Wahiba Sands & Hajar Mountain

Route Stops: Muscat tour – Izki – Birkat Al Mawz –  Wadi Muadin – Nizwa – Hasat Bin Salt – Jabal Shams – the Balcony Walk – wadi Nakhur –Wahiba Sands –Umm Adalian – Wadi Bani Khaled - Muscat

Requirements: Please note that this trip involves considerable time spent in the desert, including six nights’ camping, so you’ll need to adjust to life without standard toilet facilities. 

Navigating the desert requires understanding the precautions of travelling in a hot climate and staying safe and responsible in a desert environment. We recommend you bring hiking/trekking shoes, trekking poles and swimsuits for the oasis pool. 

Please note that our meals in the desert follow Bedouin recipes and limited resources, so we may not be able to accommodate dietary requirements or substitutes for food intolerances. 

That being said, we promise you that the reward will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, where you’ll enjoy undisturbed nature at its finest! Once you adapt to the rhythm of desert camping, you’ll become enthralled with the desert’s charming solitude and learn much about the history and culture of Oman around the campfire.

ITINERARY

• DAY 1: Arrival in Muscat: we’ll meet and greet you at the airport and arrange for your transfer to the hotel. Transfer and hotel (twin room) included.

• DAY 2: Muscat tour: We’ll visit Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque at 9.30 AM, after which we will head to Mutrah Souq for lunch. We’ll explore the souq and visit the National Museum, then head back to the hotel. Museum fees, hotel and lunch are included. Please note that the Grand Mosque observes a modest dress code for entry: long sleeves, long trousers or dresses, and covered hair for women.

• DAY 3: We’ll move towards the Hajar Mountains, which sit like a crown at the top of Oman, then on to Izki, Oman’s oldest city, where we’ll explore ancient mud structures. Afterwards, we’ll move to Birkat Al Mawz for a walk around Harat As Sibani, where we will lunch. Then we’ll continue to Wadi Muadin, where we will set up our first overnight camp. B/L/D included. 

• DAY 4: The plan is to not break camp and to leave one of our crew at the campsite, so that we can head to the Friday souq of Nizwa as early as possible. This is a rare opportunity to observe the local people at the market. Nizwa is an ancient city that was once the capital of Oman, with its famous attractions including the Nizwa fort, the souq and the Falaj Daris. We will visit the fort, then return to camp at noon, where we will have lunch, after which we will break camp and drive towards Hasat Bin Salt, an impressive prehistoric rock carving considered to be Southern Arabia's largest and most important rock art monument. B/L/D included. We’ll overnight in our second camp.

• DAY 5: We’ll head to Jabal Shams, the highest point in Arabia, and begin the balcony walk: this easy-going trek offers an excellent vantage point from a balcony-style ledge, looking down into the incredible canyon - a pair of trekking poles is recommended. We’ll camp overnight in Wadi Nakhur. B/L/D included. 

• DAY 6: We’ll head towards Wahiba Sands to begin our dune-crossing adventure while exploring the beautiful dunes. We’ll enter from the western edge, following an old local track that will help us see more different parts of the sands. We’ll camp overnight there. B/L/D included.

• DAY 7: We’ll cross the vast, enormous linear dunes, which extend up to 50 km in length, towards Umm Adalian. We’ll camp overnight at a short distance from the main road. B/L/D included. 

• DAY 8: We’ll continue through the central part of the sands then head North on a rarely visited track away from the crowded permanent campsites. We’ll set up camp a short distance from the main road. B/L/D included.
   
• DAY 9: We’ll visit the oasis of Wadi Bani Khaled, where we’ll swim in one of their lovely natural pools. We’ll lunch there, then head back to Muscat, and check into our hotel. Hotel, B/L included.
   
• DAY 10: Transfer to Airport.