3-Day Private Oman Tour: Wadi Shab, Wahiba Sands & Jebel Akhdar

Three days across Oman's canyons, dunes and mountain villages

A 3-day private tour from Muscat with hotel pickup, visiting Wadi Shab, Wahiba Sands, Jebel Akhdar and five other sites across Oman's coast, desert and highlands. The tour includes two nights' accommodation (Turtle Beach Resort and a desert camp), breakfast each morning, a guide in English or Arabic, and a 35-minute hike through a canyon to a turquoise pool and cave waterfall. Lunch and entrance fees are not included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Bimmah Sinkhole to Ras Al Hadd

• Visit Bimmah Sinkhole
• Stop at Fins Beach
• Hike and swim in Wadi Shab
• Photo stop at Wadi Tiwi
• Drive to Ras Al Hadd hotel

Day 2: Sur and Wahiba Sands Desert

• Visit Sur city and fortresses
• Tour Arabian Dhow Factory
• Visit Omani Ghazal Farm
• Relax and picnic at Wadi Bani Khalid
• Drive to Wahiba Sands desert camp
• 4x4 dune drive and sunset watching
• Dinner and campfire at desert camp

Day 3: Sunrise and Mountain Villages

• Watch sunrise over desert dunes
• Breakfast at desert camp
• Visit Jebel Akhdar mountains
• Drive to Birkat Al Mouz village
• See Al Kattmyn irrigation system
• Drive back to Muscat

The experience

The tour starts at Bimmah Sinkhole, a crater near the sea with a small lake at its bottom, then moves to Fins Beach (a stretch of white pebbles and blue water) before reaching Wadi Shab. This canyon gorge is lined with palm trees and carved by water flowing down from the mountains. A 35-minute hike leads through the wadi to crystal-clear pools where you swim from one to the next, eventually reaching a crevice cave with a small waterfall inside. Sunlight filters through the rocks and turns the water turquoise. After a photo stop at Wadi Tiwi, a greener wadi with lush plantations, you drive to Ras Al Hadd and stay overnight at Turtle Beach Resort.

Day two takes you to Sur to see old fortresses, then to a traditional dhow factory where wooden boats are still built by hand. You visit Omani Ghazal Farm in Al Kamel before reaching Wadi Bani Khalid, one of Oman's largest wadis, where you can swim and relax in the canyon scenery. In the late afternoon, you drive into Wahiba Sands desert and stay at a camp there. You can take a 4×4 drive across the sand dunes, watch the sunset from the top of a dune, and spend the evening around a campfire.

On the final day, you watch the sunrise over the dunes from the camp, eat a traditional breakfast, then drive to Jebel Akhdar (the Green Mountain), which rises to 2,980 meters and includes the Saiq Plateau at 2,000 meters. After lunch, you visit Birkat Al Mouz, a village built into a mountainside, and see the Al Kattmyn irrigation system, one of five Omani systems on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The tour ends with a drive back to Muscat.

What’s included

• Accommodation at Turtle Beach Resort and a desert camp in Wahiba Sands.
• breakfast each morning.
• bottled water throughout.
• private guide in English or Arabic.
• hotel pickup from Muscat.
• a 4×4 desert drive in Wahiba Sands (optional).

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day7 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 10:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Under 13: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Arabic

Audio guideEnglish and Arabic

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 10 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessiblePublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by Star Tours

Is this one for you?Three days is long enough to move beyond the coast and into the desert and mountains, but short enough to fit into a longer Oman trip without dominating it. If you have only two days, you'll miss the desert camp and Jebel Akhdar. If you have five, you can add the Muscat city tour and the Nizwa fort.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Arabic.

What's the hike like at Wadi Shab?

The hike through Wadi Shab takes around 35 minutes and leads upward through the canyon to a series of crystal-clear pools. You swim from pool to pool, and the final section involves swimming into a crevice cave carved into the rocks, where a small waterfall flows down and sunlight filters through from above, turning the water turquoise blue.

Where do I stay on this 3-day tour?

You stay two nights: the first at Turtle Beach Resort in Ras Al Hadd, and the second at a desert camp in Wahiba Sands. Both are included in the tour price.

What can I do in Wahiba Sands desert?

At the desert camp in Wahiba Sands, you can relax or join an optional 4×4 drive across the sand dunes. You'll watch the sunset from the top of a dune and spend the evening at a campfire before watching the sunrise the next morning.

What's included and what do I pay extra for?

The tour includes accommodation, breakfast each morning, bottled water, a guide in English or Arabic, and hotel pickup from Muscat. Lunch and entrance fees to attractions are not included in the price.

Is this tour suitable for someone who isn't very fit?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels, though it's not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health. The main physical activity is a 35-minute hike through Wadi Shab to reach the pools and cave.