Oman Self Drive Itinerary Traveller Reviews

A fascinating peaceful country to visit for a walking self-drive holidays with welcoming people, who want to ensure you have A wonderful adventure from start to finish. From swimming with turtles to swimming in wadis, meandering around souks to exploring ancient forts and castles, hiking in the mountains and Oman's Grand Canyon to walking in the desert watching the sunrise/sunset and finally, taking some time out to relax on the white sand and crystal clear water in the Indian Ocean. Oman has so much to offer and awaken the senses. Whether you want an adventure or simply relax in luxury it is all here amongst the most welcoming of people.

Dorothy at East Travel was excellent in every way. She listened to exactly what we were looking for in a holiday and tailored it to meet our needs. Everything ran smoothly and she gave us her number to contact if we needed her, even contacting us during our holiday to check all was well. When a minor hiccup arose, we felt confident in contacting her and her response was immediate, sorting it out instantly, highlighting the value of a tour operator who really cares about her clients.

We had an excellent holiday put together by Dorothy at Eastravel. We had a 4x4 hire car and drove around exploring the wide variety of scenery that Oman has to offer. I was surprised by how easy the driving was and the local driving style was so much better than I expected. I would totally recommend self drive as a way to explore Oman, it gave us such freedom. The local people are so friendly and made us feel very welcome and the food was excellent and varied. A trip to the Wahiba Sands and dune bashing is a must!

Dorothy at Eastravel was very helpful and competent throughout out the booking process. While we were away the airline cancelled one of our flights home but it was all dealt with very effectively by Dorothy while we enjoyed our holiday. We were very impressed by how smoothly everything went.

Having researched places to go and places to stay I spoke to Eastravel who organised all the logistics of hotel, car and internal flight bookings. All bookings worked smoothly including pick ups and transfers. Had a fantastic time with a 4x4 car travelling around Northern Oman including deserts and mountain off road tracks.

Organised all logistics really well, with good communications at all stages. I'd be delighted to recommend them.

Having researched places to go and places to stay I spoke to Eastravel who organised all the logistics of hotel, car and internal flight bookings. All bookings worked smoothly including pick ups and transfers. Had a fantastic time with a 4x4 car travelling around Northern Oman including deserts and mountain off road tracks.

Organised all logistics really well, with good communications at all stages. I'd be delighted to recommend them.

