Itinerary
- Day 1
Muscat
This afternoon in Muscat, you'll start with a guided tour hitting the city's main spots. The Grand Mosque exterior and Bait Al Zubair Museum give you a sense of Oman's history, then you'll drive along the waterfront corniche to check out the fish market and Muttrah Souq. There's a photo stop at Al Alam Palace, and depending on how things flow, you might fit in Old Muscat, a corniche walk, or even a sunset dhow cruise. Your tour leader has arranged a welcome dinner with the group in the evening.
- Meals
- Dinner (Group dinner arranged by tour leader)
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Grand Mosque exterior
- Visit Bait Al Zubair Museum
- Drive along waterfront corniche
- Visit fish market
- Visit Muttrah Souq
- Photo stop at Al Alam Palace
- Group dinner
Optional Activities
- Visit inside of Grand Mosque (open 8am-11am, on your own)
- Walk in Old Muscat area
- Walk along the corniche
- Sunset dhow cruise
Landmarks Grand Mosque Bait Al Zubair Museum Al Alam Palace Muttrah Souq Muscat Fish Market 
- Day 2
Hajar Mountains
A 4x4 adventure through the Hajar Mountains takes about 4 hours 30 minutes to reach Nakhl hot springs, where you can take photos and climb down to the water. From there, you'll drive roughly one hour through Wadi Bani Awf's steep bends and rough terrain to Bilad Sayt, a mountain village with terraced farms and date plantations. The route continues through the peaks to Al Hamra at the foot of the Hajar range, known for its Yemeni-style mud houses and more date plantations.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- 4x4 ride through Hajar Mountains
- Visit Nakhl hot springs
- 4x4 drive through Wadi Bani Awf
- Visit Bilad Sayt mountain village
- Visit Al Hamra village
Landmarks Nakhl Hot Springs Wadi Bani Awf Bilad Sayt Al Hamra - Day 3
Wadi Nakhr - Nizwa
After breakfast, you'll visit Jabrin Castle, built in 1675 and known for its hand-painted ceilings and history as a center for studying astrology, medicine and law. Next is Wadi Nakhr, an 8-mile valley through the Hajar Mountains called the Grand Canyon of the Middle East, with cliffs over 3,280 feet high. You'll walk through the wadi and then explore Misfah, an old mountain village with mud-and-stone dwellings showing traditional Omani mountain life. Stops at Wadi Ghul for its dramatic cliffs and Jebel Shams, the highest peak in the Jebel Akhdar range, round out the day with great views. By evening you'll reach Nizwa, an ancient city that once served as the capital.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Jabrin Castle
- Walk in Wadi Nakhr
- Visit Misfah mountain village
- Stop at Wadi Ghul
- Visit Jebel Shams
Landmarks Jabrin Castle Wadi Nakhr Misfah Wadi Ghul Jebel Shams - Day 4
Jebel Akhdar
You'll start in Nizwa with two landmarks: the impressive 17th century Nizwa Fort that defended the city's wealth and strategic location, and the famous souq known for hand-carved khanjar daggers, silver jewellery and livestock trading. After that, head to Birkat Al Mouz to walk through lush date plantations. Then drive about 22 miles of winding road to Jebel Al Akhdar at 6,560 feet above sea level, where the mountain climate is much cooler. In Al Ain, you'll walk through mountain villages to see how locals live and take in views over peaks, gorges and wadis. If you're visiting in March or April, you'll likely see roses in full bloom, and locals make rose water in their homes.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Nizwa Fort
- Explore Nizwa souq
- Walk through date plantations in Birkat Al Mouz
- Walk through mountain villages at Al Ain
- Visit Jebel Al Akhdar
Landmarks Nizwa Fort Nizwa Souq Birkat Al Mouz Jebel Al Akhdar Al Ain - Day 5
Wahiba Sands
