Oman · Desert Adventure

Sunshine Tour 8 Days-7 Nights, Oman Tours Package

8 Days Round trip from Pickup service provided in Muscat. Easy pace

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The journey

Trip highlights

01 Explore forts, castles, souqs, and traditional villages across northern Oman
02 Spend two nights in Wahiba Sands with desert scenery and sunset views
03 Visit Jabal Shams, Wadi Ghul, and dramatic mountain landscapes
04 Swim in the clear pools of Wadi Bani Khalid and Wadi Shab
05 Discover Nizwa Souq, Nizwa Fort, and Jabreen Castle
06 See coastal highlights including Sur, Fins Beach, and Bimmah Sinkhole
07 Enjoy turtle watching near Ras Al Jinz
08 Travel by 4WD with 7 nights of accommodation included

Discover the diverse landscapes and heritage of northern Oman on this 8-day journey through mountains, wadis, desert, coastal towns, and historic forts. From Nakhal Fort and the hot springs to Jabal Shams, Nizwa, Jabreen Castle, and Jabal Akhdar, this itinerary combines cultural landmarks with some of the country’s most striking natural scenery.

Along the way, swim in clear pools at Wadi Bani Khalid and Wadi Shab, spend two nights in Wahiba Sands, cross dramatic desert terrain, visit traditional villages and ancient ruins, and continue to the coast for Sur, Fins Beach, Bimmah Sinkhole, and turtle watching near Ras Al Jinz. With accommodation, breakfasts and dinners, 4WD transport, and pickup and drop-off in Muscat included, this package offers a wide-ranging introduction to Oman.

Inside, the sunlight filters in from the outside, turning the water into a beautiful turquoise blue whilst water showers down one side of the cave from the Wadi beyond.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 8 Days

Tour type Private

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Included

Transport Included

Wheelchair access No

Cities Nizwa, Sur, al Mudaybi, Muscat, Jebel Shams, Wadi Ghul, Nakhal, Bimmah Sinkhole

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Nakhal Fort

In the morning we'll leave Muscat towards Nakhal, where you can visit the beautiful Nakhal Fortress. It lies at the foothills of the mountains in a nice town that grows extensive date palm plantations, this magnificent 1500-year-old fortress rises out of the mountain rock, towering high above the ancient village as if still warning would-be attackers of its ominous strength. It has witnessed many battles and is packed full of hidden escape routes and secret passages.

You can stroll around inside this restored fortress and visit all the rooms which have been nicely decorated in the original old style, the view from the top of the fortress over the mountains and green date plantations is outstanding.

Nakhal Hot Spring

From the Fort we visit the hot spring the spring is tucked away among date farms a couple of K.M. from Nakhal Fort, and it flows year-round with warm mineral water collected in the site pools, several chairs and shades are provided in the “picnic area” near the pool.

Wadi Bani Awf- Snake Canyon-Balad Sayt

From Nakhal we continue our trip to Wadi Bani Awf, the road leads us through the Wadi, and we'll pass by impressive Wadi Canyons (Snake Canyon) and several villages, and the most beautiful village there is Balad Sayt, surrounded by the mountains from all directions.

Jabal Shams (The Grand Canyon of Oman)

Then we drive up the Mountain, this mountain road drives up to the Jebel Shams (Grand Canyon) 3009 meters this mountain is one of the most adventurous mountains in Oman, offering existing off-road experience and fantastic views, you reach canyon view which is 2000 meters stop there and enjoy the view and photo, from there just a short drive to our resort where we spend the night.

Overnight in Jabal Shams ( Jabal Shams Resort or Similar)

Day 02

Wadi Ghul (Wadi Nakhar)

In the morning, we drive back to Wadi Ghul the village of Wadi Ghul is 2000 years old and located at the foot of Mountain Ghul and can be seen on your way to Jabal Shams it has been abandoned by its inhabitants and no one remained in, it has been built of solid stones.

From there, we drive into Wadi Nakhar its beautiful sites, a spectacular view which derives its name from the local word (necrosis), which means the process of rock sculpture «erosion» as the water of this valley formed during the time periods.

