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2-Day Private Overnight Desert Experience Empty Quarter

Excellent
Duration

2 Days

Tour Type

Daily Tour

Group Size

16 people

Languages

Arabic, English

Overview

Experience a piece of the fabled “Empty Quarter” (Rub al Khali) desert which is the largest sand desert in the world,. The desert offers large sand dunes up to 250 m in height and is home to many unique desert plants and animals. At the edge of the desert is the town of Shisr, host to the archaelogical site of Ubar. This medieval city was a hub of the frankincense trade, plied by camel caravans across the desert. You can walk the grounds of this Unesco World Heritage Site and view this archaealogical park in person.

The tour leaves Salalah at 1 pm. There will be a stop to photograph camel herds near Shisr before visiting the archaeological site. From Shisr you will head into the desert proper where you can ride the sand dunes in an off-road vehicle, climb the dunes yourself, and bask in the beautiful sunset. A Bedouin-type camp will welcome you for dinner and hanging out around the campfire smoking Shisha. Enjoying the desert overnight at the camp and return at 8 the next morning

 

What makes this tour unique?

It’s hard to describe the feeling of approaching a desert to someone who has never seen one before. You can describe what you see; a drying of landscape, a browning of land and a slow disappearing of trees and shrubs and signs of life. Before, all of a sudden, the dunes appear. A sea of golden waves that appears to have no beginning and no end. You can show pictures and write words but portraying that feeling is harder. Perhaps it’s one of those things, like seeing the ocean for the first time, that you need to experience for yourself. Sure you will have unforgettable moments .

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Highlights

  • Mode of transportation: Jeep
  • We pick up all travelers from their hotel or port (cruise ship guests)
  • Private Tour
  • Customization of this tour is possible
  • Physical difficulty level: easy
  • Tour is available from Monday to Sunday
  • Picking up area: Salalah
  • Pick up starts 10 minutes from departure
  • Duration of the tour: 2 days (18 hours)

Itinerary

Wadi Dawkah
Wadi Dawkah

Our certified tour guide will pick you up from your hotel in an air-conditioned four-wheel drive jeep. Afterwards you will pass through the marvelous landscape of Salalah and have the opportunity to admire the biodiversity nature has to offer. You will drive through several camel herds until you reach the first stop of the tour: the Wadi Dawkah. The large natural garden and UNESCO Heritage Site is the habitat of around 1.200 frankincense trees and source of the world famous Dhofari Frankincense. Of course, your guide will explain everything about the cultivation of frankincense, the different varieties and uses.

Thumrait

Your journey proceeds to the city Thumrait to have some traditional arabic coffee (qahwah) with dates. Thumrait is known as a famous Bedouin settlement and played a major role in times of the ancient Frankincense Trading Route which ran from South of Oman to the Mediterranean Sea.

The Lost City Ubar
The Lost City Ubar

The city of Shisr is the next attraction on the tour into the desert and is surrounded by numerous legends. The most famous dubs Shisr as the legendary city of Ubar, which was once an important city as a crossroads of caravan routes that made it rich through trade in frankincense, spices, coppers and probably Arabian horses. Even the Queen of Sheba is said to have been here to buy frankincense. Ubar is mentioned in the Bible and the Koran and described as a magnificent city with many columns. The Greek geographer and astronomer Claudius Ptolemy and the Arab historian Mohammad Al Hassan Al Hamdani also reported on the legendary Ubar in their writings. Despite an extensive search, however, the legendary city could not be located for a long time. On the way there, your tour guide will tell you how Ubar was discovered...

