Also very close to the Jabreen Fort was the site & museum of Salut. It’s an incredible archaeological site (Bronze Age onwards) and very accessible. Probably not for all tastes but it’s worth it for those interested in archaeology/history.

We visited the fort at Nizwa late in the evening (I think 7 pm) when it was lovely and cool. It was quite atmospheric seeing the site lit up. The guards there said that they are trying to increase the late-night openings of other sites.

I would recommend that anyone planning to do the balcony walk should aim to get to the starting point around 10 am… that means that the walk on the way back will be in the shade of the mountain itself.

It was rainy & cloudy for our desert trip and for the Ras al Jinz trip. So we saw neither stars nor turtles. That was definitely disappointing. When it rains apparently the sand gets too hard for the turtles to lay eggs.

The Wadi Shab was AMAZING! The boys loved jumping from the waterfall inside the cave.

The gluten-free side of things worked fine… mostly…

The Shangri-la Al Waha was amazing. They provided a great selection of gluten-free & veggie food and looked after us very well. The only thing there is you might want to give future guests a warning that food and beverages (of any kind) are extortionately priced. So if there is an HB option it might be worth going for. 

Highlights were definitely Oman through the Ages Museum & Wadi Shab, wandering around Nizwa in the evening and seeing the fort at night too was excellent! The boys would say though that the quad biking in the desert was the best for them.

Thanks again to you all.

During the day we just went to supermarkets and ate in the car/a hotel room or somewhere remote like the top of a mountain. The Shangri-La was still serving breakfast and lunch outside the whole time. Most places said that Ramadan was a quiet time for tourism so that was a plus point for us.

The hotels and desert camp were all very nice and I would stay in all of them again. We did manage to go in the Anantara for (non-alcoholic) sundowners – they were also serving drinks outside in one area (the Diana viewpoint). Definitely a top tip for you to recommend to clients doing the 4 villages walk is to pop in there for a drink after.  The start of the walk was quite hard to find, so we started about halfway along I think, but enjoyed the bit we did. We also managed to get a guided tour around the Ritz in Muscat, as we had a sister of a friend who lives in Muscat show us around for a few hours and she took us to the Ritz as part of the tour.

The local operator was a lovely guy – he would message me every 2-3 days to check all was ok and offer top tips if needed.   

In terms of the itinerary, we did everything as you suggested we just a few minor tweaks. We went to Jebel Akhdar the day we left Muscat (ie. went to the Grand Mosque first then onto Jebel Akhdar). Then the next day we spent the morning at the Nizwa hotel enjoying the pool and in the afternoon went to Jabrin Fort and Nizwa souq (we didn’t go to Nizwa Fort). 

There was an amazing shop just inside the souq area that sold only dates and date products –  they had loads of different kinds of dates and also a huge selection of flavoured dates. The next day we went up to Jebel Shams and did the balcony walk (we loved this!) and then to Misfah on the way back (where we were staying that night).  On the way to the desert camp, we went to Ibra which is a quiet little town but had a lovely old part to the town by the wadi. And the wadi is the “road” to that part of town so fun to get to.

The desert camp was lovely, and we especially enjoyed the star gazing – it was similar to Fenyan Ecolodge in Jordan.

We saw a big turtle on the beach at Ras Al Jinz so that was a result given it wasn’t the right time of year!  She had already laid her eggs and was covering the nest up, but we were the only group on that beach so we stayed for quite a long while.  The guide went off to a different part of the beach and found some hatchlings so we saw some babies running into the sea too.   

On the way from the desert to the turtle reserve we stopped at Wadi Bani Khalid and Sur. 

We loved both the wadis we went to – Wadi Bani Khalid and Wadi Shab – they were just beautiful and I think they should be the main part of whichever day they fall on rather than just “places to stop on the way”.  The sinkhole at Binmah was a good stop for an hour too.  

The Shangri La was just lovely and we really enjoyed it. We ate in the Asian restaurant there for 2 of the 3 nights and this was lovely.  We had the buffet on the 3rd night (if you join the Shangri La reward scheme you get 25% off for one night for the buffet and then the reception did 20% off vouchers too – worth mentioning to future clients). The buffet was great for meat eaters, but not good for our veggie daughters. 

Most other buffets had been fine for the veggies. The Misfah hotel and the desert camp had good veggie buffets and at the turtle reserve, you choose from a menu that had veggie options.  The Shangri La Asian restaurant had great veggie options. Supermarket lunches for veggies were limited to bread, cheese, avocado and hummus. The supermarkets were always open and easy to find so we had plenty of food.

We only have one thing we would change if we were doing it again. The tent at the Ras Al Jinz was so noisy (in just a light wind) that all 4 of us didn’t sleep a wink all night – getting up for the sunrise beach walk was easy as we were all fed up with lying in bed by that time!  There are rooms in the hotel at the turtle reserve so I would say definitely use these in the future. Luckily we were going to Wadi Sham and the Shangri La the next day, so everyone was able to be happy despite the lack of sleep! 

Otherwise, everything was great! 

Nizwa:
Loved the souks and the fort – amazing. Ajit balanced the guide bit with lots of info with the chance to explore on our own, very well.

Bait Al Safah Museum in Al Hamra:
This was the highlight of the trip for many of us. It’s in an abandoned village near Misfah in the ex-house of a rich Imam, which has the rooms largely as they would’ve been. We had a wonderful female guide who was so lovely and as you don’t get to meet many Omani women, this was a really special interaction. There was a room full of clothes for dressing up and we all did. Great fun!

Misfah:
This was another highlight. Loved the Old House, particularly the top dining terrace. Loved climbing up to the Halwa Coffee shop and exploring the alleys. We had way too much luggage and although the Old House staff carried it up and down to the road, I think I would advise clients to leave things at the Muscat hotel if possible and pack light.

Jebel Shams Balcony Walk:
My 86-year-old mum was keen to come, so I think Ajit greatly shortened the walk to accommodate her pace, as this was only about a 30-minute walk (which took mum about an hour +). That was fine and I’m glad she got to do it, but what we did certainly didn’t need proper shoes and poles.

Jabreen Fort:
Loved this!

Desert Camp:
Overall: We had a great time here, but I think we were all shocked at how busy and how un-deserted it felt. For those looking for the serenity of the desert and the silence and the stars, this was not that. Once we adjusted to the fact that it was not going to be that type of experience, we enjoyed it. We had a camel ride in the morning. Then lounged by the pool most of the day, before dune bashing at 4pm and sunset at 5.30pm.

