Oman adventure holiday
“Discover an Arabian jewel mixing historic oasis towns, soaring mountains and epic deserts, framed by a ravishing shoreline of pink shell beaches and white dunes.”
Highlights
Muscat | Nizwa | Wahiba Sands | Rub al Khali – the Empty Quarter | Qara Mountains – Jabal Al Qamar | Khaluf | Salalah | Hajar Mountains | Ruins of UbarDescription of Oman adventure holiday
Oman is one of Arabia’s true gems - a land of rugged coastlines and vast deserts where tradition and progress go hand in hand. This wonderful adventure travels from its picturesque capital deep into mountains and deserts of the Bedu and the old Omani Imamate, taking in the heart-stopping landscapes of the Hajar Mountains and the shifting sands of Wahiba, ancient Nizwa and the vast emptiness of Rub Al Khali - the Empty Quarter - to the ruins of the lost city of Ubar.After exploring some of the grand mosques of the capital Muscat, head out along the Batinah coast towards the historic oasis city of Nizwa, where an imposing 17th century fort guards bustling atmospheric lanes and colourful souk.
The stunning hush and unique vistas of the desert provide epic contrast with the shifting dunes of the Wahiba Sands – home to semi-nomadic Bedouin – plus the vastness of the so-called Empty Quarter, the 250,000 square mile Rub al Khali. Experience too the barren landscapes of the Qara Mountains, including Jabal Al Qamar (Moon Mountain) and the homelands of the Bait Kat.
As perfect contrast to the desert, enjoy the pink shell beaches and white dunes of Khaluf on Oman’s gorgeous eastern coast, plus an array of picturesque fishing villages, before ending your journey ends in the beautiful coastal city of Salalah.
Price includes all activities/equipment, tour leaders, local guides and drivers, meals, mineral water, all transport (excluding international flights) , all accommodation and all entrance fees as outlined in the itinerary.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com
Check dates, prices & availability
Date
Price per adult
Basis
Status
15 Oct 2020
£2790
excluding flights
Available
05 Nov 2020
£2790
excluding flights
Available
19 Nov 2020
£2790
excluding flights
5 spaces left
23 Dec 2020
£2890
excluding flights
Available
21 Jan 2021
£2845
excluding flights
Available
11 Feb 2021
£2845
excluding flights
Available
04 Nov 2021
£2845
excluding flights
Available
23 Dec 2021
£2990
excluding flights
Available
29 Dec 2021
£2990
excluding flights
Available
Pricing:
The currency converter above works on today’s interbank exchange rate. We do take bookings in a variety of currencies, but the rates are often set months in advance and may therefore differ from those shown above which are for guidance purposes only. Please enquire for details.
Vouchers
Accepted
Holiday type
Small group holidays
Small group travel is not large group travel scaled down. It is modelled on independent travel – but with the advantage of a group leader to take care of the itinerary, accommodation and tickets, and dealing with the language. It’s easy to tick off the big sights independently – but finding those one-off experiences, local festivals, travelling markets and secret viewpoints is almost impossible for someone without the insider knowledge gained from years in the field. If you’re heading off on a gap year your, perhaps – but for those with a two-week holiday, a small group tour will save valuable planning time.
The leaders are not guides – they’re not there to shepherd you around. Instead, they’ll let you know which local restaurant serves great value food – without running the risk of travellers’ tummy. They’ll allow you to avoid hour-long queues at train stations and attractions.
We like to think of small group travel as the Goldilocks option. It is independent travel without the fuss, worry and bunk beds – and organised travel without the coaches. And it’s cheaper than a tailor made tour. It’s sits somewhere in the middle – and we think it’s just about right.
What are the main benefits?
Big experiencesHave big, life-enriching experiences that would be impossible to organise without lots of time and insider knowledge.
Simplicity
Make the most of your holiday time by letting someone else do the hard work and boring logistics!
Peace of mind
Small group tours take care of the security aspects – and provide a safety net should anything unexpected happen.
Who is it ideal for?
Travellers who are short of timeIf you don’t have three months to spend exploring, small groups trips let you cover more ground in less time. Your days are not spent queuing for tickets or finding hotels – so you can squeeze more into your holiday.
Solo travellers who’d like company
Likeminded travel companions plus peace of mind for those travelling alone. Single supplements are usually available – providing privacy if you want it.
