Camping Tour 7 Days package

Day 1: Muscat – Nakhal – Wadi Bani Awf – Balad Sayt – Jabal Shams (Grand Canyon)

In the morning, we’ll leave **Muscat** towards **Nakhal**. Here, you can visit the beautiful **Nakhal Fortress**, nestled at the foothills of the mountains in a charming town known for its extensive date palm plantations. This magnificent 1500-year-old fortress rises majestically from the mountain rock, towering high above the ancient village as if still warning would-be attackers of its ominous strength. It has witnessed many battles and is packed full of hidden escape routes and secret passages. You can stroll around inside this restored fortress and explore all the rooms, which have been nicely decorated in the original old style. The view from the top of the fortress, overlooking the mountains and green date plantations, is outstanding.

From there, we’ll visit the **hot spring**, tucked away among date farms a couple of kilometers from Nakhal Fort. It flows year-round with warm mineral water collected in the site pools, where several chairs and shades are provided in the “picnic area” near the pool.

Following this, we’ll continue our trip to **Wadi Bani Awf**. The road leads us through the Wadi, where we’ll pass by impressive Wadi Canyons (including **Snake Canyon**) and several small villages. The most beautiful village there is **Balad Sayt**, surrounded by mountains from all directions.

Then we drive up the mountain. This mountain road ascends to **Jebel Shams Mountain (The Grand Canyon of Oman)**, reaching 3009 meters. It’s one of the most adventurous mountains in Oman, offering an exciting off-road experience and fantastic views. We’ll stop there to enjoy the view and take photos. From there, it’s just a short drive to our resort where you’ll spend the night.

Overnight: In Jabal Shams (Jabal Shams Resort or Similar)

Day 2: Grand Canyon – Wadi Ghul – Al Hamra – Misfat Al Abriyeen – Nizwa

In the morning after breakfast, we’ll leave **Jabal Shams** for **Wadi Ghul**. The village of Wadi Ghul, 2000 years old, is located at the foot of Mountain Ghul and can be seen on your way to Jabal Shams. It has been abandoned by its inhabitants, with no one remaining, and was built of solid stones.

From there, we drive into **Wadi Nakhar**, known for its beautiful sites and a spectacular view derived from the local word “necrosis,” which means the process of rock sculpture «erosion» as the water of this valley formed during different time periods.

**Wadi Al Nakhar** is one of the deepest valleys in Oman due to its geographical characteristics. The great gap in Jabal Shams is considered to be the most important source of water, as its large opening leads to valleys and reefs that form the valley of Al Nakhar.

Then we continue our trip to visit the ancient town of **Al Hamra**. Following this, we drive up to **Misfat Al Abriyeen**. This picturesque village lies on a steep slope at the foot of Jebel Shams and consists of old homes and narrow streets. It has a falaj system that irrigates many orchards, date palms, and vegetables, making it well worth spending some time walking around the village.

Overnight: In Nizwa (Al Dyar Hotel or Similar)

Day 3: Nizwa Fort & Market – Wahiba Sands

We’ll visit the famous **Nizwa Souq (market)**, where a wide variety of vendors offer their goods in the streets. Here, you can find vegetables, pottery, jewelry, handicrafts, Omani sweets (Halwa), dates, spices, and souvenirs, all sold in authentic old market halls that few places can boast. Especially interesting is the Friday cattle market when locals from the nearby villages come to sell their goats, cattle, sheep, and chickens in a circus-style open marketplace.

Next to the Souq is **Nizwa Fortress**. The fort is a museum today and offers splendid views of this ancient town and the surrounding mountains. You can walk around this impressive fortress and visit its many rooms, passages, and towers. The fort is an architectural testimony to the economic and military achievements of the early Yaruba dynasty from the mid-17th century. It was a military stronghold designed to withstand even the strongest of attacks at the time; even along the corridors, many traps were laid to deter any intruders that might have penetrated the defenses.

From Nizwa, we continue our journey to the desert, **Wahiba Sands**. This spectacular desert has an area of 12,500 square kilometers, also known as Al Sharqiya Sands. Formerly known as “Wahiba Sands,” it’s a region of desert in Oman named for the Bani Wahiba tribe, divided between the northern and southern governorates in the Eastern Region. The area is defined by a boundary of 180 kilometers (110 mi) north to south and 80 kilometers (50 mi) east to west. Enjoy the golden sands and watch the stunning sunset over the dunes.

