Bamboo Travel launch tours to Oman
Several of the Bamboo team have visited the Sultanate of Oman in recent years and have come back raving about their experiences. So, after careful research and in-depth consultation with our local contacts, we are delighted to launch a range of bespoke tailormade tours of Oman. Nestled into the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman is a land bristling with splendour. With vast sand dunes at Wahiba Sands in the east and the Empty Quarter desert in the south, rugged peaks and canyons of the Al Hajar Mountains, majestic forts and over 3000km of glistening coastline, it is romantic Arabia at its absolute finest.
If you're travelling from the UK, Oman is a step closer to home than the other destinations in Asia that Bamboo Travel feature - Muscat being just a seven hour flight from London. This is western Asia (more commonly known as the Middle East) and it means that visitors with less time for their holidays can spend just a week in Oman – see our ‘Escape to Oman’ itinerary). It is also a fantastic family holiday destination and can be neatly slotted into a school half-term or a Christmas and Easter break – see our ‘Family Adventure in Oman’. Ofcourse we also have plenty to recommend for longer, tailormade tours of Oman, two or three weeks in length – see our ‘Grand Tour of Oman’.
We feel that Oman is perfectly suited to the Bamboo Travel style of private tour in a private car, either with an English-speaking driver or self-driving in your own hired car. Indeed, the roads outside of Muscat are generally in good condition and very quiet so are straightforward to navigate for a confident driver (see our separate blog about self-drive in Oman). In the mountains and the desert, you will come across some bumpy, unsealed roads but we provide all our self-drive guests with good quality 4x4 vehicles which are more than up to the task. See our ‘Self-drive Oman’ tour for a suggested self-drive itinerary.
Ther carefully crafted experiences we offer in Oman are as diverse as the scenery and include exploring time-worn forts, camping overnight in the desert, private boat tours, mountain safaris and hiking.
Whilst the scenery in Oman is truly extraordinary, this does not mean that you must sacrifice on luxury to see it. Nowadays there are growing number of top luxury hotels in Oman, making it an ideal destination for a luxury tour or honeymoon: Muscat has a fine choice of luxury hotels, including the hip Chedi and the opulent Al Bustan Palace; head up into the mountains and you’ll find the gorgeous Alila and the splendid Anantara Jabal Akhdar, both with breath-taking views, unrivalled anywhere else in the region; Oman’s southern province of Dhofar also has the delightful Al Baleed Resort by Anantara, a luxury oasis on a deserted stretch of beach; whilst last but certainly not least, luxury-seekers can plan a break at the Six Senses Zighy Bay on the Musandam peninsula, which combines well with any of Dubai’s glitzy luxury hotels - see our 'Getting Zighy with it' itinerary. Those heading to the desert do not have to compromise on luxury either, with the Canvas Club and Hud Hud both offering traditional, yet very high-end, private camping experiences in their mobile camps.
With Oman Air now offering good connections to various points in India and Southeast Asia, Oman must also be considered as a great stop-off destination on the way or the way back (just ask Ewen, who in 2012 spent the last three days of his honeymoon in India sipping cocktails by the 103m long swimming pool at the Chedi in Muscat and is now longing for the pandemic to ease so he can return in 2021 with his 3 kids, how time flies, hey!)
If a sojourn to Oman appeals to you – and we cannot believe that it doesn’t – please click here or call us to discuss your holiday to Oman with an expert.