Full-Day Wahiba Desert and Wadi Bani Khalid Group Tour

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based on 41 reviews
  • Duration:8 hours (approx.)
  • Location: Muscat, Oman
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Cross the desert dunes by 4WD vehicle, and experience the adrenaline rush of driving across the rugged terrain in an off-road mode of transport. Make your way to the Wahiba Sands to see the traditional homes of the desert nomads and Bedouin tribes. Keep a look-out for the nomads as they move through the desert with their camels. Visit a Bedouin home in the middle of the desert, and contrast the arid landscape with the clear, blue waters of Wadi Bani Khalid. Enjoy a relaxing siesta in the shade of the palm trees, and catch a glimpse of the pretty villages scattered across the slopes of the wadi. Marvel at how the houses cling precariously to the rugged mountain side. Bring your swimming costume to take a dip in the inviting waters!


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Posted By : GriegaSea
I did this tour with Abdallah as a solo female traveler, with 3 other girls who were traveling together.
Abdallah is a great guide and great driver. (I fell asleep on the road multiple times as his driving was so smooth). He was full of knowledge and gave us a great overview of the country. We felt safe and well looked after the entire time.
The desert was really nice and I enjoyed the break with the Bedouin family.
One thing to note is that modest swimwear is required for the wadi. I didn’t have any so I could not get in the water to swim and cool down. But nevertheless it was a great day.
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Posted On : 2024-06-29 12:11:03 full ratings


Posted By : Kwame_R
My experience on the Wahiba Desert and Wadi Bani Khalid Group Tour was overall positive. The desert tour was thrilling, though I wish the 15-minute sand dune ride had been longer to fully enjoy the experience. The sinkhole visit was average but added some variety to the tour. Lunch featured typical local cuisine with rice and chicken, which was good and satisfying. For those booking through Viator, this tour provides a solid taste of Omani landscapes and culture, but a few tweaks could make it even better.
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Posted On : 2024-06-28 13:20:12 full ratings


Posted By : andreashZ5638AL
Perfect. Our guide Abdulaziz was amazing. He explained very well, and had much knowledge. Also very patient.
The view of the desert, the Bedouin stay and Wadi bani khalid was very memorable
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Posted On : 2024-05-20 14:14:34 full ratings


Posted By : S1328JYalexf
Great insights from our guide Abulaziz. Fun in dessert with dune bashing, not too touristic bendouin family coffee time, beautiful wadi bani khaled, and an extra Arabic pan cake as highway stop. Would alswaya do that again!
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Posted On : 2024-04-20 05:00:24 full ratings


Posted By : murat_o
it was perfect experience, enjoyed all day and very good guide . he is friendly and helpful person also good driver .So i was so happy and exciting all day
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Posted On : 2024-04-11 16:03:50 full ratings


Posted By : Aline_W
It was a Great experience! Very Nice Guide! Small Group and the desert/ Wadi Are beautiful. so really recomendable
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Posted On : 2024-03-31 22:42:26 full ratings


Posted By : Patricia_S
A good tour with great driver and nice guide. The driving in the sand dunes was impressive, and I liked the desert and wadi swimming.

The stop at the Bedouin is basically an underwhelming tourist trap, but at least you get to see some wares and have the Omani light coffee and dates.

The guide we had that day was very nice, but wasn't able to give a good overview of the history. Much of what he told us was incorrect when I went to go read about it more from reliable sources.
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Posted On : 2024-03-27 21:17:38 full ratings


Posted By : Sina_S
This was a fantastic tour. Ahmed was wonderful and very knowledgeable. Definitely great value for what you get and breathtaking landscape
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Posted On : 2024-03-19 21:23:10 full ratings


Posted By : MarcusHurley
We met Fahar at 8 having booked again through Viator with this tour arranged by GidOman. We drove to pick up another couple and started the two hour drive to the south east. Fahar was another steady driver and gave us plenty of information about the country although I did nod off for part of the drive!

The roads are quite amazing here, sheared through the rock and excellent quality. The signs and directions are all in English and Arabic and driving seems very chilled, no beeping, people obeying lights and even using indicators! I can imagine that the roads have really opened up access to the country and encouraged both industry and development outside the capital.

