The Wahiba Sands cover an area of 12 500 square kilometres in between Muscat and Sur and are what we all imagine true desert to be. The golden sand dunes reach to the horizon and beyond and seem to undulate as the wind blows across their slopes. The sand moves so much that it’s hard for even a seasoned local like our guide and driver Yahya to find the entrance to the road that will take us deep into the interior of the desert.
Our first stop is at a Bedouin home – their permanent winter camp is set between the dunes with tents surrounded by a wire fence to keep the camels and goats out. The girls of the family greet us as honoured guests, with dates and mint tea in fragile coloured glasses. They show us their handcrafts, woven from goat hair and richly coloured, and encourage us to buy a mat, a key ring or even a mobile phone case.
We leave their camp and travel further into the desert. We pass many camels with their calves. One is so young it is only just upright and stays close to its mother’s side. We arrive at the Safari Desert Camp and are welcomed with yet more dates and the traditional Omani dessert Halwa, a sweet and sticky confection of date syrup and almonds which is reserved for special occasions. Our home away from home this night is a magnificent Bedouin tent furnished with traditionally embellished beds, drawers and chests, and decorated with enormous cushions made from brightly coloured fabrics shot with silver and gold thread.
Later in the afternoon we drive out beyond the camp for some dune bashing. It’s a hair raising experience as we climb up the steepest dunes and continue to go higher and higher. Finally we stop and leave the car to walk up even further. Just when I think we’ve reached the summit of the highest dune there’s another behind it. The colours of the desert change minute by minute as the sun starts to set and the lights of the camp come on more than one hundred metres below us. Even after the sun has dipped below the horizon the light in the sky reflects on the sands in an ever changing palette. The only sound comes from the light breeze that blows across the top of the dunes. Only when it is completely dark do we walk back to the car for the precarious ride straight down the slope to the plain below.
Our evening meal is a traditional Omani barbecue of lamb, goat and chicken with salads, rice and breads, which we eat while sitting cross legged on plump cushions at traditional Bedouin tables. After dinner we sit outside admiring the multitude of stars in a sky lit by a full moon which rises over the sand dunes and guides us back to our tents at the end of a once in a lifetime Arabian night.
This sounds wonderful! I love your photos!
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Your descriptions are lovely and your photos just right. I really enjoy traveling with you in your blog! Feels like I’m there. I’d love to know how you planned this trip. -Renee
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Renee, We went to Oman to visit my brother who was working as a geologist in Muscat at the time. Usually when we travel we prefer to do it independently so we can do as we please, but he advised us that it would be easier to hire a driver than to hire a car. We did a tour with http://www.sunsandtour.com/ and it was worth every cent. Our driver was wonderful and he and my husband made friends instantly so they sat in the front of the Landrover and I just sat in the back and enjoyed the ride! As well as the places on the itinerary he took us to some others that he knew we would enjoy. It was a very special journey.
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I haven’t been to Safari Desert Camp yet, so I think I might have to add it to my list. I’ve stayed only at Camp Al Areesh, a similar camp, which I love. I’ve been there 3 times! Nice posts about your trip to Oman! 🙂
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It was a highlight for us and so different from anything we’ve ever done. A fantastic experience. Thanks for taking the time to read the posts.
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You’re welcome. It was fun to read about Oman from a tourist’s viewpoint! 😉
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What a wonderful experience. Looks fantastic
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It certainly was.
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Your Bedouin accommodation looked much more swish and upmarket than ours in Morocco. 🙂 Still, the tours sound very similar.
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It was so pretty and such a unique experience. Our driver was fantastic and took us to some wonderful places that weren’t on the itinerary.
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What a special experience. Did you enjoy the dates? I absolutely adored the date season in Egypt. I feasted on them.
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I love dates. My brother had a date tree growing in his yard and picked them fresh for us.
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