Empty Quarter Desert Expedition

Drive over the Dhofar mountains and stop in Wadi Dawkah among its wild frankincense trees. Pass through Thumrait, where the land turns to desert, and continue to Ubar, sometimes called the “Atlantis of the Sands”, to see its ruins.

Then the 4x4s are readied for the sand and head into the dunes of Al Khadaf. Watch the sunset over the desert, then enjoy Omani coffee, dinner by the campfire and Bedouin stories under the stars.

A whole day in the Rub Al Khali. Drive towards Hashman, where you may meet Bedouin families and their black camels among dunes of every shade of gold. Deeper in the desert, reach a remote oasis whose sulphur-rich water is sometimes warm enough to swim in.

Picnic lunch in the shade of desert trees, then continue through dunes rising as high as 200 metres. End the day with a walk over the sand at sunset, then back to camp, or a wild camp in the Hashman area.

After breakfast, leave the desert by way of Shasar and drive back towards Salalah, with a stop in the city for lunch.

Continue west along the coast to a secluded beach (swim if you like) and to Mughsail Beach with its dramatic cliffs. From a clifftop further on, look down on an old shipwreck among the rocks, then drive back to Salalah through hills dotted with frankincense trees.