The Wahiba Sands is not just a destination; heading to the red desert camp in Oman is immersing yourself in the soul of the desert. As you roll out of your tent, you’ll be greeted by a sunrise that paints the dunes in hues of crimson and gold.
The camp itself is a testament to traditional Bedouin hospitality, combining cultural authenticity with modern comforts. Most of the tents are equipped with comfortable bedding, tasteful decor, and panoramic views of the silky dunes.
Experience the Red Desert camp in Oman.
After exploring noisy Muscat, coastal Sur city, and ancient Nizwa, we have finally reached the magnificent natural beauty of the red Wahiba Sands. One of the most incredible sights I’ve seen. Here is a bunch of useful information on how to get to Wahiba Sands and spend an overnight in one of the luxury Red Desert camps in Oman for the best adventure: desert safaris, sunset watching and silky dunes.
How to get to Wahiba Sands - red desert?
Only jeep cars can drive through the dunes. So the only way to get to Wahiba Sands is by renting a 4WD car or booking an organized tour (you can’t miss sunset over the red desert!).
The distance between Muscat and Bidiyah (Wahiba Sands) is 195 km, and it’s a max 2h drive from Muscat/the capital city of Oman. Sur is only 109km from Bidiyah.
The best town to stay near Wahiba Sands is Bidiyah, which can be your starting point for any red desert tour.
For those who don’t plan to rent a car, organized Tours are a fantastic and highly popular option to spend overnight and experience the incredible Wahiba Sands Red Desert.
Most popular tours to Wahiba Sands.
- Wahiba Sands & Wadi Bani Khalid Canyon | Tripadvisor
- Private Safari Wahiba Sands and Wadi Bani Khalid from Muscat | Tripadvisor
- Wahiba Sands Desert Safari 4×4 | Tripadvisor
- Desert experience – Private Wahiba sands full day tour | Tripadvisor
For best planning your stay in Oman I used these tools:
- TRANSFERS: GetTransfer.com – a booking service for transfers and car rentals with a personal driver at the best prices.
- ACCOMMODATION: Muscat accommodation: I fould best deals on agoda.com
- CAR RENTAL: If you are planninc car rental in Oman – which is the right idea – it’s most convenient way of traveling and exploring the country since public transport is not that well developed, go on: Rentalcars.com – the world’s largest online car rental service.
- SIM CARD: Stay connected with DRIMSIM – the first universal SIM card and free app for travelers.
- FLIGHTS: For last minute flights and airline deals check Skyscanner.
- INSURANCE: Best medical coverage: VisitorsCoverage.
Wahiba Desert Night Camps & Resorts.
Most of the night red desert camps in Oman are luxury and quite costly. Some of the prices easily reach 450 USD per night! Most camps offer a pick-up service from the suburbs of the desert if you do not have a 4WD car.
Al Raha Camp is a mid-budget without a pick-up option. We hired a jeep with a driver to take us to AL Raha Camp. We asked to stop in the famous 1000 Nights Camp (highly recommended online). Amazing place, but way above our budget.
When we got to our Camp, it turned out we were the only guests, which meant that we had no option for any transportation to take us back to the city the next day. It took us all day and a lot of money to reach this place, but finally we had to quit and drive back to the nearest city, Bidiyah, to come up with plan B. We asked at the reception of the hotel about organized trips to the desert, but it was crazy expensive (searching online and booking in advance is highly recommended).
The best desert Camp in Oman.
After driving twice to the Wahiba Sands I can recommend the following top-rated red desert camps in Oman for the best location & facilities:
- AL REEM DESERT CAMP – $100-110/per night
- WAHIBA BEDOUIN RUSTIC CAMP – $74/per night including breakfast
- QUEEN DESERT CAMP – with barbecue facilities and $105/per night
- RASHID DESRT PRIVATE CAMP – $123/per night
- LUXURY DESERT CAMP – $205/per night
- ARABIAN NIGHTS RESORT & SPA – an exceptional place, $265/per night including breakfast
- DESERT NIGHTS RESORT – fabulous camp! $415/per night.
- Browse for more options.
Shared taxis in Oman.
Sur was one of the most amazing travel destinations in Oman! Great hotel staff, friendly, always eager to help 🙂 The hotel receptionist in Bidiyah told us that 1 km from the hotel, there’s a local taxi station. This is how we discovered SHARED TAXIS IN OMAN – 3 Rial per person to get from Bidiyah to Sur.
