16 March 2026
We wanted to share a little update from Oman. First of all: we are and feel safe. In daily life, there is actually very little that reminds us of the situation dominating the headlines. Oman is calm, people go about their lives as usual, and the kindness and hospitality hasn’t changed.
From “home” it might feel like we are right in the middle of everything. But distances in this region are enormous. Tehran is roughly as far from us as Ukraine is from the Netherlands, and the closest attacks have been around 500 km away. Oman itself is known for remaining neutral and advocating for stability and de-escalation. We struggle with the way the war is portrayed in the news back home. For anyone looking for a more nuanced perspective on what is happening, we can genuinely recommend following Al Jazeera.
At the same time, our thoughts are very much with the people in the countries involved in the conflict. Having only recently traveled through parts of this region and having met so many kind and generous people there, the news hits differently. It hurts to see how everyone gets caught up in the mess.
We do notice the wider situation in a few ways. In general, there are very few tourists around. Within the overland community there is a lot of discussion about safety, possible routes home and pressure at certain border crossings. Others are still weighing their options and waiting things out here in Oman.
Where we do feel the impact is in logistics. The port of Salalah is under huge pressure as one of the few functioning ports in the region, and prices have skyrocketed. Our planned crossing to Kenya was already stretching our budget, but the price has now more than doubled. At the moment, we simply do not know if that will still be possible for us. The alternatives aren’t easy either. They come with significant costs and big consequences for our travel budget and for how long we can keep this dream alive.
We planned to cross to Africa in about a month and are hoping the situation improves and prices settle again. Until then we are safe. In times like these, that alone is already something to be deeply grateful for. So for now we count our blessings and hope for peace.