We were met at the airport and transferred to our hotel in Muscat, the driver waiting patiently whilst we got through customs and immigration. Our hire car arrived on time the following day and was handed over with the minimum of fuss. After that, we did a bit of driving! Day 2, the first day with the car was spent exploring the Muscat/Muttrah capital area and the rocky coastline to the SE. Day 3 saw us heading SE towards Sur and then on to Ras al Hadd and the Turtle Sanctuary at Ras al Jinz. You need to book your own visit to the latter - cost RO7 each. Well worth it to see the egg-laying Green Turtles at night. Day 4 was a drive to the pools/falajs of Wadi bani Khalid in the mountains and then on to Bidiyyah before heading into the Wahiba Sands for an overnight at a Bedu Camp, albeit the 4-star version of it! I had looked at Satellite images to supplement the A4 map supplied and was pretty certain I could have got to the camp unaided. However, we met a couple of locals at the petrol station we stopped at before going off-road who offered to guide us out there for a fee (RO25). With hindsight, this was probably a good move since they knew the way and we could travel swiftly and in the knowledge that there was ready help available should there have been an upset. There wasn't. Once Morag got used to the car sliding across the sand (bit like driving on ice) we had a fun time. Bogged down in the sand going up a dune on one occasion but freed ourselves by engaging 4WD. Climbed huge sand dunes to see the sunset, excellent accommodation and evening meal and listened to the Bedu music group in the restaurant. Day 5, drove the 40km back to the main road in the company of another self-drive party - safety first again, then to Nizwa stopping at Izki to see the (totally deserted) Al Nizar Fort. Day 6, exploring the Souks of Nizwa (there was only one in 1984), the Fort and were invited home by an Omani gentleman in one of the shops to his home to "meet the family". I had learnt a little Arabic whilst there last time - that little led to a totally unexpected adventure. More of a compound than a house and with Mum, Dad, 8 brothers, 4 daughters, several daughters-in-law and more small children than could be counted, we enjoyed traditional Omani hospitality. Dates, Cardomom Coffee, lunch (we were only supposed to drop in for a half-hour!), tea and fruit. We left later wondering if it had happened and weighed down with kilos of dates and bananas. Day 7, left Nizwa, drove to Bahla to see the fort, then al Hamra and thence via Wadi Ghul up into the mountains to stay at an "Eco-Resort" in the Jebel Shams adjacent to the Oman Grand Canyon, about 5000 feet up. We've seen the US version, the Omani one is as spectacular and less-distant. Day 8, Drove from Jebel Shams back to Al Hamra then back up the mountain to Sharafat al Alamayn at 6500 feet. Spectacular views of the Jebel. This is also where the tarmac runs out and we were to descend about 3500 feet in 7 miles before we got to the first flat bit in Wadi bani Awf. The drive of my life. Steep descent, hairpin bends, single track in places and near-vertical drops for a good portion of the way. Oh, and there is traffic coming up as well. Passed a couple of mountain villages and a green football pitch (I kid you not, en-route. Once back on tarmac we continued down the Wadi and then headed to the Fort at Nakhal before our final overnight in Muscat. Brilliant holiday but too short. Morag wants to go back and I saw more in those few days than I had in 3 years living out there.

I had worked in Oman in the mid-1980s and had had a good time in the 3 years I spent out there. I broached the idea of taking Morag out there last year and having done some internet research of the various companies offering packages out there, decided upon Eastravel. The booking process was simple enough, we booked a self-drive tour and I found the exchanges I had via the phone and e-mail with Eastravel to be reassuringly personal - how many tour operators have YOU contacted where you have been able to speak to the same person each time who knows the details of the booking and of any changes which might be necessary. I would be more than happy to use Eastravel again in future. The vouchers for accommodation and the 4x4 hire arrived in good time, as did paper copies of the directions from place to place. These were poor. This is not a criticism of Eastravel but Google Maps, though in fairness the Omani road network is evolving so quickly there ARE no totally up-to-date maps. Our way round this was to use the detailed regional maps in a guide book and by looking at satellite images available on the web.

We flew out to Muscat where we picked up a hire vehicle and had 7 days driving through Oman. The main places we visited and stayed overnight were: the Raz Al Jinz turtle reserve where we saw turtles making their nests and laying eggs on the beach, the Wahiba Sands desert, Nizwa, the spectacular Jebel Shams mountains, and Salalah. There were plenty of interesting places to visit en route. The Friday morning goat market in Nizwa was a highlight for us. We also did an overnight trip out into the Empty Quarter desert from Salalah with a local guide which was a better experience than the Wahiba sands 1000 nights camp which, although a comfortable camp with good facilities, suffered from too much light pollution to stargaze. Oman was an easy country to get around. Driving was relatively easy - the roads are in good condition and the drivers generally courteous. All the accommodation we stayed in was comfortable and the Omani people friendly and helpful.

Eastravel managed to secure us a good priced flight and hotels for the expensive Christmas and New Year period. They also suggested a good alternative side trip into the desert from Salalah. We booked our own hotel in Salalah as the large more up-market tourist hotels along the coast were not to our liking. We drove our hire vehicle the 1000km to Salalah - we recommend anyone doing this checks their hire agreement allows sufficient mileage. Eastravel did put together a good itinerary for us, and responded to our requests to change things around and they also kept us informed of any changes. Everything ran to plan on our trip and we really enjoyed our experiences in Oman.