Arabian Sand Tours

ARABIAN SAND TOURS IS CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL

CITY TOUR

  • With the ‘History of Salalah,’ the administrative capital, the second largest city of the Sultanate and the capital city of Dhofar…
  • With the ‘Architecture,’ the different nationalities living in the Dhofar Governorate, with the arts, the folklore, the way tombs for Messengers and pious people were built is all part of the Omani traditional heritage…
  • With the‘Museum of the Frankincense Land’ with a copy of the speech of Sultan Qaboos to his people on the day of his accession 23th of july 1970.The inauguration of this museum took place 37 years later…
  • With the ‘Gold Soukh and the Incense Soukh (market),’where men in white dishdasha’s- an ankle-length cloth with long sleeves- drink their tea. Veiled women in their black abaya’s go shopping and spread their fragrances. Haffa Soukh is, especially in the afternoon and the evening, the place to be for buying incense. The measure for quality is the colour…
  • With the ‘Coconut and Banana farms.’The Dhofar region is the most famous area for banana production in Oman. The main area for bananas in Dhofar is Salalah plain which constitutes 98% of the total cultivated area. Besides bananas the farms also offer coconut, papaya…
  • With the ‘Fish, Meat and Nomad market.’ In Dhofar agriculture is a main industry.
  • City Tour with so much more….
  • 4 to 5 hours, morning or afternoon on request.

 

CULTURAL DAY TOUR

  • By exploring the Dhofar Mountain Range, particularly ‘Al Qara Mountain.’
  • In the Jabal Al Qara the magic of the Khareef, the south west monsoon, makes once a year
  • (from July till September) the whole mountain green.
  • By exploring old storage houses via the ‘Rocky Desert‘  and experiencing the great trade of the frankincense in the past
  • By tasting camel- and goat milk during visits to ‘local families‘…
  • Picnic-lunch in caves‘ the former habitat of the Bedouin, where pure salt was collected…
  • By experiencing ‘the daily life in local villages‘ with a cop of tea or coffee…
  • Cultural Day Tour with so much more….
  • 8 to 9 hours by 4-wheel-drive.

 

ARABIAN SAND TOURS IS FIVE SENSES

EAST OF SALALAH, ALONG THE COAST OF DHOFAR

  • With ‘Taqah‘ sardine fishing and Taqah Fort in the centre of the town.  The historical monument dates from the 19th century AD and illustrates the skills of the local architects in those days. Now it’s a museum.
  • With ‘Sumhuram,’ the pre-islamic Frankincense port, strategically linked with Wadi Dirbat and beloved bird watching spot…
  • With ‘Wadi Dirbat‘ between Taqah and Mirbat. The wadi also home to one of the most unique caves system of the whole Dhofar mountain range…
  • With ‘Mirbat‘ one of the ports that played a great role in the prosperity of the old kingdoms. Still to this day the old houses in limestone with beautiful decorated wooden windows are silent witnesses of a greater time…
  • With a drive to ‘Jebel Samhan,’ with insight into the bird life, the landscapes, the flora and the fauna…with ‘Tawi Atair’ and ‘Wadi Hana’ well known for the Baobab trees…
  • East of Salalah, with so such more…
  • FD: 8 to 10 hours, picnic-lunch included HD: 4 till 5 hours
  • camping & fishing on the beach on request only.

 

HALF DAY TOUR, WEST OF SALALAH. ALONG THE MOUNTAIN RANGE

  • With ‘Nabi Ayub or Job’s Tomb‘ just outside the Jebbali village of Ghadu in the foothills of the Dhofar Mountain Chain, thirty kilometres north of Salalah. It overlooks the city and the coast…
  • With ‘Mughsayl, and blow holes,’ the almost vertical holes, real geological wonders. Depending on the strength of the wind, during the high tide, water blows through the holes…
  • With ‘Frankincenses trees‘ and the ritual of cutting the frankincense trees. Frankincense is still used in the manufacture of medicines, cosmetics, candles and perfumes. The perfume ‘Amouage,’ the flagship of the Sultanate, has frankincense as one of its main ingredients…
  • HD West with so much more….
  • 4 to 5 hours, morning or afternoon on request.

 

FULL DAY TOUR WEST OF SALALAH “PLUS” TO THE YEMEN BORDER VIA AL QAMAR MOUNTAIN

  • With ‘Nabi Ayub or Job’s Tomb,’ ‘ Mughsayl, and ‘blow holes,’ ‘Frankincenses trees’…
  • With cliffs, caves, birds, nature, mountain levels of 1100m.
  • Al Qamar mountain‘ is part of the Mountain Range of Dhofar. The Mountain Range was uplifted as part of the process of creating the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden plate separation, which began some 30 million years ago. Jabel Al Qamar home to Mughsayl – Sarfait road, the famous ‘zig/zag road‘ to the Yemen borders. Breathtaking hair pin bends offer incredible, beautiful panoramas…
  • FD WEST with so much more….
  • 8 to 10 hours only by 4WD, picnic-lunch included,
  • overnight camping on request only
  • Note: Swimming during the tours is possible, the average temperature of the Arabian Sea is about 28°C (82°F)

 

ARABIAN SAND TOURS IS DESERT EXPERIENCE

DESERT, ONE DAY-TOUR: IN- AND OUTGOING

  • By crossing the ‘Al Qara Mountain‘ behind the city of Salalah with cows, goats and camels as companions. From July to September the central part of the Dhofar Mountain Range is most influenced in the flora and the fauna by the Khareef or the south west monsoon ….
  • By crossing through ‘Wadi Dawkah,’where more than 5000 Frankincense trees are planted. This fenced reserve forms one of the Land of Frankincense UNESCO World Heritage Sites…
  • By passing ‘Thumrait,’ gateway to the desert and ‘the lost city of Shishr/Ubar,’ the last outpost for water before going ‘into a part of the Rub Al Khali called Ramlet Khadif.’
  • All these places belong to the ‘Frankincense trail’…
  • Desert, 1 day, in- and outgoing with so much more….
  • 1 day, only by 4-wheel-drive.


TO EXPERIENCE THE REAL MEANING OF THE RUB AL KHALI, BETTER KNOWN AS THE EMPTY QUARTER

By driving close to the Saudi Arabian border on the highest sand dunes – over 350 metres, we offer ‘overnight stays’ from 1 to 10 days on request. Our guides are all Bedouins. The desert is still their home. No GPS is needed to find our way even in the most remote places….

Rub al Khali with the most wonderful sunrise and sunset, …sabkha’s, geodes and so much more….

Overnight for 1 to 10 days only on request; all camping equipment, breakfast, lunch, dinner included.

NOTE: WE PROVIDE PROGRAMS FOR INDIVIDUALS, MEDIA, BUSINESS INCENTIVES, VIP, …

 


 

SOME REFERENCES:

Arabian Sand Tours provided content for:

  • A documentary film for ZDF German TV;
  • A  documentary film with 400 camels around the Frankincense trail;
  • A documentary film for German ARD channel 1;
  • The BBC Broadcasting on the Frankincense trail for the Oman part
  • The ARD Broadcasting Frankincense trail
  • The BBC Broadcasting of High and Dry, Ben Fogle and James Cracknell Versus the Arabian Desert
  • Arabian Sand Tours provided content for articles in newspapers and travel magazines in Germany, Netherlands, France, UK, Australia, France, USA….
  • Arabian Sand Tours services are mentioned in travel guides such as Lonely Planet Oman-UAE-Arabian Peninsula, Petit Futé, ….

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