The rooms were great. Very comfortable. The food was delicious. We really enjoyed the dune bashing (except my mum, who had been frightened by the driving even on the way to the camp, so she didn’t do it. Ajit was then good about finding her a better calmer driver for the way back). We loved the sunset at the top of the dune (one vehicle returned to collect my mum for this). We then said we’d walk back over the dunes and that was wonderful. The noise had stopped and for the first time, we got to feel like we were in the desert – to feel the size of it, the wildness and the silence. We enjoyed and were very grateful for the pool.

Wadi Khalid:
This was fun and beautiful and the boys had a great time jumping off the bridge into the water. We got to wear our burkinis! In the hotel and even here, with signs about modesty, many tourists were not at all covered up, many a thong bikini to be seen!

Dhow Factory/Museum in Sur:
Ajit took us here. They are making a dhow for the Sultan and we got to go up into it and there’s a good little museum. We all enjoyed this,

Fins:
This was a magical experience. The camp staff had got there at 6am to nab the best place. The tents were great with comfy beds and we were all warm. The staff were so nice and the dinner was really special. The shells were amazing! There was beautiful bioluminescence and a blood-red moon rise and then a wonderful sunrise. Great swimming. Really wonderful.

Bimmah Sinkhole:
Fun and a welcome cooling-off point, but again heaving with tourists (not much to be done about that).

Boat Trip:
We loved this! The fun of the speed boat. We saw masses of dolphins. The snorkelling was great. Saw turtles and so many fish. We organised with Jeevaka to have the boat exclusively and with what turned out to be an amazing picnic lunch – very tasty and so much food, each picnic boat could’ve fed 2 or 3 people. We were out from 10.00-14.00, which was the perfect amount of time with the additional hour and the picnic lunch was cheaper than eating in the hotel, so worth adding as an option rather than getting back in time for lunch.

Muscat Museum:
My mum and brother were very impressed with this, but it is a lot to do in one day with the mosque and souk IMO, especially with kids.

Tip:
We found meal portion sizes enormous and often shared one between two (good for reducing the price too).

Thank you so much for organising it all and for all your patience with my questions and itinerary tweaks! You and Jess did a marvellous job and we will use Stubborn Mule again.

Thank you again!

The balcony walk was one of the highlights of the trip, I am scared of heights and I had no difficulty at all because the path slopes away rather than a sheer drop it didn’t feel scary at all.

Jebel Shams resort was clean, the sunset was spectacular and the food here was really good but it is a bit of a crush at supper time with everyone wanting to get food at the same time.

The trip to the desert was spectacular and the resort was really lovely and the accommodation was perfect for us.

The Alila was also breathtaking. The seclusion and the way it camouflaged into the mountains was incredible. The only downfall was that it was that bit further so once you were there you didn’t really want to leave which we didn’t have a problem with as they had well-mapped local walks and it was just an amazing place to be. 

I think one of the things we missed out on was the Balcony Walk – that really was due to our lack of planning… by the time you drive the 50mins down the mountain and then across and back up the mountain to Balcony’s walk it is actually quite a long drive and we didn’t allow ourselves enough time. I think that was one of my learnings, even though something may be only 20km away it actually takes longer than you think because of the terrain i.e. mountains or desert etc. 

However, that being said, it did mean by missing out on Balcony’s walk that’s we spent a bit more time walking around Misfah – we walked all through the Wadi looking at the plants and nature – that was stunning.  The Misfah Old House was lovely.

One of our highlights was definitely the desert – it is emotionally breathtaking and I didn’t expect to be so moved by it. We went dune-bashing which was really fun and the stars at night are out of this world. The camp was great.. the buffet is probably one of the most amazing buffets I have ever seen in my life.

The wild camping was definitely an experience – directions were really easy but when we turned up we were the only people for the night. The dining area they had set up was stunning and the two people that were with us were very lovely and couldn’t have done more for us. I don’t know if that’s normal to be just us and even though in one way it was great having a little beach all to ourselves, I did feel a bit weird at one point being waited on by two staff at all times :-). That said, watching the sunset and sunrise on the beach was stunning and we got to see turtles. 

I have to say the local contact was amazing – they met us at the airport and immediately we were looked after expertly. They took Chris’s number and Whatsapp-ed us most days to make sure we were ok and if there was anything we needed. We felt very secure knowing there was help if we needed it. The person who dropped off the car was also so friendly and useful – it was a good car, a bit of an older version compared to some I saw as we travelled around and it was a bit of a tank to drive. However, I was very pleased with it being a bit older as we were going through the desert and not having to worry about it being brand new 🙂 

As I say, overall we loved our time in Oman. The trip you created for us was perfect, even though we were a couple without a family. We really enjoyed seeing so many different aspects but also having time to relax and just take in the scenery which was absolutely breathtaking. I would really recommend self-drive to anyone, it was very easy and after seeing lots of guided tours was really glad we had decided to go on our adventures alone knowing that we had support from you and your local operators anytime we needed it. 

Many thanks again.

Stopping for a juice became a bit of a theme everywhere we went. They also have Karak tea which was a lovely sweet spicy tea. We bought several packets home along with a tonne of dates. We do have some favourites and maybe some ideas that might help other families so I will try and put them below.

It’s hard to pick a favourite place. Jebel Shams was amazing, I’ve travelled a lot and never seen scenery like that. We had fairly low expectations for completing the balcony walk as J is only 5. I would say the balcony walk isn’t really suitable for children under 8/9. We ended up with me and 2 of the kids chatting with the goats by the car and my husband doing the walk with our 10-year-old. Despite not doing the walk, it was definitely worth going up there for the scenery which was fantastic. This day was the first of our goat encounters, but everywhere we went we seemed to attract a herd of goats wanting to join our picnic which was the source of much laughter!

We loved Misfah Oasis and walking through the date palms. One tip I would give is not to try and drive right down through the village following signs to the hotel. The further you go, the narrower it gets and there is not much parking! Park up on the road where there are cobbled parking spaces on both sides of the road.  Misfah was beautiful. We loved the signed walk around the village and we had a drink on a rooftop terrace watching the sun go down over the date palms which was a really special moment.

The desert was also a favourite. The boys had hours of fun running up and down the dunes as we were watching the sun go down. The scenery was amazing and we loved desert nights camp. What a special place it is. Again, a night we will never forget and would absolutely recommend to anyone travelling to Oman.