Overnight: In Wahiba Sands (Camping)

Day 4: Cross Wahiba Sands – Muhut – Al Khaluf

The next day, after breakfast, we’ll cross the **Wahiba Sands desert** for approximately 5 hours, driving southeast towards **Muhut**. It’s one of the states of the central region of Oman overlooking the Arabian Sea. It was one of the most important ports of previous times, famous for shipbuilding, transporting passengers and goods from Oman to East Africa, India, and other parts of the African continent, carrying Omani products, and returning with goods that were not in Oman at that time.

From there, we continue our journey towards **Al Khaluf Beach**, one of the nicest beaches in Oman and a place with exciting and calm white sugar dunes, rocky outcroppings, and sleepy fishing villages. What makes this area special is its isolation. Since it’s so far from Muscat, the area doesn’t get many visitors.

Overnight: In Al Khaluf (Camping)

Day 5: Al Khaluf – Ras Ar Ruways

In the morning, we leave the camping place and drive to **Al Khaluf village** to stop at the **fish market**. Local people come with a huge number of fresh fish and seafood for sale.

We’ll drive back again to **Muhut** to have your lunch there. From there, continue your journey to **Ras Ar Ruways**, where the stunning white sand meets the turquoise open sea. You’ll have the opportunity to swim in the sea and watch the beautiful sunset.

Overnight: In Ras Ar Ruways (Camping)

Day 6: Ras Ar Ruways – Al Ashkharah – Ras Al Hadd

From **Ras Ar Ruways**, we drive along the coastline. You’ll pass many sea villages, and the largest and most beautiful one is **Al Ashkharah fishing village**, which primarily depends on fishing. We’ll visit **Al Ashkharah port**, where you’ll see many fishermen returning from the sea with huge quantities of fresh fish and seafood.

Then the tour continues to **Ras Al Hadd**. In the evening, after a buffet dinner at your hotel/resort, we’ll take you to the **Turtle Sanctuary at Ras Al Jinz**. Here, we’ll go on a guided, beautiful walking tour on the beach at night under the stars, where we have a high chance of seeing Oman’s great sea turtles stumbling onto the beach to build a nest and lay their eggs. If you are lucky, you can even see baby turtles hatching from some nests.

Overnight: In Ras Al Hadd (Turtle Beach Resort or Similar)

Day 7: Ras Al Hadd – Sur – Wadi Shab – Sinkhole – Muscat

In the morning, we’ll show you the city of **Sur**, including the famous **Omani Dhow Factory**, where you can see traditional wooden dhows being built. We’ll also take you to the old part of Sur, where most of the houses are designed with beautiful wooden doors and windows.

From Sur, we drive towards **Wadi Shab**. This Wadi is an enormous canyon gorge lined with palm trees and impressive indications of the power of water coming down from the mountains. With a 35 to 40-minute hike up through the canyon (walking shoes are required), we arrive at one of the crystal-clear water pools. Tourists can swim through the warm waters from pool to pool. Eventually, we come to the last pool where an opening among the enormous rocks allows us to swim into an incredible crevice cave with a small waterfall inside. The sunlight filters in from the outside, turning the water into a beautiful turquoise blue while water cascades down one side of the cave from the Wadi beyond.

After visiting Wadi Shab, on the way back to Muscat, we stop at **Bimmah Sinkhole** (swimming in the sinkhole lake is possible). Bimmah Sinkhole is a water-filled depression, structurally a sinkhole, in the limestone of eastern Muscat Governorate in Oman. A lake of turquoise waters, it’s 50 m by 70 m wide and approximately 20 m deep. It’s only about 600 m away from the sea, between the coastal towns of Dibab and Bimmah village. The sinkhole was formed by a collapse of the surface layer due to the dissolution of the underlying limestone. To preserve the sinkhole, the local municipality developed a park there.
From the Sinkhole, we drive back to **Muscat**.

Starting Time:
08:00 AM

Including:

• All equipment for camping along with food and beverages is included in the package
• Transportation by Air-Conditioned Vehicle 4WD
• English Speaking Guide
• Pick up & Drop off
• Bottled Water
• Private Tour

Pick up Information:

WE PICK UP TRAVELERS FROM ANY PLACE IN MUSCAT:

• Muscat Harbor (For Shore Excursions Passengers)
• Muscat International Airport
• Residence
• Hotels