Destinations / Asia & Middle East
Put together personally by Yari SteennotSpeciality
Oman
Wadis, dunes and mountain villages: Oman by 4x4, at the wheel yourself or with an Omani driver-guide
Brochure not opening? Email me and I will send it to you.
My recommended 4x4 route, arranged in full for you as a 12-day private trip: swimming in the turquoise pools of Wadi Shab and Wadi Tiwi, a night among the red dunes of Wahiba Sands and walks through terraced villages on Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams. You stay in small heritage houses and mountain lodges, visit the forts of Nizwa, Jabreen and Bahla, and end with a full day in Muscat. You drive a rental 4x4 yourself or travel with an Omani driver-guide, and you start whenever you like.
Highlights
- Swimming in the turquoise pools and cave waterfall of Wadi Shab
- A walk through the palm gardens of Wadi Tiwi to the Mibam waterfall
- A night in a desert camp among the Wahiba Sands dunes, with camels and sunset
- Diana's Viewpoint and the terraced-villages walk on Jebel Akhdar
- Two nights on the 'Grand Canyon' of Arabia: the Balcony Walk on Jebel Shams
- The forts of Nizwa, Jabreen and Bahla and the Al Ayn beehive tombs (UNESCO)
- The mountain villages of Misfat al Abriyeen, Balad Sayt and Wakan
- A full day in Muscat: Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Royal Opera House and Mutrah souq
Day by day in the brochure (PDF)
For information only, not an offer yet
What I will arrange for you after launch
You travel, I arrange everything. You travel privately: no group and no fixed guide tagging along.
- Airport pickup and the transfer on your last day; the details are in the brochure.
- All hotels and guesthouses, booked in advance at the level you choose: Budget, Comfort or Premium.
- Transport on the ground: a rental car waiting for you (self-drive) or a private driver and private transfers. Domestic flights and trains where that makes sense.
- The activities and entrance fees on the route. Prefer a guide? I can add a local guide to any activity.
- Breakfast, and the meals at remote places with no alternative (such as a safari lodge, desert camp or yurt camp). For the other meals I give you my restaurant recommendations, but you choose completely freely where you eat.
- A personal intake, at your home or by video.
- A WhatsApp line with me, before and during your trip, and my personal 24/7 number.
- A call-back after your trip.
- Your international flight: after launch I will also book your flight for you. Prices on the site exclude the flight.
Travel whenever you like
Your dates are completely free: there are no fixed departure dates, you leave on the day that suits you. My recommended route takes 12 days. Shorter or longer is possible too; I adapt the route.
This is advice, not a rule. If you want to travel in another month, I tell you honestly what to expect (rain, heat, crowds) and adapt the route.
Price by level and transport
You choose the level of your hotels and how you get around. Same route, same care; only the hotels and the transport differ.
Estimated prices per person, based on 2 travellers, excl. international flight. Travelling solo, count on a supplement of roughly 65%. With four travellers the price per person drops by roughly 14%.
If you are interested, I am happy to send you the hotel guide with all the addresses.
More about self-drive and the private driver on this route
Self-drive
Oman is one of the best countries in the world for it: excellent roads, little traffic, safe, cheap fuel, and you drive on the right. A real 4x4 is mandatory (police checkpoint at Jebel Akhdar, the Wahiba dunes, tracks to Balad Sayt and Wakan). Your vehicle (full insurance with zero excess) is delivered to your hotel on day 2 and returned at the airport on day 11. Fuel is paid locally (indicative ± €100 per car for the whole route; there are no toll roads and parking is free almost everywhere). Your roadbook has GPS points, a paved alternative for every track and the golden rule: never enter a wadi when rain is forecast and never drive a mountain track after dark. In Wahiba the camp escorts you into the dunes.
Private driver
A licensed English-speaking Omani driver-guide takes you from day 2 to the airport in a spacious 4x4 (Toyota Land Cruiser or similar). He is both driver and guide: he knows the tracks, villages and wadis, tells you about the country as you go, walks with you where you wish and decides whether a wadi is safe after rain. Fuel, his meals and accommodation are included. This is the most expensive option, because a 4x4 with guide in Oman is charged per day, but also the most relaxed.
Flight & price
After launch I will also book your flight for you. The prices on this page exclude the international flight.
Return flight Brussels–Muscat not included: allow about € 430–700 p.p. depending on the month (December is the most expensive in the travel season). After launch I will find you the best flight with your proposal.
Indicative price (estimate) per person based on 2 travellers, excl. international flight. This is not an offer: nothing is being sold yet. Indicative price (estimate), not an offer. In high season the price can be higher, in low season lower. All prices are indicative estimates, not an offer. Nothing is being sold yet; after launch you receive a no-obligation proposal with the price of that moment.
Travelling responsibly
You mostly stay in small, locally run heritage houses and guesthouses (Nizwa, Al Aqr, Tiwi, Wakan) rather than large resorts, and if you choose a driver, you travel with an Omani driver-guide. In Wahiba I choose a camp that saves water and removes its waste. With two or four travellers in one vehicle you remain a guest in the mountain villages without disturbing their calm; I ask you to keep sunscreen out of the falaj channels, respect village dress codes and use a large water dispenser in the car instead of plastic bottles.