Wadi Al Nakhar is one of the deepest valleys in Oman because of its geographical characteristics, the great gap in Jabal Shams is considered to be the most important source of water since its large opening leads to valleys and reefs that form the valley of Al Nakhar

Misfat Al Abreyeen( Al Hamra)

From Wadi Nakhar we visit the ancient town of Al Hamra then a short drive to Misfath Al Abreyeen, this picturesque village lies on a steep slope at the foot of Jebel Shams and consists of old homes and narrow streets, it has a falaj system for many orchards, date palms, and vegetables, it's worth spending some time walking around the village.

From there we drive to Nizwa

Overnight in Nizwa (Al Diyar Hotel or Similar)

Day 03

Nizwa Market (Souq)

Today We'll visit the famous Nizwa Market (Souq), a wide variety of vendors offer their goods in the streets of the souk from here you can find, vegetables, pottery, jewelry, handicrafts, Omani sweets (Halwa), dates spice, and souvenirs which are sold in authentic old market halls that few places can boast, especially interesting is the Friday cattle market when the locals from the nearby Villages come to sell their, goats, cattle, sheep, and chickens in a circus-style open marketplace.

Nizwa Fort

Next to the Souq is Nizwa Fortress, the Fort is a museum today and offers splendid views of this ancient town and the surrounding mountains, you can walk around this impressive Fortress and visit its many rooms, passages, and towers, the Fort is an architectural testimony to the economic and military achievements of the early Yaruba dynasty from the mid-17th century. It was a military stronghold designed to withstand even the strongest of attacks at the time, even along the corridors, many traps were laid to deter any intruders that might have penetrated the defenses.

Jabreen Castle

Then we drive to visit Jabeenn Castle, this castle was originally designed as a presidential palace in 1670 by the Balarab bin Sultan Bins Saif Al Ya'arubi Dynasty, An extensive renovation was carried out in 1984, and the interior includes various furniture and traditional utensils to provide visitors with a taste of the period castle lifestyle, the building itself is decorated with elaborate wood carvings ceiling paintings and stucco work.

Overnight in Nizwa (Al DIyar Hotel or Similar)

Day 04

Jabal Akhdar (Green Mountain)

Today we'll take you to the Jabal Akhdar is known as (Green Mountain) it's considered one of the most scenic areas in Oman, it's part of the Al Hajar Mountain Range, Jebel Akhdar is so-called because of the presence of green terraced gardens surrounding the villages, a variety of fruits like pomegranates, apricot, apple, olives, Grape, Rose, Peaches, and Walnut are grown here, There are interesting walks in Wadi Bani Habib, Shrejah, Al Ain, and Al Aqur.

Birkat Al Moz

After Green Mountain we visit Birkat Al Moz, it has a large Falaj system that supplies water date palms, and vegetables for many orchards it's listed as UNESCO World Heritage and Culture, it's worth spending some time walking around the old part of the village.

Overnight in Nizwa (Al Diyar Hotel or Similar)

Day 05

Zukait Tower Tombs

Today on the way to the desert we'll stop in the village of Zukait cylindrical tombs date back to the third millennium BC, located on a hilltop in the Al Dakhiliyah region, they are made of mountain rock stacked to create a distinctive beehive shape.

Ibra

From Zukait we'll visit the old ancient village of Ibra, which has been around for over 1000 years, it's built from mud and limestone you can walk around the village, the village is not completely abandoned there are still some people living there.

Al Mudhaireb

From Ibra we'll stop in Al Mudhaireb, you can walk a bit uphill where you'll be within the ruins of the old village of Al Mudhaireb, the ruins are quite interesting and you can explore the area, but if you keep going uphill you'll see one of the many watchtowers of Al Mudhaireb, the view from that watchtower is quite nice and once there you'll see that there are half a dozen other watchtowers in Al Mudhaireb, historically, each quarter of the village had its own watchtower to warn the residents from attacks from other villages/quarters, and there would have been an old quarter under or near-by to each of these watchtowers.

Wahiba Sands

From al Mudharieb we continued our trip to our camp in the desert Wahiba Sand, this spectacular Desert has an area of 12,500 Square K.M called Al Sharqiya Sands, formerly known as “The Wahiba Sands” its a region of desert in Oman the region was named for the Bani Wahiba tribe, divided between the northern and southern Governorates in the Eastern Region, The area is defined by a boundary of 180 K.M (110 mi) north to south and 80 K.m (50 mi) east to west, relax in the camp or take part in an adventurous 4x4 drive in the sand dunes. Then we'll watch the stunning sunset on one of the big sand dunes. We finish the day with a buffet dinner at the camp.