I think our absolute favourite things were the Wadis. Crystal clear water and such a lovely escape from the heat. We spent a whole day in Wadi Bhani Khalid and in Wadi Shab. I think they are both worthy of a whole day spent there rather than a stop on the way, particularly if like us, you love swimming. For the kids (and us) they were fantastic. Wadi Shab was our favourite and we got right up to the swim-through in the cave with all the kids. They had a wonderful time jumping off the rocks and snorkelling with the fish. We would happily have spent a second day there and done it all again.

Although packed full of amazing things, we found the day when we got up to watch the sunrise in the desert, drove to Wadi Bhani Khalid, had half a day there, quite a long drive to the turtle reserve and then stayed up late for the turtle tour, a very long day. In hindsight, especially with kids, this was probably too much for one day… if we had more time, I would have really liked to spend a day at the Turtle Reserve doing some of their walks or maybe snorkelling. It’s quite a lot of driving for one night there.

The night on the beach was fun but I think this was the only thing that if we did the holiday again we might give a miss. The people looking after us were great. Especially the lady who was so sweet and lovely with the kids. The food and set-up were amazing. 

The Shangri-La was fantastic and so lovely to have a few days of luxury and relaxation at the end of the holiday, a real treat!

The mosque in Muscat is also a must-see. The children were amazed by it. I would really recommend going to the information centre at the end where you can ask any questions you might have about Islam and being a Muslim. We had lots of questions and they answered them all over more dates and tea!

Our dolphin trip at the beginning of the holiday didn’t happen and they replaced it with a snorkelling trip to the Dimaniyat Islands from the hotel at the end. This was a fantastic day and an excursion I would really recommend to anyone. It was about a 1-1.5 hour boat trip out there. We saw dolphins on the way! The snorkelling was amazing over the coral reef and we saw loads of turtles. We had a picnic on the beach and then returned along the coast to Muscat. The whole family loved it and it was one of our favourite days. 

All in all, Caroline it was just the most amazing holiday. It’s taken me a while to e-mail you because I felt I needed the time to write about it properly and do it justice! I would absolutely recommend Oman to anyone and I hope sometime we may go back. We would like to go to Salalah in the south of Oman.

Thank you so much for all your help with it. Particularly with your insight into what we should do while out there and for dealing with the last-minute changes/ school play clash fiasco so swiftly!! I have recommended you to several friends since we booked our holiday with you and am already eyeing up some of your other trips. In the past, we have done a lot of independent travel but with three kids in tow, we really liked the balance of independence while having an itinerary and accommodation booked. Having a local contact and a contact in the UK was really reassuring and I couldn’t fault your colleagues in Oman, their communication was excellent and the day we left he even came to the hotel to say goodbye. It really took a lot of the stress out of the holiday and made it much more relaxing for S and me.

Thank you again. We will continue to munch my way through our dates while smelling the incense wafting from my son’s room savouring our happy memories of Oman.

It wasn’t until we were out in the desert that I realised what a huge effort it was for Mum – she managed it brilliantly and she knew what she was getting into so this isn’t a criticism at all, just an observation for you, for other clients – the wild camping is quite a stretch for an 80+-year-old as you are literally sleeping on the ground and going to the loo on the sand so the ability to get up and down from the floor is important! 

Salalah was stunning and it was perfect that we were able to stay in the old Holiday Inn, where we spent so much of our childhood in the pool there. Yes, it has changed but there was a lot that was the same. The flight to Salalah is so quick from Muscat and both airports are SO luxurious and not at all stressful (unlike UK airports) that I would highly recommend that people venture down to Salalah for R&R, desert trips, jebel trips, to see a different side of Oman. If people want a bit more luxury the Anantara in Salalah looks good – I went for a nosey around it, it’s v close to the Crowne Plaza. 

The hotels were all good.  The hotel in Misfah Al Abriyeen was a real experience (and provided a delicious dinner). The apartments in Muscat were excellent so I can really recommend using them again – the breakfast there was incredible!  

The dolphin boat trip and picnic on the beach was a fantastic day – it was our first proper day and we absolutely loved it.  We saw lots of dolphins and when we went snorkeling we saw turtles too.   

On the second day we went to the sinkhole and then onto Wadi Sham. Wadi Sham was a real adventure.  I would strongly suggest that clients are advised to wear trainers for the walk through the wadi and to take river shoes or some protection for their feet when swimming in the wadi because it is agonising walking on the pebbles. 

The visit to the Mosque was excellent as well – and Nizwa – we loved the hotel in Nizwa, it was really empty and quite dated which reminded us of how places were in Oman when we lived there.

I think those are the main things. Your agent was very friendly and efficient and all the guides and drivers were fantastic – our Omani drivers LOVED that we had lived in Oman as children and Mum loved sitting in the lead cars talking to them about Oman – how it was then and all the memories of that time. Mum remembered all sorts of things that she thought she’d forgotten – including quite a lot of Arabic words and sayings, which entertained the drivers immensely! 

Thanks again Caroline – it was an unforgettable holiday for all 13 of us and one we will always remember and cherish. 

We were a bit nervous about going in Ramadan but it worked out fine. We took a wine box and managed to pick up some beer in the duty-free shop in Muscat. We discovered the Lulu chain of hypermarkets where they sell boxes of salads and dips which we kept cool in the chiller box in the car (this was a godsend) and had discrete picnics for lunch every day rather than having to rely on snacks bought from the hotel. 

Everywhere was really quiet and we had most of the tourist sights to ourselves – not sure if this was Ramadan or a hangover from Covid but it worked for us! I’ll send through a couple of photos and happy for you to post them.

 One thing this trip proved to us is how much we have missed our adventures, so we would really like to make the Peru trip happen this summer… 

 Thanks for being so fab.

We thought we’d put together our thoughts on the trip in case you might like to share this with future travellers.

We took a 10-day holiday – a 7-day guided tour and a 3-day at a hotel in Muscat. Anyone thinking of going to Oman- don’t miss it! What an experience! We saw mountains, deserts, beach, wadis, forts, souks, the most incredible mosque. Not to mention the wild dolphins, turtles (twice), gazelles, camels, donkeys… I could go on. Oman is a very varied landscape was far more westernised than I expected (all signs are in Arabic and English), nevertheless the Muslim culture plays a huge part of life and must be respected if you want to visit here. For us, this meant women needing to dress to cover our shoulders and knees at all times. This applied to women and teenagers, but we included our 11-year-old daughter (my 7-year-old could wear what she wanted). There are exceptions to the dress code – such as hotel pools (mostly), the desert and on a boat. You can always check in advance with the concierge/ your driver for local etiquette.