First stop was the wadi at Bani Khalid. Fahar was telling us about the flooding last month with a French honeymoon couple killed in a flash flood and 1m of rain falling in an hour! We drove through some minor fords before parking up and walking along the aflaj (irrigation system) to the wadi proper. We were very unsure about this trip but luckily the other couple were like us so we skipped the camel ride and none of us went for a swim either! It was quite lucky we hadn't planned to in fact as both men and women had to wear tshirt and shorts in the pools which we wouldn't have been prepared for.

I walked as far up the wadi as you could and it was a beautiful hike although the rock was quite treacherous in places and there was certainly nowhere to go if there was a flash flood. Deb stopped at one of the pools and dipped her feet in and lots of fish swam up to clean them for her, a mini pedicure. The frogs here were incredibly vocal but I only saw one of them and it was about the size of a doormouse and there were lots of large dragonflies. We then wandered back to the more open area where there was a cafe and were actually able to get an ice cream, kindly paid for by Fahar. A few people were paddling and one actually swimming but most seemed to just be enjoying the peace and the view.

We returned to the car and drove a short distance to Bidiyah to get the tyres deflated ready for the desert. There then followed some driving to show us what angles the 4*4 could drive out and how to take the steep ridges without launching over the top. We passed several small camp sites, some hobbled camels and a few other 4*4s before stopping so we could get out and have a wander. The sand was amazingly fine but a lot easier to walk on than expected and it was beautiful to see actual sand dunes. It was also rather hot! We spent maybe 15 minutes walking up and down dunes and taking photos before returning to the car.

After reinflating the tires we drove back to Muscat and stopped at a date shop to get some Fardh dates - apparently low sugar and high fibre so if that works we'll get those regularly. A lot of driving for being outside the car less than 2 hours but two very different experiences and well worth the time. Especially as we were dozing rather than driving!
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Posted On : 2024-03-18 03:35:53 full ratings


Posted By : Marcus_H
We met Fahar at 8 having booked again through Viator with this tour arranged by GidOman. We drove to pick up another couple and started the two hour drive to the south east. Fahar was another steady driver and gave us plenty of information about the country although I did nod off for part of the drive!

The roads are quite amazing here, sheared through the rock and excellent quality. The signs and directions are all in English and Arabic and driving seems very chilled, no beeping, people obeying lights and even using indicators! I can imagine that the roads have really opened up access to the country and encouraged both industry and development outside the capital.

First stop was the wadi at Bani Khalid. Fahar was telling us about the flooding last month with a French honeymoon couple killed in a flash flood and 1m of rain falling in an hour! We drove through some minor fords before parking up and walking along the aflaj (irrigation system) to the wadi proper. We were very unsure about this trip but luckily the other couple were like us so we skipped the camel ride and none of us went for a swim either! It was quite lucky we hadn't planned to in fact as both men and women had to wear tshirt and shorts in the pools which we wouldn't have been prepared for.

I walked as far up the wadi as you could and it was a beautiful hike although the rock was quite treacherous in places and there was certainly nowhere to go if there was a flash flood. Deb stopped at one of the pools and dipped her feet in and lots of fish swam up to clean them for her, a mini pedicure. The frogs here were incredibly vocal but I only saw one of them and it was about the size of a doormouse and there were lots of large dragonflies. We then wandered back to the more open area where there was a cafe and were actually able to get an ice cream, kindly paid for by Fahar. A few people were paddling and one actually swimming but most seemed to just be enjoying the peace and the view.

We returned to the car and drove a short distance to Bidiyah to get the tyres deflated ready for the desert. There then followed some driving to show us what angles the 4*4 could drive out and how to take the steep ridges without launching over the top. We passed several small camp sites, some hobbled camels and a few other 4*4s before stopping so we could get out and have a wander. The sand was amazingly fine but a lot easier to walk on than expected and it was beautiful to see actual sand dunes. It was also rather hot! We spent maybe 15 minutes walking up and down dunes and taking photos before returning to the car.

After reinflating the tires we drove back to Muscat and stopped at a date shop to get some Fardh dates - apparently low sugar and high fibre so if that works we'll get those regularly. A lot of driving for being outside the car less than 2 hours but two very different experiences and well worth the time. Especially as we were dozing rather than driving!

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Posted On : 2024-03-18 02:03:42 full ratings