Why You Must Plan a Stay at a Desert Resort in Oman

If you do not spend a night in the desert while visiting Oman, your trip is incomplete. But the tricky thing is to plan it in such a way so that you can visit the right places at the right time making it a memorable experience for you. More so, if you are visiting for the first time. Not because it’s hard to get a booking in a desert resort in Oman, rather you will be spoiled with choices. Yet, you will have a hard time deciding on which options to choose from and what to do there. So, as the holiday season swiftly approaches we’re here to tell you why you should plan a stay at a desert resort while staying in Oman.

Desert travel is popular in other countries, but not many people think of Oman as a desert vacation destination, despite its vast desert areas, and you can and absolutely should plan an awesome desert vacation in Oman.

Now the question arises where can you plan a desert vacation in Oman? The desert areas within the sultanate are as follows: The Wahiba Sands, The Empty Quarter or Rub’al Khali, Ramlat Tawq, and the Bawshar Sands, with large chunks of each being located within Oman. The vastest and best known to visitors from all of these is the Wahiba sands for though large parts of Oman are occupied by the desert, but the Wahiba Sands also known as the Sharqiya Sands is where you should head to for an authentic desert experience in Oman. With desert dunes rising up to a hundred metres, multicoloured grains of sands flying in the air, Bedouin inhabitants and camels galore, the Wahiba sands can rival the Empty Quarter of Arabia, or the deep Sahara for the ultimate desert experience. Plus, you will find the best desert resorts in Oman here, with everything ranging from budget options to full fledged luxury stay like the Arabian Nights Resort and Spa. 

Lest you start thinking the desert is just endless sunburns and sand in your shoes, let us introduce you to the magnificence of the desert at Wahiba. With the mighty dunes stretching as far as the eye can see you can enjoy the beauty of your natural surroundings undisturbed by human interference and far from the crowded cities and technology. On your desert trip you can opt to witness the sun slowly spread its radiance across the clear skies as it rises amidst the shimmering sands turning the entire world awash with brilliant colours at dawn and dusk with sunrise and sunset desert tours.

Make the fullest use of the desert landscapes by opting for exciting activities like camel rides, dune bashing, desert trekking, Fat bike riding, Sand Boarding, and Desert Driving. Learn about the culture, heritage, and histories of Oman traditional desert tribes by visiting a Bedouin house and talking to the descendants of those that have survived in the deserts of Oman for centuries.

Enjoy evenings at luxury desert resorts like the Arabian Nights Resort and Spa. The good bit is that every good desert hotel in Oman will have a pool, so you can lounge about in style. Desert heat tends to be a dry heat, and can actually be pretty bearable.The extremely dry desert weather is very different from the subtropical humid climates experienced in the Muscat area. Though, of course, you need to stock up on sun protection and drink plenty of water no matter what you're doing, but a trip to the desert is not strenuous if you plan it right. Besides speaking of those hot desert temperatures, the deserts in Oman like the Wahiba sands aren't actually unbearably hot year-round! The areas tend to cool off in the evenings, and in the winter can be very pleasant.

The best time to visit the Wahiba Sands is between the months of October and April. At the beginning and at the end of this period, the weather can be quite hot during the day with temperatures reaching up to 37°C and rarely dipping to less than 20°C at night. However., during peak season which is in winter, the temperature remains at about 28°C through the day and falls to 15°C at night. Most of the desert resorts in Oman provide excellent air conditioning to ensure a comfortable stay, and visitors can also opt for a glamping experience at the Wahiba Sands wherein they stay at luxury tents neighboured by only the desert sands to get a feel for what it was to travel through in the desert as nomads in earlier times.

While Oman’s bustling cities, colourful coastline, ancient forts, spectacular mountains, Wadis and other natural wonders too should be present in your list of places to visit in Oman, a visit to the Wahiba sands should be there right on top on the unmissable things to do during your trip in Oman.