Tailor made tours of Oman

COUNTRY:
Oman
DEPARTURES:
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary
PRICE:
From £1450 (8 days) excluding flights
MORE INFO:
Price includes private transfers, accommodation, tours and meals where indicated. Prices vary according to standard of accommodation & season & are per person based on 2 people sharing. Flight costs start around £500 depending on availability and the time of year. Prices include current airport tax but this is subject to regular change which is out of our control.
VOUCHERS:
Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
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Tailor made tours of Oman
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Tailor made tours of Oman

Tailor made holiday

We offer a complete tailor made service allowing you to decide when you go, where to stay and what to do, to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by our travel experts. We would be happy to telephone you to discuss your requirements and options. Our staff have intimate knowledge of this destination, so do please include your telephone number when you complete the enquiry form.

How Tailor made tours of Oman makes a difference

Environment

This tour visits the Ras Al Junayz beach, one of the largest nesting areas for green turtles in the Indian Ocean. An average of 30,000 turtles nest at this beach. The Ras Al-Junayz Turtle and Nature Reserve was established in 1996 to better protect Oman’s Sea turtles and their natural environment. Clients are encouraged to donate to the research centre.

The total protected area is 120km with a 45km of coastline, extending for 1km into the sea. The Ras Al –Junayz Scientific and Visitors Centre offers a unique Ecotourism experience – an unparalleled encounter with sea turtles. It also houses a research library and research facilities for marine biology and archaeology promoting social responsibility and sound environmental practices.

The Ras Al-Jinz scientific visitors centre offers a unique eco-tourism experience, an unparallel encounter with sea turtles, and promotes social responsibility. Access to the beach is controlled by the authorities to protect the turtles.

Community

This trip visits several local communities in the Wahiba Sands Desert allowing clients to purchase handicrafts made by the locals. Any money from the sale of the handicrafts helps the local Bedouins to support their families.
Local Bedouin guides are hired to explain their way of life to clients on parts of this tour. This enables them to earn a regular living from the visiting tourists.

The Wahiba desert camp, 1000 Nights Camp, is locally owned and employs local people to help run the camp, provide local food and traditional entertainment supporting the local community.

There is no electricity at the camp with no light pollution or sound pollution as the camp uses natural resources to blend in with the environment. All waste from the campsites is taken away and recycled. There is no evidence left of any travelers staying in the desert.

Tailor made tours of Oman

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The story of the provider of Tailor made tours of Oman

When she was 23, Edinburgh-born Liz bought a £10 boat ticket to Africa; she wanted to see the world and has subsequently lived over half of her life overseas. When she returned from Arabia with her family in the 80s she set up a tailor made tour operators that was the first to sell trips to Oman. She has a strong sense of social responsibility and has seen first-hand how tourism can increase local people’s quality of life. The company is now a closely-knit three-woman team who share their expert knowledge and experiences to ensure your holidays have a real personal touch.

Holiday provider no: 1304

Camping in the Desert
Wahiba Sands - Oman
Jabel Akhdar Mountain Range - Oman
Misfah - Oman

Tailor made tours of Oman

Reviewed 15 Apr 2013 by Adrian O Malley4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Driving through a Wadi with water flowing through it. Driving the sand dunes in the desert. The mountain scenery is great.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Don't use this operator to book your travel, they told me exactly the opposite of what the local company said when I got to Oman, the operator did not pass on the local companies advice to us. Otherwise it is a great place to go. Responsible Travel is a great website, use it.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?


We stayed at places owned and run by local people and contributed to their economy.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


It was a great holiday organised by the local company, our local guide was great which made up for the poor advice we were given by the operator.

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you for your feedback and review on your recent holiday to Oman. We are glad to hear that overall you had a great time in Oman.

We are obviously disappointed to hear that you were unhappy with our advice. We recommended what we felt best matched your request/s and requirements from the trip and I’m very sorry that you felt that we gave you wrong advice and information. We will ensure that we fully understand future clients specific needs and continue to work closely with our local agents.

