Transport

Bus, 4WD, Boat

Meals

A key facet of our responsible approach to tourism is that we encourage our groups to eat in local restaurants that prepare locally grown food. We give customers choice as to their meals and do not use rather bland and impersonal hotel restaurants or all- inclusive options 7 Breakfasts 4 Lunches 3 Dinners

Others

All accommodation, activities and meals that are shown in the itinerary are included in the total cost of your trip You will also receive a complimentary transfer to and from the airport if you arrive on day 1 of the trip and depart on the last day and have provided your international flight information.

Accommodation

2 nights simple camping 5 nights standard hotel

Guide

Tour Leaders are quite simply the glue that holds our tours together. They are chosen for their travel experience and people skills and are thoroughly trained by Explore, widely acknowledged as some of the best training in the industry. A Tour Leader’s ultimate aim is to ensure everyone is well looked after and have a fantastic trip. They are there to ensure that the tour logistics run smoothly, that health and safety is adhered to and provide comprehensive briefings at the beginning and throughout the tour.

Not included:

Optional

The following excursions and/or activities are usually available and may be arranged locally. Estimated costs are provided below for guidance only, are on a per person basis unless shown otherwise, and may depend on the number of participants. Prices quoted are correct as of the date these tour notes were originally issued but may change at any time due to currency fluctuations. Please note: These activities are booked and paid for direct with the supplier and do not form part of your Explore holiday contract. Dhow cruise - 26 Rials per person (approx US$70)

Others

Any visa costs, spending money and tips are not included in the trip price. You can also book extra nights’ accommodation at the beginning and end of the trip and the cost of this accommodation along with any transfers would be quoted separately.

Flights

International flights not included in the tour cost

Insurance

Travel Insurance is not included

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Join Trip In Muscat; Afternoon Sightseeing Tour
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Join Trip In Muscat; Afternoon Sightseeing Tour

Arrive in Muscat, an old walled town, arguably the Gulf’s most attractive city, surrounded by a horseshoe ring of mountains that naturally restricts it city’s growth. For those arriving in the morning, you may take the opportunity to explore the surronding area, visit one of the many shopping malls, go for a walk in Ghubrah Beach Park or visit the Royal Opera House. Our Leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 12pm for the welcome meeting and later to take us on a guided tour of Muscat. Our leader will show us the highlights of the city including visiting the Bait Al Zubair or the National Museum. We will also have the chance to take a stroll along the waterfront of Mutrah, Muscat’s oldest quarter and onto the bustling souk. If you would like to receive an airport transfer today, you’ll need to arrive into Muscat International Airport (MCT), which is just over 15-minute drive from the airport. Please note that if you wish to join the guided tour of Muscat today, you must arrive at the hotel by 12pm. If you are booking your own flights, we recommend giving yourself at least 90 minutes to clear the airport. From the airport to the hotel is around a 30 minute drive, so therefore the latest your flight can arrive is 10am. Should you miss the welcome meeting, your Leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up.
Day 2 Day 2: Drive To Fins Beach Via Wadi Tiwi
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Drive To Fins Beach Via Wadi Tiwi

Before leaving Muscat we will visit the Grand Mosque. We then follow the coast down to Wadi Shab and Wadi Tiwi. A beautiful oasis of freshwater pools, Wadi Shab is an ideal place for a photo opportunity. We will then visit Wadi Tiwi where there is the option to walk in the wadi, following the pools up through a haven of lush vegetation and palms, before heading to Fins Beach. On arrival later in the afternoon, we will check-into our beach front hotel and there will be time to relax or go for a swim in the Arabian Sea to unwind after the long drive. Overall driving time approx. 5 hours.
Day 3 Day 3: Visit Dhow Shipyard In Sur; Evening Turtle Walk
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Visit Dhow Shipyard In Sur; Evening Turtle Walk

Continuing along the rugged coastline we head for Ras Al Hadd, pausing en-route to visit the Port of Sur. Once a major trading port with East Africa, Sur represents the seafaring origins of Oman. We will visit the dhow shipbuilding yard where traditional dhow boats, used throughout the 19th century, are still built today. We also visit the nearby small fishing village at Ayega, now a quiet community of old merchant houses but once a stronghold of rebellious sheikhs, where we will visit the lighthouse for a photo opportunity. This evening we’ll be staying by the water’s edge, in a perfect position to visit the turtle reserve at Ras Al Jinz. This coastline is an important nesting site for some 20,000 endangered Green Turtles annually and we will visit after dark this evening with a local guide. The Olive Ridley Turtle, Loggerhead Turtle and, the endangered, Hawksbill Turtle have also been spotted here. Please note: Although our departures do not operate within the main nesting season during Oman’s hottest summer months, it’s estimated that at least one turtle comes ashore every night of the year and there is opportunity to enjoy this wonderful natural experience year-round but due to the wild nature of this activity we cannot guarantee a sighting.
Day 4 Day 4: Drive Into Wahiba Sands Via Bedouin Villages
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Drive Into Wahiba Sands Via Bedouin Villages