The driver must have been very old, just like his car. Shortly after we got in, another two guys hopped in the car to travel with us. I’m sure we were sponsoring the whole trip, but who cared at that stage! 🙂 Watching local people while driving somewhere in the middle of Oman in a private car, with absolute strangers, who spoke absolutely no English, is the best part of freestyle traveling! Anyway, the Omani guy was very friendly, he kept asking us: Is OK? You could sense they are good people. He dropped us exactly in front of our previous hotel in Sur. It was again our friend Nasser who we planned a trip to the Wahiba Sands red desert.
Driving to Wahiba Desert from Sur.
Lya and I thought about renting a car ourselves, which would give us much more flexibility and freedom. But we skipped this idea after everyone was telling us how dangerous it is to drive through the desert. I cannot believe I listened to them! I’m quite experienced in off-road driving, and it is very manageable to drive yourself. We were more concerned about getting lost in the desert than my driving skills. But actually, there are many jeep tracks, and generally, the drive is much simpler than you can imagine.
So if you feel comfortable driving off-road, DO IT YOURSELF, GET a 4WD car and be independent! The main access to the desert is near Bidiyah Castle (the first 24km is a gravel road, and then follows sandy tracks). You will also see road signs to Wahiba Sands, and you can always ask people for directions if you feel lost. The sandy road is quite flat and pretty whipped, simply follow car trails and you’ll be fine.
Renting a car in Oman.
You can drive yourself to the Wahiba Sands Red Desert in Oman; it is very much doable. All you need is a 4WD car and follow the sand tracks. Road infrastructure in Oman is well established, and the car will give you lots of freedom in traveling around.
CAR RENTAL: Best car rental in Oman is RENTALCARS.COM – no hidden cost, 24/7 support, and best deals from all rentals. A 4WD car will be needed when driving to Wahiba Sands (the red desert).
Wahiba Sands - the red desert in Oman.
There is no permanent settlement in the desert, apart from Bedouin temporary camps and luxury tourist camps. Nasser (our guide, our friend, our lovely companion!) told us that taking pictures across the desert area is forbidden. It’s to protect local privacy and to avoid people taking photos of the interior of Bedouins’ houses.
In some places, the interior of the house would be visible from the higher dunes – but in general, taking pictures of Bedouins is unacceptable in Arabic culture.
When driving through the desert, you will see many camels walking along the road. We immediately jumped out of the car to greet them and take some pictures. They are so soft and gentle! I couldn’t stop hugging them.
Said told us that white camels are very special. We asked why they are special. He said: Because they are white! 🙂 Even though the camels are wandering alone through the desert, they are all in possession of some people. Camels are too expensive and too valuable, so at the end of the day, they are kept behind a wire fence..
Wild desert camping in Oman.
Lya and I wanted to try wild camping in the desert. However, Said said it’s highly dangerous to camp outside the resorts due to the high volume of jeeps off-roading and quad races, organized by wealthy residents, especially at night. Wild desert camping in Oman is not forbidden, and a lot of websites say you can camp alone.
Sunset over the Wahiba Desert sand dunes!
Sunset over the red desert is probably one of the best scenes I’ve experienced. The Red Desert is a magical place. The silence is so loud. This was such a wonderful feeling, climbing barefoot over the velvet dunes and watching the giant sun ball sinking in the red sand.
The year we were backpacking in Oman, there was almost no rainfall, and we could see green bushes growing over Wahiba Sands! Nasser told us that only recently his friend, a local guide, brought a professional photographer who was doing a reportage on Wahiba Sands. Once they arrived in the desert, the photographer thought he was misled by the guide and even called him a liar because he thought he was taken to another place instead of the famous desert.
Bedouins settlement in Wahiba Sands.
When visiting Wahiba Sands and staying at the Red Desert camp in Oman, you’ll see a lot of Bedouins’ houses in the desert. When taking a red desert tour, you will certainly visit their households and explore their settlement.
Bedouin families are very friendly; they will eagerly invite you to see the interior of the house. It’s nice to buy a small souvenir, but it’s not required. The name Bedouin is derived from the Arabic word Badoo, which means the beginning. Bedouins feel a strong link with their land and animals. They stay in the desert in colder months. In summer, when the temperatures increase up to 50 degrees, they move to the city.
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