For some, the Hud Hud Luxury Tented Camp is the ultimate holiday experience – wonderfully unique.  A luxurious Bedouin tent assembled in the location of your choice, in the Wahiba Desert, aside a wadi oasis or high up in the craggy mountain range, or maybe a combination of two or all three. Totally private and exclusive, yet the experienced Hud Hud team are just yards away to cater for your every need, and of course to enhance your enjoyment.

You will find detailed below an example itinerary which can be arranged from any of our Muscat beach hotels. As a price guide, this will be around £1,428  per person, based on two persons travelling. This includes continental breakfast daily, picnic-style lunch and a sumptuous three-course dinner. Alcohol is not permitted but soft drinks and juices are provided. Your tent will be luxurious and extremely comfortable, yet at the same time nicely authentic. (shower and toilet facility).

Remember nights in the desert or high up in the mountains can be cool, so take a warm jumper or wrap. Mobile phones rarely work in the desert at night, which we think rather adds to the adventure.

Enjoy a stylish and comfortable two-night expedition deep in the heart of the breathtaking Wahiba Desert. The route takes in much of Oman’s most impressive scenery including mountains, wadis, traditional Omani villages and the stunning sand dunes of the Wahiba Desert.

Sleeping tents vary according to the location but are always appointed with proper mattresses, crisp cotton linen, feather pillows and traditional furnishings. Each sleeping tent has it’s own private bathroom tent, open to the skies and furnished with soft towels, basin, shower and a selection of soaps and lotions.

Each camp will offer a large, evocative majlis, decorated in a style in keeping with the ambiance of the environment, with cushions and rugs, topical books, boules and board games. Dining is at a properly laid table under the stars beside a crackling fire. Food is, as far as possible, locally sourced and is freshly prepared by our camp chef and always delicious. We use no electric light, other than solar, and the emphasis is on preserving the atmosphere through natural lighting provided by candles, oil lamps and campfires.

Day 1

Leaving Muscat after breakfast we make our way through Wadi Mayh before joining the coastal road that runs between Muscat and Sur. Before long we turn away from the sea and head up the northern face of the eastern Hajar Mountains. Following a steep gravel track that, in a short time, takes us to the peak of the impressive Selmah Plateau over 2,000m above sea level. Views to the north are of the Arabian Sea and, to the south in the hazy distance, the Wahiba Desert.

This track passes ancient villages that were, until a couple of years ago, only accessible on foot or by donkey. This long, west-facing ridge is spectacularly lined with numerous beehive tombs built by the Umm Naa people in around 2500BC. Here we will stop for a delicious and freshly prepared picnic lunch.

By mid-afternoon, we leave the mountains behind us and head through Wadi Tayeen. Passing the 18th Century fort at Mudayrib and with the sun beginning to drop, we enter the desert and drive the final stretch on sandy tracks before reaching our camp, set-up with the russet red dunes.

The camp is set deep within the Wahiba Desert, avoiding light pollution and providing an amazing backdrop from which to relax and enjoy the night sky.

Day 2

The desert provides a great place not only from which to learn more about the Bedouin who still rely on it for their camels and goats but also as a base from which to explore the surrounding area.

After a relaxed breakfast, we drive out of the desert to Wadi Bani Khalid, one of the greatest, most dramatic wadis in Oman, a green oasis spectacularly set against a mountain backdrop. The village still farms in a traditional manner growing dates, bananas, mangos and papaya. A walk through this remote and little-visited community provides an insight into the lives of Omanis now and in many ways as they have always been. The wadi flows out of the village and into a dramatic and steep-sided canyon, which winds up from its entrance, occasioned by rock pools ideal for a quick dip. We will serve a delicious Hud Hud picnic lunch in the shade of the cliffs. The route is a combination of bouldering, hiking and swimming that is great fun.

On our way back to the camp you could try your hand at a little off-road driving in the sands when we put you behind the wheel of a 4×4. Under the expert tutelage of our seasoned Omani drivers, you will be given little tips and tricks about how to rescue even the most deeply embedded vehicle. Sandboarding can be organised in the late afternoon or, alternatively, you can just relax and soak up the views before enjoying a fantastic dinner served beside a crackling log fire.

Day 3

Watch the sunrise over the imposing Wahiba sand dunes from camp, or for the more energetic, make your way to the top of a dune. A relaxed breakfast is then served in the majlis and following this, there is an opportunity to visit a local Bedouin family for traditional Omani khawa (coffee) and dates. This brief meeting provides a means of better understanding how the people work and live, in what can be perceived as an extremely harsh environment.

The onward journey passes some very dramatic terrain to the coast near the fishing town of Sur. There are many fishermen and a thriving fish industry that has existed for centuries. There is a small dhow factory where the traditional sailing boats that have taken Omani explorers, traders and colonialists to the furthest reaches of the Indian Ocean are still made. We will then continue our route up the coast on the sea-side of the Hajar range, stopping at either Wadi Shab or Wadi Tiwi for a walk and a swim.

Invigorated, we arrive back in Muscat in the late afternoon.