We visited 4-14 April and during Ramadan. Both these points were central to our stay. April is the end of the tourist season, meaning it’s been 40(+) degrees every day; but as long as you are careful with your timings (ie you don’t mind early starts) you can avoid the heat most days. This also means the trip was incredibly quiet from tourists! We even had some locations to ourselves- this made each beautiful location seem even more special.

Ramadan (with a guided driver) for us meant many shops were shut during the day (outside Muscat). We didn’t find this inhibited the tour in any way, and we loved being able to experience the culture during this holy month for Muslims. Our driver was top class, and we would ensure our trip was timed so he could attend lunchtime prayers whilst we quietly/quickly ate lunch* in the back of the car. And we finished our trip each day so he could have suhoor (break his fast at sunset). None of which was a problem.

*lunch = we’re foodies, so lunch was not a high point as you can imagine! But nuts, fruits, croissants and a sprite from a local supermarket did the trick each day. Omani food however is gorgeous and we actively avoided westernised food as a result. “Buffet” became our favourite word, and met everyone’s needs, including our 7 year old (there was usually a pasta dish or equivalent on the menu).

I should take a moment to mention our driver, Said. Anyone pondering whether to get a guided tour – we thoroughly recommend it. Not just to take up the burden of hours of driving (2-3 hours most days for our trip, whilst we snoozed, chatted, took in the scenery etc, without fear of getting lost or needing to plan our journey). He also planned our days with us (so we never worried about being too early/ late), advised us of local restaurants when needed, told us local history and information, walked us around Misfah Oasis and picked pomegranates for the children to eat. He was great company too – great sense of humour- a pleasure to spend the week with!

To be balanced- here are our recommendations / top tips for future travellers-

1. To save on UK mobile phone charges, buy a SIM card at Muscat airport. We used Ooredoo 8Gb sim (which allowed for 2Gb social usage) and worked well for us. This meant we had internet access throughout the stay. We also needed internet to stay in contact with our driver and the Oman partners who supported our stay here.

2. When in Muscat download the OTaxi app. This works the same as Uber, and is a cheaper and super easy way to get around town.

3. Do not miss seeing the Grand Mosque and Souk when Muscat. Absolute ‘must-sees’.

4. Hotel in Nizwa – awful (westernised) food. We ate out when we could (this hotel was otherwise good though).

5. Wadi Shab – spectacular! BUT not in 40-degree heat with children. This was a difficult day for everyone in coping with the heat. Anyone taking this trip at this time of year should carefully consider their families’ needs and capabilities (Google reviews on the walk etc).

6. Wild camping- Liddy you talked us into this (nicely!) and it’s the kids’ most memorable experience from the trip. But we would recommend upgrading to a bell tent if kids are young. Our 7 year old was nervous and it would have been better to sleep all together.

7. Turtle reserve – we didn’t know until we got there that we could have taken an early morning walk (to see baby turtles going into the water). We did the night walk, which was busier and with little success. In retrospect, we would have got an early night to sleep and gone out in the morning instead.

I honestly could go on and on about this trip. Suffice to say the whole thing exceeded our expectations, and it’ll stay in our memories forever. We will definitely be back to ask for your help again for our next adventure!

We thought it might help you (and future clients) to hear a few of our reflections on the trip (in no particular order):

– Itinerary – all perfect, with the right number of days in each location and without it being a rush. 

– Nizwa – for families, there is a brand new water park close to the main mall (with a handy Carrefour). Small, but great for 3 – 14 year-olds and a perfect way to spend a couple of hours beating the heat.  That said, it strictly requires women to be covered up. 

– Women’s swimming attire – S and I ended up buying “muslim” swimming costumes (mine from Ebay before I left, for £20!) and really valued having them.  Whilst people were swimming in t-shirts etc, we felt very comfortable having the proper suits, and are glad we did

– Accommodation – all of the hotels/tents were perfect and we wouldn’t have changed anything.

– Ramadan – began on 2 April.  The main impact of this was at the Shangri-La – no food served outside and extremely limited alcohol availability (only at one of the restaurants, after 7pm and if eating indoors). This put a slight dampener on the experience for us – whilst we aren’t big drinkers, a cool beer in the evenings and ice cream by the pool are holiday treats and were missed. 

I hope the above is helpful! Overall, we had a brilliant holiday and would recommend Stubborn Mule to our friends (indeed A was looking at your Californian Adventure itinerary!)  It was all extremely smooth and easy, adventurous and exciting, but with relaxation and pampering (especially at the end in the Shangri La). 

Thanks for all of your help!

The highlights were:

– Jebel Shams – what an amazing and slightly hair-raising hike
– We visited Bahla Fort and Misfah on the way to Jebel Al Akdar and enjoyed both
– the Anantara was a welcome and indulgent stopover – loved the room and the views
– we also loved the desert – truly luxurious camp – we did both sand boarding and quad bikes, which were great fun and we would highly recommend
– we visited Sur (quaint and pretty) and Bimmah Sinkhole (amazing to swim in!) on the route back to Muscat, so took a day winding our way back and so glad we did
– Shangri La – great way to end the trip – J got to do some jet-skiing on the last morning so that was the icing on the cake!

As you said, it was really easy to drive ourselves and we felt we made the most of it all.

Looking forward to discussing and booking our next trips with you to Norway (Feb) and Namibia (August).

I think if I was going to do the same trip again I’d extend the time in the desert to two nights – it’s such a different landscape and arriving in the afternoon then leaving the next morning doesn’t give you the full chance to really experience it like by going on a camel trek or dune bashing. It was also a bit difficult to find on the way in – if someone did a video of the drive that was then shortened into a sequence of the key steps it would make it a bit clearer. It was my first time driving in the desert and honestly it was a bit terrifying with the kids in the back and not really knowing if we were going the right way!

Once we got there though it was definitely the highlight of the trip and the drive out, when I was more confident on the sand, was just brilliant.

The tents in the desert camp were fantastic; our daughters were very impressed with their pool. It did rain in the desert!! We drove ourselves, which was no problem at all. We had a very big 4×4, Nissan Patrol (I think the original car that was booked had a prang and was not available).

Wadi Bani Khalid was very busy and a little too crowded for us, we probably would skip that one especially since we did Wadi Shab. (Great to do and we made sure we were there early in the morning).

The hotel in Sur is a little dull and we wondered if we would stay in Sur if there would be other options.

The last hotel was lovely with plenty of facilities. Downside is that it is rather far from anywhere. If we would do this trip again we would probably opt to go back to be in the hustle and bustle of Muscat.

All in all great memories.

