Exploring the Sharqiya Sands desert

The Sharqiya Sands desert is located south of the town of Sour and south-east of Muscat. Here's an overview of some travel times to Al-Wasil, the gateway to the desert: Muscat to Sharqiya Sands - 2h drive Sour to Sharqiya Sands - 1h30 drive Nizwa to Sharqiya Sands - 2h30 drive

If you've hired a 4×4 and are comfortable with driving, you can reach your camp yourself. There are no particular difficulties, as you don't have to drive off-road or cross dunes, just drive on a sand and gravel track.

However, if you don't have a 4x4, you can also drive to the towns of Bidiyah or Al Wasil and ask your accommodation to pick you up.

Most of the Sultanate of Oman (an estimated 82%!) is covered by desert or semi-desert environments. The two best known are the Empty Quarter (Rub' al Khali) and the Wahiba Sands, aka Sharqiya Sands. The former is the largest of the deserts, covering a huge part of the Arabian Peninsula, but you have to go much further south and west to reach it in Oman.

The first advantage of the Sharqiya Sands desert is that it is easily accessible from Muscat or any other city. You won't need to go far to find yourself in a heavenly setting, worthy of a tale from 1001 Nights. Sharqiya Sands is what everyone dreams of when they imagine a desert: giant longitudinal dunes interspersed with smaller ones, with orange sand that sparkles at sunset and sunrise. The dunes at Wahiba Sands can reach heights of up to 200 metres!

Unsurprisingly, it's best to avoid summer when visiting the desert, as the heat can be overwhelming from June to August. Even from mid-April to the end of September, it's possible to have very hot days. From October to early April, temperatures are very pleasant, between 25 and 35°C during the day, then 15 and 25°C at night.

Sunrise and sunset

The first and most beautiful thing to do in the desert is, of course, to admire the majestic orange dunes! The most beautiful sight is at sunset or, for the bravest, at sunrise. So don't hesitate to climb the dunes next to your camp to enjoy a magical moment of serenity!

Activities in the dunes

There's no time for boredom during the day either! The campsites offer a range of activities to suit all tastes: sunset camel rides, dune-bashing, quad biking, dune trekking, sand skiing... There's something for everyone,

quad biking adventure, dune trekking, sand skiing... There's something for all tastes and ages!

Our advice for exploring this sea of sand is simply to bring a bottle of water, light long-sleeved clothing (to avoid sunburn), a hat and sunglasses.

The Sharqiya Sands desert is home to several overnight camps, including the Mille Nights Camp, which is the most traditional, but also the most remote. Buried deep in the desert, it offers authentic Bedouin tents (not air-conditioned) for a total desert experience for the more adventurous!