Reviewed 21 Feb 2013 by Sally Frohlich4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


The surprise at arriving at the camp in the Wahiba Sands for our night of Wild Camping and instead of finding the little 2-man tent that we had expected we found a luxury tent complete with bathroom, proper beds, carpets, oriental cushions and lanterns which had been set up just for us. This surprise was completed by the addition of a cook and a 'manservant' who looked after us superbly in the middle of the desert and made us feel as if we were in 'Out of Africa'!!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Take warm clothes for the desert and the mountains. It gets VERY cold at night.
Take a lot of small denomination dollars or rial for tips. There seemed to be a never ending stream of people to whom tips should be given. For ladies, if going on a day's camel ride, take cycling shorts with double thick padding!!! Make sure your trip is planned so that you get to the goat market in Nizwa on a Friday morning. It's great.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?


A lot of local people are employed in the places where we stayed. We did not feel that the holiday reduced environmental impact. There is a great deal of 4x4 driving on the dunes, off the main tracks. The holiday included a visit to the Turtle Beach where the giant Green Turtle is protected. This was a fascinating evening.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


This was a wonderful holiday in a wonderful country. The organization was first class from the UK tour operator and their partners in Oman were excellent. There were a few long days of driving but these were balanced by days of no-car activity, such as a day's dhow trip with swimming and snorkelling, a day of camel riding, and a half day of hiking. The food everywhere was very, very good.

Reviewed 04 Feb 2012 by Peta Constable4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Driving down to Wadi Bani Awf. Awesome. Also the night in the desert where the operator found us a camp where we were completely alone, 8 km through the dunes from the main camp, itself small and remoter than the bigger camps.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Insist that the guide takes some snacks from Nizwa to eat on the way, or a picnic lunch it's a long way to the next eating place. We did this trip in four days. Five would be more relaxed. There is a lovely but very basic alternative to sleeping in Nizwa and that is a local initiative in the village of Misfah. This is for those who want to support local initiative and avoid big hotel chains. Spotlessly clean, proper shared showers and toilets but mattresses on floor in rooms. Stunning rooftop terrace. OM 25 for half board.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Up to a point. I was shocked at the way the turtle viewing is carried out. It is a circus. However, it does seem that turtle numbers are increasing so swings and roundabouts.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


About 8 on 10 at least. Excellent Omani guide. Jen from the operator went more than the extra mile to make sure we got what we wanted.

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you for the wonderful feedback on your recent holiday to Oman. I was however concerned to see that you were unhappy with the turtle watching experience and we have passed your comments onto the Raz Al Jinz Centre. I have personally visited the beach at Raz Al Jinz and found it to be a very well organised turtle watching experience, if a little busy. We will be following up very closely to ensure that the local guides and staff at the Centre are aware of the environmental impact and that they do not disturb the egg laying process in any way. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Reviewed 13 Jan 2012 by Elizabeth Hansen4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


I loved the night in the desert. The Bedouin tent style accommodation was charming while still comfortable with our own bathroom (open to the skies). The dinner was excellent and the place was very well run. We watched the sun set from the top of a dune well away from anyone else and all we could see was a sea of soft, silky sand. Magic. Later we gazed at the stars from the top of the dune without any light pollution at all. As my son's girlfriend is an astrophysicist she helped us identify all the constellations.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Oman is a very well run, sensible, welcoming country with some interesting things to see and amazing scenery. The beaches stretch for miles and are good and clean but not outstandingly beautiful like some Asian beaches. The weather over Christmas and New Year was perfect with blues skies and sun - hot but not too hot. Not 'cheap and cheerful' so not so good for families or backpackers.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


I think that tourism provides an important source of revenue for Oman so in that sense yes. But in a direct sense, probably not.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


The operator did an excellent job in organising everything. I can thoroughly recommend them.

Reviewed 19 Apr 2011 by Lisa Whiteley4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Desert camp and seeing the turtles were amazing

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Have a few days on either side to relax and really enjoy the place

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Absolutely.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


A fantastic family adventure with great contrasts.
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Holiday Reviews

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Camping in the Desert
Wahiba Sands - Oman
Jabel Akhdar Mountain Range - Oman
Misfah - Oman
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