We did the balcony walk, which is awesome as are the mountains. We did the walk in the afternoon and that worked well as it was in the shade for our return walk making it cooler.

We went, again in the afternoon, to the Beehive tombs in Al Ayn. The Valley is beautiful and quite fertile and looked lovely as the sun went down. In Nizwa we went to the Fort which was really well done for tourists and informative; we also went to the goat market and souk. The local people were really friendly and helpful and we felt very comfortable all the time.

The desert was spectacular and your good instructions (and my husbands satnav) got us to the camp after a fun drive through the desert. The boys loved the camp, especially their own plunge pool that lit up at night!! We walked up the dunes to see the sunset and the beautiful orange glow over the sand as the sunsets. The food at the camp was the best we had and all the staff went out of their way to help and welcome us. We definitely would love to go back to this camp!!

Wadi Shab was next and was another wow as we swam to the and into the cave. We weren’t sure what to expect and loved the spectacle of the whole wadi. It was quite busy but as you swam towards the end it was quieter and just lovely.

Camping on the beach was interesting and the lovely gentleman who looked after us, Basil, was great. Unluckily for him there was a cyclone in the Indian Ocean so the tide was very high and we had to move the tents, which only added to the adventure for us. Basil prepared us a delicious BBQ and had another awesome evening watching the sun going down.

Finally the Hotel in Muscat which was strangely uninspiring after all the fabulous things we had done. We contacted the local agent Jivika and he was very helpful. He swapped our big vehicle for a town car at a reasonable rate and also took us to the airport as planned, which was great. Having a car meant we could go to Mutrah in the evenings for dinner as again the hotel was very expensive, also it was much more fun to go to local restaurants. We also went to Old town Muscat and the new museum there, which was really interesting and very well done.

Thank you, we had a brilliant time and found your organisation and the local travel company to be excellent.

Weather – was definitely hotter than expected (average was mid 30’s and one day it hit 40) it was also humid (again wasn’t expecting that) in Muscat and Mussanah. This was OK but it did mean that some of the longer walks that we had planned on doing we didn’t do as the kids would have really struggled.

Accommodation – all great and worked really well having either suites or adjoining rooms – real bonus/necessity to have access to a swimming pool as the kids swam every, single, day!

Driving – Very glad we didn’t have a driver as I think that would have been odd. Met a few brits with drivers and it changed the dynamics in the car and also meant someone had to sit in the back with the kids. The roads were all pretty good and easy (much the road network is being extended so at times it was a bit challenging finding the right route). The map we had (the one recommended) didn’t really show enough detail so the app we downloaded was really useful as was buying a local sim. Top tip here, make sure you take a phone that is not locked to a UK network or a local sim won’t work.

One other tip is when going into the desert I think you probably do need a guide to drive in with you or you need to follow another vehicle with a driver. When we arrived at the Shell garage to let down our tyres we were overrun by locals trying to accompany us. We negotiated a good deal and paid 6 rial for a guide to come with us. The starting price was 20. I would say it’s not entirely obvious where to go and would be easy to either get lost or stuck, 2 vehicles following us got stuck.

I would also strongly advise doing the trip in the daylight and wouldn’t attempt in the dark without a guide. The driving is pretty exciting and we definitely needed the land cruiser/4 wheel drive/low gear ratio and whatever other special suspension trick we had. The land cruiser was also really good up in the mountains as much of the route to Jebel Shams is off road.

Al Hoota caves – we arrived but were told the train was broken and the restaurant shut so it was a 30/40 min walk in the midday sun up the mountain to the caves – we didn’t do it but apparently the caves are amazing.

Misfat and the Falaj – definitely worth the trip, beautiful and en route to Jebel Shams

Jebel Shams – amazing but quite a long drive and if you intend to walk in the morning you really need to leave Nizwa at @5/6am otherwise it’s too hot. Top tip if you want to do the balcony walk do it in the afternoon when the cliff face is in the shade – much cooler.

Turtles – a real highlight and worth staying at the reserve as you get to go in the first groups to see the turtles. It’s also only the hotel/reserve guests who get to go at 5am. Having prepared the kids not to see any there were actually quite a few and when we arrived the chap on the desk was pretty adamant we would see them. We also saw baby turtles trying to get back to the sea – amazing.

Wild Camping – this could have been great, location idyllic and food/staff lovely but tropical storm Kyarr was working its way up the gulf so both ourselves and the other family camping had to relocate our tents in the pitch black as the tide was so high…. it would be good if they provided you with lamps for the tents (we had to use phones). I would also spell out to people that they will not be washing – the sea is it!

Other bits
We had followed advice and were pretty covered up for most of the time but at the Wadi/sink holes there were plenty of westerners in bikinis. At the Wadi if you walked far enough up the gorge there were very few people. I am sure you would run into issues if you went out in a bikini in the main swimming areas. We also covered up at the mosque but you can hire abayas.

The resort in Mussanah was great and it was just what we needed. The kids loved the zip wire/water wipe out course etc.  I would definitely advise people that it’s a top spot to go to if you want to go snorkelling/diving in the Damaniyat Islands – @45 min by boat. We had planned to do that but because of the tropical cyclone there were no boat trips at all which was a real shame. Some families at the resort had gone there explicitly to do their PADIs.  We went sailing instead, which was great and cheap. Only feedback on the resort is the litter – weird how they don’t clear up the harbour of all the plastic floating around – it was right next to the inflatable and looked pretty unsightly.

Food – great and the kids were fine, our son is a complete hummus/taboulla addict. We stocked up on large bottles of water/cans/snacks at the big Carrefours that you find outside most of the big towns and this saved money. We also took a small bottle of gin with us and so we were able to have the odd quiet G&T in our room as we were able to buy tonic too! Worth taking a bottle with you as 90% of the time the hotels/restaurants are dry, which was fine as we fell in love with the local lemon and mint drinks – YUM!

I don’t think there is much else to say other than it was a fab holiday and we will definitely look to use you again and I have already recommended yourselves and Oman to many of my friends.

We spent 4 days in Muscat, and once we adjusted to the midday heat, we got out and did plenty of exploring – cuddly camels (for M & P aged 7 and 4) and khanjar dagger (for T aged 9) from the souk, a morning dolphin watching and snorkelling, a bit of culture at the National Museum, and a fantastic meal out at Kargeen (best to book).

From there we set off in our Toyota Land cruiser with our trip notes and Google maps and headed for the mountains.  For me, this was the most unexpected part of the trip – I had no idea how dramatic and spectacular the scenery would be, particularly as we climbed higher.  There were “wow’s” from the whole family.  Misfah Old House was like something from a movie – a beautiful oasis hidden away in the mountains, it felt quite magical.