Your desert adventure starts with a four-hour drive to the golden dunes of Wahiba Sands, also called the Sharqiya Sands. On the way, you'll visit Wadi Bani Khalid, a desert oasis with turquoise pools. Once at your Wahiba Sands resort, you'll stop at a Bedouin house to spend time with the hosts and learn about their customs and traditional lifestyle. Then you'll explore the dunes on a one-hour 4x4 ride before settling in for your first night in the Omani desert at the resort.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Wadi Bani Khalid desert oasis
- Visit Bedouin house
- 1-hour 4x4 ride across Wahiba Sands dunes
Landmarks Wadi Bani Khalid Wahiba Sands 
- Day 6
Khaluf
After breakfast, you'll drive four hours across the desert riding the sand waves toward the Arabian Sea, passing through Qahid and Shannah with desert dunes on one side and the sea on the other. Following lunch, you'll continue to Bar Al Hikman, a birder's spot with thousands of small shore birds and often flamingos. You'll visit Filin, a desalination plant, then finish at Khaluf, a fishing village where you might spot dolphins out to sea. Tonight you'll camp right on the beach.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- 4-hour desert drive across sand dunes
- Visit Bar Al Hikman bird sanctuary
- Visit Filin desalination plant
- Visit Khaluf fishing village
Optional Activities
- Dolphin spotting at Khaluf
Landmarks Bar Al Hikman Khaluf - Day 7
Duqm
Leaving Khaluf, you'll head to Duqm, a port city that's grown quickly from a fishing village. You'll visit Wadi Shuram to see some of Oman's oldest rocks, pass through a small palm tree oasis and climb a hill for 15 minutes to stretch and take in wide desert views. You'll reach your Duqm hotel mid-afternoon after a stop at the Rock Garden, an interesting collection of boulders shaped by nature into unique forms.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Wadi Shuram
- Visit palm tree oasis
- 15-minute hill climb for desert views
- Visit Rock Garden
Landmarks Wadi Shuram Rock Garden Duqm - Day 8
Wadi Shuwaymiyah
You'll drive about one hour to Ras Madrakhah, a beach with white sands, dark rocks and blue ocean. Then transfer for roughly two hours to Qahal, where natural algae turns the lagoons pink. From there, you'll head into Wadi Shuwaymiyah, taking about 2 hours 30 minutes. This is one of Oman's most spectacular valleys and home to hyenas, camels, ibex and gazelles. You'll spend the night wild camping here.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Ras Madrakhah beach
- Visit Qahal pink lagoons
Landmarks Ras Madrakhah Beach Qahal Wadi Shuwaymiyah - Day 9
Empty Quarter
After breakfast, you'll continue for about five hours to the Empty Quarter, the world's largest sand desert spanning parts of Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen. Your route takes you up to Marmul, an oil region, then west to Thumrait. You'll drive north to Ubar, which you'll explore tomorrow, before arriving at your wild campsite in the Empty Quarter.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Drive through Marmul oil region
- Drive through Thumrait
- View Ubar ruins from distance
Landmarks Empty Quarter Marmul Thumrait Ubar - Day 10
Empty Quarter - Salalah
After breakfast, you'll drive about 1 hour 30 minutes to explore the ruins of Ubar, labeled in classical works as the Atlantis of the Sands. This ancient city was lost to the desert and served as a major trading hub for frankincense over 5,000 years ago, connecting Oman with Mesopotamia, Rome and India. Next comes a dune-driving experience lasting roughly 20 minutes, then you'll transfer about 2 hours 30 minutes to Salalah. In the evening, there's an optional city tour visiting the souq and beach.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Explore Ubar ruins
- 20-minute dune-driving experience
Optional Activities
- Evening city tour of Salalah souq and beach
Landmarks Ubar Salalah - Day 11
Salalah
Your adventure ends today as you begin your return home. If you'd like more time in Oman, contact your sales representative about booking additional nights to extend your stay.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Extend your stay in Salalah
