North of Thumrait a December night on the sand can get close to 10°C, so anyone camping needs a proper sleeping bag.
What is open and what is happening in December
Everything the monsoon shut is open again. The red flags are down on Al Haffa, Dahariz and Mughsail. The lake at Wadi Darbat is still full from the khareef, and the pedal boats run at weekends while the water is high. Al Baleed Archaeological Park, the Museum of the Frankincense Land, Sumhuram and Taqah Castle keep their winter hours.
Three groups arrive in December:
- UAE families on the school winter break, 14 December to 3 January, most of them driving down or flying in for the second half of the month.
- Omani families on the mid-year school holiday, which falls in the same fortnight.
- European charter guests. Direct winter flights from Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy and Switzerland run on fixed weekdays, and the Moscow service usually starts in the last week of December.
Crowds and prices this month
The first two weeks are quiet. From about 20 December to 2 January the resorts between Al Baleed and Hawana are close to full, the beach car parks fill by mid-morning and the airport has two or three arrivals in the same hour.
December is priced at the winter rate. Minimum rental is 4 days. Some of our cars live in Salalah all winter; if yours has to be driven down from Muscat for your dates, a positioning fee of OMR 50 per leg plus two days of that car's daily rate is added, we need 72 hours' notice, and the fee appears on your quote before you send the request. If the car is already in Salalah there is no positioning fee.
Which car for this month
- Town, airport, beaches, Wadi Darbat lake, the paved road up Jebel Samhan: any car. A Sunny or Accent is enough for two people; a 7-seater carries a family and its luggage.
- Fazayah descent, the tracks on top of Jebel Samhan, anything beyond Shisr: a 4x4 with low range, with Adventurer cover at OMR 15 per day so the excess is zero. Off-road is allowed in our 4WD cars and nowhere else.
- Camping in the desert over the holidays: a Land Cruiser, Prado, Tank 500 or Wrangler with a rooftop tent and awning added at request.
Day trips that work in this month
| Destination | From Salalah | Car |
|---|---|---|
| Mughsail beach and Marneef Cave | about 50 km west, 50 min | Any |
| Wadi Darbat lake | 40 km east, 45 min | Any to the lake; 4x4 for the plateau |
| Mirbat and Sumhuram | about 75 km east, 1 h | Any |
| Jebel Samhan viewpoint at sunrise | about 75 km, 1 h 30 | Any on the paved road |
| Wadi Dawkah frankincense grove | about 45 km north, 40 min | Any |
| Shisr and the first dunes | about 170 km, 2 h 15 | 4x4 with low range |
The sea is calm, so the Mughsail blowholes are quieter than in khareef; go for the beach and the cave, not the spray.
Neighbouring months
November is a touch warmer in the water and the hills keep a faint green in the first week; it also carries Oman's National Day traffic. January is a degree or two cooler, the clearest month of all and the best for the desert.
FAQ
Yes, if you want beaches and clear skies rather than the green hills. Days are around 28°C, nights around 19°C and rain is rare. All sites and beaches are open, the sea is calm and the desert season is under way. The last ten days of the month are the busiest of the winter because of UAE and Omani school holidays, so request your car early.
About 28°C in the afternoon and about 19°C at night on the coast. It is warm enough to swim and sit outside in the evening, but not hot. In the desert north of Thumrait the night temperature can fall towards 10°C, so camping needs warm layers and a real sleeping bag.
Yes. The monsoon swell has gone and the sea is about 26°C. Al Haffa and Dahariz are minutes from the hotels, Mughsail is about 50 minutes west on tarmac, and the Fazayah coves need a 4x4 for the final descent. Check the flags at the resort beaches, which still close on the odd windy day.
No. The green of khareef fades through October and is gone by late November. In December the mountains are brown and the plain is dusty, but the sky is clear, the lake at Wadi Darbat still holds water and the beaches are at their best. If green hills are the point of your trip, come between late July and early September.
For dates between 20 December and 2 January, request as soon as your flights are fixed; 7-seaters and the larger 4x4s go first. For the first half of the month a couple of weeks is usually enough. Outside khareef we need 72 hours' notice for a Salalah pickup if the car has to come down from Muscat. Requesting costs nothing and needs no card.