Then the adventure started…. For a country where it rarely rains, we had storms and solid rain all night…. So the next morning the wadis were totally flooded!  And so were a lot of the roads!  But in our 4 x 4 we just drove straight through, with a lot of whooping!

From Misfah we spent a great day exploring Jabreen and Nizwa forts – the kids loved all the nooks and crannies, and tales of boiling date juice being poured on their enemies.  And so few people there – at times it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

From Misfah to the highest part of the mountains!  Jebel Shams cannot be done justice by the photos, it was awesome.  We did a little of the Balcony Walk, but turned back as definitely too perilous with the small people. And then, the desert. We loved the anticipation as we started to spot camels wandering about, and when we reached the desert it was really exciting to leave the road.

We really liked 1000 nights camp and walked up the dunes for the sunset which was beautiful- although the highlight for our children wasn’t the romantic sun going down, it was sliding back to camp on a sand board… video to follow!  The last day driving back to Sur was quite a long day, and we wished we’d had a couple more days to explore Sur and spend a bit more time on the coast road back to Muscat.  However, we returned home with some fantastic memories of a country that really should be on more people’s radar, it was brilliant.

I would really appreciate if you could also pass on our thanks to Jeevaka, he met us on the first day with our pack, and then checked in every couple of days at the various hotels to see everything was OK which was such a nice touch.  We felt confident that if anything had gone wrong he would have been able to help.  We also had a small bump in the car on the 2^nd day in Muscat…. A car drove into the back of us at some traffic lights, and after we’d got the driver’s details, the car hire guy basically sorted the rest out for us which was such a relief.

We will definitely be in touch in the future for our next adventure.  It was so reassuring to know that the itinerary had been tried and tested and that there was support available if we needed it.  Your help and advice before we left was also invaluable.

Similarly there are rules and there are rules! Officially quite a few places say no kids but if kids are well behaved many places will happily let them in without hesitation. Case in point the prayer room of the grand mosque in muscat and the opera exhibition at the royal opera house.

Muscat is a car town (tbh so were all the places we visited) everywhere is very spread out – get a car straight away – its worth it. Similarly everywhere has lots of parking in big free carparks nice and close to attractions. Driving is really easy in town with wide, well signposted roads, low traffic levels and slow, generally considerate driving from locals (ok i’m comparing with London but still…).

Beware some petrol stations only take cash. And while there are cash machines all over, the most common ones we saw – bank muscat – does not work with international bank cards – either hsbc or Bank Dohar worked fine and we easily found with a quick google.

Talking of Google, suggest at least one person getting a local phone sim card with included data on arrival – the place is right by arrivals at Muscat airport – so useful for google maps!!

Food is great. Even small dodgy looking restaurants are generally scrupulously clean and serve lovely food. Portions generally large. Try the birianis, they are gorgeous. Kids portions can be magicked up of most things if you ask. When eating at hotel buffets don’t be shy of asking for things to suit fussy kids – they can normally whip up a portion of chips!

When finding the balcony walk be careful to Google ‘balcony walk’ not ‘Jebel Shams’. The latter takes you on an increasingly off-road journey up the mountain ending in a slightly scary gated off area restricted under the omani official secrets act… its also the wrong side of the canyon the the balcony walk. Exciting but a bit unnecessary.

The balcony walk is utterly breathtaking. Try to be close to the start/ end at sunset. However bear in mind the 1.5 hours can be much longer if you are not a seasoned walker – ours with two unfit adults and carrying a toddler in a carrier took about 2.5 hours each way – totally worth it though. Remember it’s uphill mostly on the way back so bear this in mind when considering children’s energy levels/ water and snack supplies.

In towns you can rely on great mobile signal. Not so much for out of town. 1000 nights has no data at all :).

The trip out to the 1000 nights camp is one of the most amazing and exhilarating drives i have ever done (the way back is even better!!!). It’s really easy to find the way and while all the potentially difficult bits are signposted and or paved you still get a real feeling of ‘off roading’. A word of warning you get a lot of hassle from ‘guides’ who want you to pay for the privilege of being accompanied to the camp – they will tell you it is difficult and try to scare you that you’ll end up stuck. Seriously anyone with a uk driving license (and a decent 4wd car) will have no trouble – the guides are a total scam.

So having completed the gorgeous trip out to camp we decided to go dune bashing (driven by a guide from the hotel) – at sunset! – this was another level of superb fun. We were able to strap the kids in our own car seats and everyone had a superb time defying gravity up and down the dunes. We then spent a perfect 15 minutes sitting at the top of an awe inspiring dune watching the sun go down while the kids (ok and us adults too) played in the sand. Absolutely unmissable.

The first wadi trip on the list – Wadi Bani Khalid we got a bit wrong. Arriving around 11am the car park was deserted and all the wadi bits near the car park were completely dry – we wrongly assumed that meant the water hole was also dry and didn’t continue on the path there… Googling trip advisor photos showed us later that actually it was still filled with water but you have to walk a fair way to get to the wet bit. 

Sur was a lovely little town. We looked at the dhow building factory and explored the old town including lighthouse and the couple of castles. Good low key fun.

We were more successful with the second wadi swimming experience and wow it was wonderful. Trip notes were super helpful both for finding the place and expectation setting – the cave really is for strong swimmers only.

The beach camping was truly out of this world – as well as your own private beach miles from anywhere you also get treated to a sumptuous feast – including great options for my super fussy oldest child – they even managed chips! (Barbecue undersells it massively!!!). Suggest get there early to enjoy a full afternoon on the beach.

Our beach hotel was fine but not spectacular – it’s an enormous site for the number of guests and is heavily focussed on the sailing market rather than being a family beach holiday hotel as its first aim. The staff were incredibly nice and helpful it was just a bit soulless. That said the pools were fabulous (and almost empty for most of our stay!) and the swimming lessons we arranged were very successful indeed.

High points for the beach were the aqua fun, the swimming lessons and the pool. However we were quite happy to move on by the time we checked out for our trip to Dubai.

So… our little add on excursion to Dubai! 

We noticed on arrival in our beach hotel that Dubai was only 3.5 hr drive away and figured getting ‘an extra country’ would be fun. Though our original idea of a day trip would have been completely impossible so very glad an overnight trip worked.