Overnight in the desert (Safari Desert Camp or Similar)

Day 06

Wadi Bani Khalid

Today after a buffet breakfast we'll take you to Wadi Bani Khalid, one of the biggest and most beautiful Wadis in Oman, after reaching the magnificent Wadi, just a short walk of approximately 10 minutes (walking shoes are required), you'll see sparkling clear water pools 9 meters in depth perfect for a long swim, relax sunbath, in the beautiful scenic Wadi Canyon.

Overnight in the desert (Safari Desert Camp or Similar)

Day 07

Cross Wahiba desert - Al Ashkharah

Today we'll cross the desert (Wahiba sands) for approximately 5 hours, in the end, you'll see a marvelous view of Oman's seafront and high sand dunes the desert linked with the sea, then we keep driving along the sea we'll pass many fishing villages and the most beautiful village is Al Ashkharah that will depend on fishing, we'll visit Al Ashkharah port, and there you'll see many fishermen returning from the sea with huge quantities of fish and seafood.

Ras Al Hadd

From Al Ashkharah we continue our tour to Ras Al Hadd, where we check in at our hotel/resort In the evening after dinner we take you to the Turtle Sanctuary at Ras Al Jinz. Here we'll go on a guided beautiful walking tour on the beach at night under the stars, where we have a high chance of seeing Omani great sea turtles stumbling onto the beach to build a nest and lay the eggs, if you are lucky, you can even see baby turtles hatching from some nests.

Overnight in Ras Al Hadd (Turtle Beach Resort or Similar)

Day 08

Sur

Today we continue our trip to Sur, we'll take you on a city tour in Sur we'll show you the Dhow Factory and old ship we take you to the old part of Sur where you can see most of the houses designed with wooden doors and windows.

Wadi Shab

From Sur we drive towards Wadi Shab, this Wadi is an enormous canyon gorge that is lined with palm trees and impressive indications of what the power of the water coming down from the mountains can do in nature. With a 35 to 40 minute hike up through the canyon Wadi (walking shoes or trainer & swimming shoes are required), we arrive at one of the crystal clear water pools. Tourists can swim through the warm waters from pool to pool, eventually, we come to the last pool where an opening among the enormous rocks allows us to swim into an incredible crevice cave with a small waterfall. Inside, the sunlight filters in from the outside, turning the water into a beautiful turquoise blue whilst water showers down one side of the cave from the Wadi beyond.

Fins Beach

From Wadi Shab, We’ll make a stop at Fins Beach or people call it white sands beach opens up a panorama of strikingly white sands and intriguingly pebbly beach, with sparkling turquoise waters and a soft cool breeze.

Bimmah Sinkhole

After Fins Beach on the way back to Muscat, we'll stop at Bimmah sinkhole (swimming in the sinkhole lake is possible) Bimmah Sinkhole a water-filled depression, structurally a Sinkhole, in the limestone of eastern Muscat Governorate in Oman, a lake of turquoise waters, it’s 50 m by 70 m wide and approximately 20 m deep. It’s only 600 m away from the sea, between the coastal towns of Dibab and Bimmah Village, the sinkhole was formed by a collapse of the surface layer due to the dissolution of the underlying limestone, to preserve the sinkhole, the local municipality developed a park there.

After visiting Sinkhole we drive back to Muscat.

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map — Round trip from Pickup service provided in Muscat. 8 cities · 8 Days

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

Dinner
Breakfast
Hotels, Port, Airport, Residence pick up & drop off
Transportation by Air-Conditioned vehicle 4WD
7 Nights accommodation
All fees and taxes
Bottled water

What's Not Included

Lunch

Know before you go

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NEARBY
INFANT SEATS AVAILABLE
Not wheelchair accessible
Not stroller accessible
Not suitable for pets
Infants must not sit on laps
Not recommended for people with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for people with heart conditions
Not stroller accessible
We pick up travelers from any place in Muscat:
- Muscat harbor (for shore excursions passengers)
- Muscat International Airport
- Residence
- Hotels