Less confident travellers
Stray from the tourist trail without worrying about getting lost, and meet local people without dealing with the language barrier.
Mythbuster
“I won’t get any privacy!”Couples and friends have private rooms, and you can choose to eat alone or not. Single supplements give solo travellers their own room.
“There won’t be any free time”
Free mornings or afternoons let you explore on your own, or just relax.
“The accommodation will be basic”
Trips are as high or low end as you like. Though off the beaten track destinations won’t have luxury hotels, this is all part of the adventure.
“I won’t like the other travellers!”
Tour operators try to create groups with a similar demographic – age, families, activity levels... Chances are, you’ll even make new friends.
“Will we be following an umbrella?”
No.
Meet a group leader
As well as taking care of all the day-to-day practicalities, your group leader is the one who will turn your trip into an adventure. Leaders are extraordinary characters – the kind of person who has spent 14 Christmas days on the slopes of Mount Everest, runs marathons wearing tiger suits to raise funds for their conservation and thinks nothing of leading an overland trip in Sudan or Afghanistan. Fearless and inspiring, group leaders are as important as the destination itself.
Meet a local guide
No matter how experienced your group leader, they can never make up for the knowledge gained from a lifetime in the destination. That’s why many of our trips work with local guides around the world – who invite you into their homeland with pleasure. As well as doing crazy things like climbing Kilimanjaro 100 times, they also donate their time to local projects supported by travellers – such as rebuilding Sri Lankan villages following the 2004 tsunami.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
We will be wild camping on this tour, reducing our environmental impact considerably by not using energy for hotel facilities such as air-conditioning and lighting. We will be camping on days 4 to 8 in the desert of Wahiba Sands and the Empty Quarter, as well as on the coast. When we camp we will always take with us any waste we produce, making sure the environment is left in the same condition as it was before. By keeping the group size to a maximum of 12, we can also minimise the human impact on the fragile sites and ecosystems we visit.
We attempt to reduce plastic bottle use wherever possible by promoting use of reusable and filtered water bottles. Our partnership with Water-To-Go provides a discount on filtered water bottles to our clients. We do not provide water from plastic bottles to our clients in country but always ensure there is regular access to drinking water on our tours.
We are promoting the natural beauty and ancient heritage of Oman through visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bahla Fort. UNESCO Sites are chosen by the UNESCO committee and must "bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to civilisation", "an important interchange of human values" or be outstanding examples of major stages of Earth's history or ecological and biological processes in evolution. Visiting such sites helps sustain the traditions and natural ecosystems of Oman through tourism.
The Impacts of this Trip
On each Group tour we use local ground handlers. This means that all operational costs go directly into the local economy and help improve employment opportunities in remote regions. Such support can also be seen in our incorporation of homestays, locally owned hotels, family run restaurants and the services of local guides and drivers into our itineraries, which ensures that the money you spend with us goes directly into the local economy and local community.
Environment
We will be wild camping on this tour, reducing our environmental impact considerably by not using energy for hotel facilities such as air-conditioning and lighting. We will be camping on days 4 to 8 in the desert of Wahiba Sands and the Empty Quarter, as well as on the coast. When we camp we will always take with us any waste we produce, making sure the environment is left in the same condition as it was before. By keeping the group size to a maximum of 12, we can also minimise the human impact on the fragile sites and ecosystems we visit.
We attempt to reduce plastic bottle use wherever possible by promoting use of reusable and filtered water bottles. Our partnership with Water-To-Go provides a discount on filtered water bottles to our clients. We do not provide water from plastic bottles to our clients in country but always ensure there is regular access to drinking water on our tours.
We are promoting the natural beauty and ancient heritage of Oman through visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bahla Fort. UNESCO Sites are chosen by the UNESCO committee and must "bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to civilisation", "an important interchange of human values" or be outstanding examples of major stages of Earth's history or ecological and biological processes in evolution. Visiting such sites helps sustain the traditions and natural ecosystems of Oman through tourism.
Community
The Impacts of this Trip
On each Group tour we use local ground handlers. This means that all operational costs go directly into the local economy and help improve employment opportunities in remote regions. Such support can also be seen in our incorporation of homestays, locally owned hotels, family run restaurants and the services of local guides and drivers into our itineraries, which ensures that the money you spend with us goes directly into the local economy and local community.
Climate
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