UK passport holders get a free 30 day tourist visa on arrival in UAE, however it was a little uncertain whether we needed a new Oman visa to return – information online was extremely opaque (which left me a little bit ‘feeling the fear and doing it anyway’!)… it turned out to be fine and we were just allowed straight back in with no additional visa needed – suggest anyone planning this trip check out thoroughly online! (We not 100% sure they didn’t just wave us through cos of tired grumpy kids in the back of the car!) The other logistic was needing roaming mobile data to continue using maps – Omantel were happy to oblige on this however!

So while getting there is easy it is worth noting that driving in central Dubai is not for the faint of heart – think 20 lane motorways through the centre of town with people driving at top speed and poorly signposted exits every 100m or so – utterly crazy and super stressful! (Fun though).

The Dubai hotel was terrible service but otherwise fine. (Actually it was probably fine we had just got used to the superb service in Oman…)

Dubai we saw the aquarium, the dancing fountains and light show, the trip to the top of the Burj Khalifa (book as soon as you know you are going as it gets booked out fast), a trip out the the Palm Islands (our youngest was too young for a boat trip around sadly). All great and a total contrast to Oman!

Last night back in Oman was seamless and comfortable.

And we are home. What a trip… 

We loved our desert experience. It was quiet for the most part. My husband heard some folks in the distance celebrating New Years by driving up and down dunes from midnight for an hour. The kids and I slept through it. We played charades by the fire until we were falling asleep.

The beach was also lovely – we were all excited by the unexpected phosphorescent waters that glowed at night.

We were surprised by how accommodating Omanis are and how easy it was to get around by car.

We got a little confused about our last hotel’s location. It was correctly listed on the paperwork we received from the local guide, but we didn’t look at that too closely. Earlier S had followed the link from our itinerary (online) and it brought him to the Millennium Hotel Apartments. So we had to get back in the car and keep going for another hour. The Millennium Resort was great for the kids. Initially I feared having to pay over 10 euros for zip lining per child and another 10e for the water fun park, but the hotel was generous with the free passes they gave us. The kids had a blast with all of it.

Regarding the hotels, we appreciated the Milennium Musannah. Although indeed somewhat lacking in atmosphere, it is a good hotel

Sleeping in a tent and having a fully serviced BBQ on the beach was brilliant.

The accommodation in the desert was great too – more comfort than we expected and wonderful fresh food.

The hotel in Nizwa was very good and Muscat hotel an average mid-range hotel and convenient for 1 short night but not much more.

Other things that might be useful to know:

– It is not possible to visit any mosque on Fridays (so we only saw the outside of the Sultan Qaboos)

– As you said, it is very easy to drive yourself although the desert is tricky. Still we appreciated having a driver. His English was very good and we learned a lot about Oman, the relationships between countries on the peninsula and those surrounding it including Iran, all the changes that were initiated to develop the country in the last years etc.

– We thought about the Balcony Walk, but had no clue where to start. Our driver had not heard about it too… so we just drove up and enjoyed the ride and marvellous view.

The only thing that we really didn’t enjoy was staying in the hotel in the Jebel Shams… we just felt that staying in a tent elsewhere would have been more comfortable and pleasant.

The wild camping was a lot of fun, and we would easily have done another night. We really liked the set up with the food that night, it was very impressive and rather like a 1000 Arabian nights feeling!

Overall we are super pleased with our holiday, and we would appreciate it if you could send us suggestions for family itineraries to other destinations, as we want to repeat the experience in a sunny place for December 2019. Many thanks

In terms of positives and negatives:

Our flight was delayed by a couple of hours by fog. This meant that by the time we had arrived and got ourselves settled and had a bite to eat it was quite late. The local company didn’t let us know what time our guide was going to meet us so we had a bit of a late start only to find him chomping at the bit waiting to leave.  This meant that the first two days felt a bit rushed.

We were slightly underwhelmed by Misfah Village and Jadrin Fort (younger children and boys in particular may be different) although the views were spectacular from the turrets. We also weren’t quite prepared for the driving distances – it did feel like we spent the first two days in the car rather than exploring sites properly and while we enjoyed our stay in Jebel Shams, we had to make a decision to either do the balcony walk or visit Nizwa Market – I was out-voted, but we all enjoyed the market! Obviously we were time constrained, but slightly fewer attractions and more time to enjoy the mountains and canyons would have been better, particularly in the first few days.

From this point forwards everything was fantastic. The trip to the desert was great and probably the highlight of the trip for most of us. We enjoyed the Wadi swim and were very well looked after during our “wild” camping on the beach!  We enjoyed a swim in the Bimmah sink-hole (despite the negativity of the guidebooks!) and found the hotel a great place to relax at the end of our trip (we think we might have inadvertently been upgraded to suites which was a nice bonus!). From here we did a half-day dolphin and snorkelling trip, which was also excellent. We saw lots of spinner dolphins and swam with turtles in a small bay on the way home…

I hope this is helpful and doesn’t sound too negative; we had a great time and are very grateful to you for making it all happen!

In terms of the Stubborn Mule service, it was seamless. No issues at all on airport and hire car pick ups and drop offs. The local rep also gave us a call mid-way through the week to see if we were ok, which was nice…. I’d happily visit Oman again (although I’m now starting to think about Jordan for next April…).

In retrospect, I would have paid the extra for the direct Oman Air flights. Gulf Air were fine, we had no issues, but the flight back with a 1am change in Bahrain was a bit gruelling. I would still have taken an overnight flight back in order to have the full day in Oman, but the direct one that left at more or less exactly the same time…

Hotels/Route
Golden Tulip Seeb: Near the airport, functional, fine for one night, especially if you have an early or late flight.

The View: Loved, loved, loved it. Definitely our favourite of all the places we stayed. We could have stayed a week there and not got bored. In hindsight I wish we’d had three nights here, sacrificing one of the nights by the beach at the end. It’s also worth paying the premium for the rooms at the front of the hotel I would say. Staff were helpful, food was good, and it was small so didn’t feel too resort-like at all. Drive up there in the 4-wheel drive was bumpy but easy enough.

1000 Nights Camp: Also really liked this place, and we’re glad we took your advice and spent two nights here. The drive there is fun, and easy enough once you have done it once. You do have to look out quite carefully for the signs though, as they are fairly easy to miss. By the time we’d done it 4 times though, Dan was just pointing the car down any old sand dune and having the time of his life driving! I’d also say the Sheikh tents are worth it over the basic tents, which looked pretty hot and stuffy.

