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Tours in Oman
Salalah and Oman's Empty Quarter
9 DAYS / 8 NIGHTS
from £3,180 / US$3,977 per person*
Empty Quarter, Oman
Wadi Darbat, Dhofar Oman
Dhofar, Oman
Dhofar, Oman
Mirbat, Dhofar Oman
Taqah Fort, Dhofar Oman
Tour Highlights
- Explore the magnificent Empty Quarter – the world’s largest sandy desert
- Spend two nights in the Empty Quarter’s only fixed camp
- Discover the Frankincense Trail in Dhofar and visit ancient Shisr (Ubar)
- Drive the stunning rocky Jebel Qamar (Mountains of the Moon)
- Walk through Salalah’s coconut plantations and Frankincense infused souq
- Relax in style on a beautiful white sand beach by the shores of the Indian Ocean
Tour Overview
SALALAH • WADI DAWKAH • SHISR • EMPTY QUARTER • MUDAYY
Salalah and Oman’s Empty Quarter is a private tour that explores the Sultanate’s highly scenic southern province of Dhofar with its incense-infused souqs, ancient ruined frankincense ports, lovely water-fed wadis, whitewashed forts, desolate sun-blasted mountains, white powder beaches, and magnificent towering dunes.
This land, synonymous with frankincense, is also one of the most ancient and intriguing parts of Arabia and was known in the Bible as the Land of Ophir.
The holiday combines six nights on the coconut-fringed beaches of the Indian Ocean with a two-night adventure into Oman’s Empty Quarter desert, where you will enjoy the relative comfort of the area’s only fixed camp (running water, electricity, and private bathroom included!).
Following visits in and around Salalah, strike north through the Jabal Qara mountains to stony Wadi Dawkah where frankincense trees grow in the wild and visit Shisr, which some people think may be the lost city of Ubar – the ‘Atlantis of the Sands’. Two nights in the Empty will then be spent amongst the enormous dunes of the Empty Quarter (Rub Al Khali), where you will experience a landscape of almost unspeakable beauty. Then, travel through the incredible scenery of the Moon Mountains (Jebel Qamar) back to the frankincense coast, where the Salalah and Oman’s Empty Quarter tour concludes.
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in Salalah
Land at Salalah International Airport under your own arrangements (please ask us if you would like a quote for international flights). On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your chosen hotel overlooking the Indian Ocean. After checking in to your hotel, the remainder of the day will be at leisure.
ACCOMMODATION (3 nights)
Sapphire: Souly EcoLodge (Bungalow with Ocean View)
Diamond: Anantara Salalah – Al Baleed Resort (One Bedroom Garden Pool Villa)
Day 2 Salalah
A morning guided tour of Salalah will take in the city’s exotic and incense-laden Al Haffah souq, luxuriant coconut and banana-lined lanes, the Museum of Frankincense Land, and Al Balid Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The afternoon will be at leisure.
Day 3 Ain Razat, Taqah, Mirbat, Jabal Sumhan, Wadi Darbat, Sumhuram
Meet your private guide and visit the local beauty spot of Ain Razat with its springs, then continue to Taqah to see its picturesque whitewashed fort. Continue to Mirbat where you will view the fine Dhofari-style houses and fishing harbour. A scenic drive will then take you up to the highlands of Jabal Samhan and onto scenic Wadi Darbat before arriving at Sumhuram, an ancient Frankincense port that dates back to the 3rd century BC.
Day 4 Wadi Dawkah, Shisr, arrive Empty Quarter
Strike inland through the Jabal Qara to reach Wadi Dawkah, a stony semi-desert where frankincense trees grow in the wild. Then, continue driving north to the ruins of Shisr, which some scholars have identified as Ubar: the ‘Atlantis of the Sands’. Arrive in the Empty Quarter late this afternoon and check in at your desert camp located amongst the stunning towering dunes of the Empty Quarter.
ACCOMMODATION (2 nights)
Sapphire: Souly Lodge Empty Quarter (Tent)
Diamond: Souly Lodge Empty Quarter (Bungalow)
Day 5 Empty Quarter
Enjoy the magical sight of sunrise over the desert and take a pre-breakfast stroll across the sands to sample the absolute tranquillity of the Empty Quarter. Today’s thrilling off-road 4WD adventure will reveal the immense wilderness of the Ramlat Hashmann region. Along the way, you will be presented with striking, ever-changing vistas of massive star-shaped dunes and crescent sand formations interspaced with great dark gravel plains and shallow valleys. Oman’s Empty Quarter is one of the last outposts remaining for those who yearn for adventure, discovery and the wild!
Day 6 Mazyounna, Mudayy, Jabal Qamar, Mugsayl, arrive Salalah
Leave the sands of the Empty Quarter behind you this morning and taste fresh camel’s milk on a desert farm before driving west via the Yemeni border town of Mazyounna to the oasis of Mudayy – once an important point on the South Arabian incense route. After viewing the ruins, travel through the dramatic Moon Mountains (Jabal Qamar) to Dhofar’s cliff-lined coast and beautiful Mugsayl beach with flamingos and blowholes. Arrive in Salalah late this afternoon and check in at your luxury hotel.
ACCOMMODATION (3 nights)
Sapphire: Anantara Salalah – Al Baleed Resort (Premier Sea View room)
Diamond: Anantara Salalah – Al Baleed Resort (Premier Sea View room)
Day 7 Salalah
Today will be at leisure.
Day 8 Salalah
Today will be at leisure.
Day 9 Farewell to Oman
Transfer to Salalah International Airport and check in for your onward flight.
Customise your tour
1 NIGHT
Camp in remote Wadi Shuwamiyyah
2 NIGHTS
Visit Muscat, Dubai or Doha
2 NIGHTS
Stay longer by the beach in Salalah
Pricing Notes & Information
Price Guideline
*Price guideline, per person, based on two people sharing.
Sapphire Hotels from £3,180 (US$3,977)
Diamond Hotels from £4,450 (US$5,565)
What's Included
- Accommodation as described in the itinerary
- Service of Corinthian Travel representatives
- Sightseeing and entrance fees as per the itinerary
- Meals: 8 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners
- Chauffeur-driven transfers with an English-speaking driver/guide in an air-conditioned vehicle (Toyota Land Cruiser or similar)
- Bottled water in the vehicle for transfers
Notes
Salalah and Oman’s Empty Quarter is a private tour that can operate based on arrival in Salalah on any day of the week between October and April.
All prices are subject to availability at the time of booking. Prices do not include international flights (please ask us for a quote), are per person, based on two people sharing a room, and a minimum group size of two.
Single and sole traveller supplements will apply.
Other Tour Ideas
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