Empty Quarter Desert Rub Al Khali
Empty Quarter Desert Rub Al Khali

The Empty Quarter, which is the largest sand desert in the world, covers a wide expanse of the Arabian Peninsula, including parts of Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E.,Yemen and Oman. Now you drive to the place where you can ride the sand dunes in an 4X4 vehicle, climb the dunes yourself, and bask in the beautiful sunset. Be sure that it is a very special and unforgettable experience to see the magical sunset in the desert. Your tour guide will capture this unique moment with photos and videos so you can treasure this experience forever and show your loved ones at home as well. After this adventure you should be hungry and your tour guide will set on the fire and prepare the traditional Omani Barbecue. In the meantime you can smoke shisha and watch the shining stars in the unbelievably clear sky and try to recognise astronomical constellations. Later in the night you can make yourself comfortable in your tent or leave your camp bed outside and sleep under the stars in the fabulous desert of Oman

Dinner

Traditional Omani Food prepared over the fire

Breakfast and drive back to Salalah

The next morning you will be gently kissed awake by the sun and greeted with coffee and an excellent traditional omani breakfast. Afterwards you will return to Salalah where you will arrive at your hotel around late morning and perhaps have already booked the Salalah Night Tour in the evening?

Included/Excluded

  • Bottled Water
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Soda/Pop
  • Coffee and/or Tea
  • Snacks
  • Dinner
  • WIFI on board
  • Private Transportation
  • Breakfast
  • Fees Ubar

Durations

2 Days

Tour's Location

FAQs

Is the tour customisable?
Yes sure, our main goal is to have happy customers at the end of the day and we are happy to create an individual itinerary according to your interests
Do you offer pick up from my hotel?
Yes, pick up and drop off from your hotel within Salalah is included in all tours for free.
How can I contact you in case I need more information about a tour?
The easiest way is to contact us on WhatsApp. Our company number is +968 9244 4495.
Can I bring my luggage with me on the tour?
Yes, this is no problem.
Do you have car seats for younger children?
Yes, we have infant car seats available for all ages to ensure the maximum safety of our young travelers

Reviews

5/5
Excellent
Based on 6 reviews
Excellent
6
Very Good
0
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Nr. 1 Tour Operator
Theo
02/05/2023

Great driver and great experience

This trip was amazing! Our guide Salim was great- he provided everything we needed and even took pictures for us without being asked! He was a great driver and it was an all around perfect overnight experience.
Nr. 1 Tour Operator
Joseph
01/14/2023

Best tour guide

I would definitely recommend this tour. We did the overnight tour. I have never done reviews before but I has to. Salim was the best tour guide you could ever asked for. He was so attentive. He made sure everything was okay before he went to bed.
Nr. 1 Tour Operator
Bruno
12/28/2022

Best desert tour

The best desert tours was with this agency. We had a great night in the desert and great sunrise next morning. The setting, company and food were fabulous and a great deal for our money. Our guides and drivers were attentive and we really felt the omani hospitality the whole time!
Nr. 1 Tour Operator
Dales
12/27/2022

Awesome Feeling

Very good experience, we had a great time thanks to you guys especially our tour guide my dear friend Ali, who made us feel like home showing his skills on driving and setting the camp for us. Looking forward to come and meet you guys again Thank you for this memorable trip.
Nr. 1 Tour Operator
Tobias Ehre
12/10/2022

Definitely worth it

It was a wonderful experience. The whole Salalah4tourist team is very well organised and we didn’t miss anything. I had Abdul as my guide. He constantly took care of us and helped us with everything we needed. He is very charismatic and answered all our questions. In addition to the guides services he offered he is also a talented photographer. He took beautiful photos of all of us in the group. Also, he was always on our disposal on WhatsApp in case we needed anything before and after the trip. I have recommended this trip to other friends as it’s definitely worth it.
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Nr. 1 Tour Operator
Stella S.
10/26/2022

We were treated like friends

We had a wonderful desert experience with Mohammed. It’s incredible how much he knows about the desert environment and how he merge with the desert. It seems that he is part of it. He is also very smart, polite and thoughtful… and treat us like friends not like clients. He really made our trip memorable and unique. Beside of this he is a very good sand driver, we learned a lot and admire his personality. Great guy, we are very lucky to get the chance to meet him. Thank you all for supporting us with our request. Stella&Toni
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