Re the trip notes here. Although you are right that it is absolutely possible to do Wadi bani Khalid from the camp in a day trip, I’m not convinced it makes total sense. Better to do it on the way to Sur/Ras al Jinz. It’s about 1hr 15 drive there, and the same back, and as we also wanted to spend some time in the camp that day, we didn’t have as much time as we’d liked at Wadi Bani Khalid. I actually think we could easily have whiled away a day at the camp – the pool is lovely and has plenty of shade, the kids enjoyed clambering up the dunes and sandboarding down.

Ras al Jinz: Sur was nice enough, but there is not much to do there. I would recommend people drive from the desert early after breakfast, stop at Wadi Bani Khalid for the mornin and have lunch there, then head to Ras al Jinz via Sur in the afternoon. The dhow shipyard is nice to see, but it’s quickly done. No need to get to Ras al Jinz much before sunset as there is nothing to do before dinner, and you can’t access the beach after 1pm. the hotel itself is fine. The Ecotents were very nice, although quite close together. Not completely sure they are worth the premium to be honest, as you spend so little time in them. The turtle tour – we did both the night time and morning one. Not sure you need to do both, really, and the morning one was much, much nicer. The night time one was very busy and involved lots of hanging around in the dark. There were far fewer people on the 5 am morning tour (maybe 15-20 compared with over 50), and of course you see the sun rise over the beautiful beach and cliffs, and, crucially, it is light, so you can see the turtles much better. I would definitely advise people with young kids to skip the evening tour, go to bed early and go on the morning tour instead. we saw a turtle both times – perhaps we were lucky, but I got the feeling it’s pretty common.

Road from Ras al Jinz to Muscat: I felt your trip notes were a bit lacking here, as there is so much to see. We had a guidebook, so we were fine, but even so I wish we’d known how great the beaches are along here (Finz beach, for example, was just beautful). In retrospect it would have been nice to camp there – one of your suggestions, which we decided against. It might also be worth mentioning the Bimmah sinkhole, which is well worth a visit and a swim in.

Shangri-la: In some ways this was our least favourite hotel (although the kids would probably disagree!). It was very resort-like, and we felt we could have been anywhere. The restaurants were also eye-wateringly expensive (18 Omani rial per person for the .buffet in the cheapest of the restaurants, not including even soft drinks, taxes or service!). We ended up eating in the cafe most nights but even that was expensive. I’m loathe to criticise it too much – the service was great, they gave us a late check out until 7pm on our last day, which was really good of them. The dolphin-watching tour we went on with them was also great (and very easy – the boat leaves from the marina by the hotel. It also wasn’t too crowded – I think we were 10). The beach was nice enough, and the free kayaks are a nice touch. the kids obviously loved the multiple pools and the lazy river. It’s a great hotel, if that’s your thing – it probably isn’t ours, but that’s not your fault! It was  a bit too far out of Muscat for our taste, and we (I?) felt  a bit trapped. Not sure we’d stay there again. One tip – it’s worth requesting a room on the upper floors if you are booking for guests. Ours was on the first floor and therefore not that private.

Muscat: Really liked it. Wish we’d stayed closer to town. We ended up taking a taxi into Muscat from the Shangri-La, and then taking the free shuttle bus back to the hotel (the free shuttle only works in the afternoon – I think to ferry guests to the souk). That worked well enough. We had to take a taxi from the hotel to the Grand Mosque, and then from the Grand Mosque to Muscat old town. After that we walked along the corniche to the souk.

Generally – we loved Oman, and feel there is plenty left to see to warrant a return visit one day! The car hire worked well – it’s absolutely worth hiring a 4 wheel drive, and the trip would not have been anywhere as good without it. A driver definitely isn’t necessary – although it would have been nice to have more direct contact with Omanis, and I think a driver would have helped, along with the local knowledge they have. I can see that there are pluses and minuses to this one, but if we went back we would probably drive ourselves again.

…. Anyway, I hope this helps. I am absolutely recommending Oman to everyone, and it was great to get back into the swing of exciting holidays again!

We have had such a good holiday thanks to your well thought out itinerary and have realised resort holidays are a thing of the past for us now!

Highlights – so many but the two days in the desert and the Anantara hotel in the mountains has to come top… Shangri-La curiously (as was the part I was most looking forward to) coming bottom! Too many people, over inflated pricing. That said enjoying our last day by the beach and already thinking ahead to future holidays!

There is nothing I can suggest for improvement. Our only learning point was that with hindsight, it probably would have been worth going for the meal plan at the Al Waha. We found paying for individual meals to be very expensive.

Thanks again for your help.

With hindsight it might have been helpful for us to consider a half board option as we found the food quite expensive, though everything was very good, and we had thought we might venture into Muscat more than we did but there didn’t seem to be many restaurants around the souk so we only ate out of the hotel once.

The View was in a stunning location.  The deck lounge chair had a thin green mattress that we used on the floor with a spare duvet and pillow to make an extra bed for our little one so that worked out. We walked the Jebel Shams balcony which was stunning though we were unlucky to have a rock slide scare when there (all fine, just nearby)! We visited the fort and the cattle market in Nizwa which were great.

The desert was my favourite part! The sunset over the expanse of those endless dunes is an amazing experience. The tent was very smart and the food was great. I would say that it would have been handy to know the camel riding details before arriving – the morning slots were all prebooked for the proper rides and so we just did the 5min photo op one at the camp, which perhaps was enough for the kids.

We drove back through Sur and stopped at the Wadi Shab – we only went to the first pool but it was beautiful.

The driving was fine – N had a ball with the 4WD on the mountain track and the sand – though I would recommend the Sat Nav – we didn’t get it but ended up using N’s phone as one and found that really helpful as I found it tricky to navigate with the map we had and the directions we got from Tour Oman were a bit vague (though they were lovely and helpful with tips).

All in all a great holiday so thank you again!  I hope you had a lovely time in South Africa. On my bucket list for the future so would love to hear about it.

One thing I would recommend to remember when organizing any future trips – the people working in the Turtle Reserve mentioned that it is these days very unlikely to find turtles in the early morning and that evening is the better time. Our driver was able to get us in so we saw the turtles but I thought it would be helpful to know this so you can request evening viewings

Otherwise, we felt very supported by your local partners – Jeevaka called us in the hotel upon our arrival and also towards the end of our journey, which was very nice.

So, a great trip all in all. Loved the turtles but were sad not to have been able to stay actually on turtle beach. The hotel we had in Sur was fine but a little functional but that’s our fault for booking at the last minute!!!

Thanks for arranging it all. We’ve recommended you to some friends so I hope that they will be in touch soon. We’ve told them to try to book a bit further in advance so that they don’t have the same problems finding availability so hopefully they’ll listen.