After breakfast this morning we will begin the journey to our next wild camping spot in the desert. The coast of Oman is wild, rugged and beautiful; a place where deserted white beaches are interspersed with small, traditional villages. As we journey along here, the Wahiba Sands begin to rise before us, a vast sea of sand covering about 15,000 square kilometres. Laid out like a great ocean of sand the endless dunes are generally rusty red at the base and honey coloured on the top - an alluring landscape of changing contours and colours. The sands are home to the Bedu, nomadic tribesmen who roam the land with goats and camels, or live in small fishing villages. An exhilarating drive across the dunes brings us to our nightstop somehwere in the Wahiba Sands. Sunset promises stunning photo opportunities amidst the spectacular dunes, before we settle down for a night under the desert sky.
Day 5 Day 5: Drive Across Wahiba Sands And Onto Nizwa
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Drive Across Wahiba Sands And Onto Nizwa

Early mornings in the desert are a time of activity . Mists are a curious phenomena of the sands, spreading across the dunes and wadis at night, to disappear in the early mornings. The remarkable dew drinking beetle, living just below the surface of the normally scorching sands, utilizes this time to gain valuable sustenance. We continue through the desert this morning. In spite of its barren feel the sands contain a phenomenal amount of life. As well as the Bedu they are home to an exotic diversity of fauna including dragonflies, wolf, two species of Ruppell’s fox, wild cats and white-tailed mongooses. Some 115 species of birds have also been recorded here and it is one of the few remaining refuges for the elusive Arabian and Sand Gazelles. Once out of the sands we continue through a market town that is a meeting point for Bedouin for miles around. From here it is a fairly easy drive along tarmac roads to Nizwa, the capital of Oman from 751 to 1154 AD and still regarded as the cultural capital.
Day 6 Day 6: Nizwa Fort And Jebel Shams Viewpoint; Lunch With Local Family
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Nizwa Fort And Jebel Shams Viewpoint; Lunch With Local Family

Today we spend a full day exploring some of the many highlights of the surrounding area. We begin in Nizwa itself, visiting the traditional Friday goat auction and the contrasting modern souks. We continue onto the 17th century fort, built to guard the Sumail Gap during the struggle between the Sultan and the radical Imams. Nizwa was the centre of Imam Resistance right up until the 1950s when the Sultan had to call upon the help of the British to quell the rebels. Once we’ve explored the town, we will head north through the Jebel Akhdar (’Green Mountain’) mountain range, passing the dramatic craggy peaks. Despite its desolate and barren nature, small settlements cling to the plateau areas, nestling in the lunar like landscape. For thousands of years self-sufficient oases have flourished in the folds of rocks, using an ancient irrigation system known as falaj. These are water channels that never dry up, often contoured round wadis or tunnelled through the cliffs in order to tap the water table. Upkeep of the life-giving falaj is a community responsibility and contributes to maintaining harmony within a village. We will reach at 3,000m Jebel Shams (Mountain of the Sun), the highest peak in Oman. En-route to the summit of Jebel Shams, we encounter an astonishing view down a sheer drop of 1000m to the bottom of the ’Grand Canyon’, Oman’s very own (and equally spectacular) version of its American counterpart. At the bottom of this vast void, a wadi winds peacefully through the landscape. According to one theory, the canyon was once a huge cave and evidence of fossils and shells suggests that the canyon base was at one time covered by a shallow sea. Descending back towards Nizwa we will visit the mud village of Al Hamra, where we will enjoy a traditional lunch prepared by a local family, before making our way back to Nizwa late in the afternoon.
Day 7 Day 7: Drive Via Wadi Bani Awf To Muscat; Optional Dhow Trip
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Drive Via Wadi Bani Awf To Muscat; Optional Dhow Trip

Our route back to Muscat is through the stunning Wadi Bani Awf. We once again leave the smooth roads behind, and head into a narrow canyon with steep sided cliffs. The palm trees, scattered dwellings and interrupted streams create a peaceful atmosphere. Upon return to the capital city this afternoon, we have the opportunity to take an optional trip on a timeless dhow vessel. This optional sailing departs from the marina in Old Muscat and sails past the skyline in time for sunset. Dolphins can often be spotted in abundance in the waters just off Muscat’s shores year-round.
Day 8 Day 8: Trip Ends In Muscat
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Trip Ends In Muscat

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Muscat. There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart from Muscat at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like an airport transfer today, you’ll need to depart from Muscat International Airport (MCT), which is 30 minutes’ drive from the hotel.

8 days tour

Mountains, Deserts And Coast Of Oman

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Mountains, Deserts And Coast Of Oman

Day 1: Join Trip In Muscat; Afternoon Sightseeing Tour

Day 2: Drive To Fins Beach Via Wadi Tiwi

Day 3: Visit Dhow Shipyard In Sur; Evening Turtle Walk

Day 4: Drive Into Wahiba Sands Via Bedouin Villages

Day 5: Drive Across Wahiba Sands And Onto Nizwa

Day 6: Nizwa Fort And Jebel Shams Viewpoint; Lunch With Local Family

Day 7: Drive Via Wadi Bani Awf To Muscat; Optional Dhow Trip

Day 8: Trip Ends In Muscat

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