Camping: 1000 Nights Camp revisited

It seems appropriate that with Earth Day just passed to share some beautiful pictures of Oman's landscape.

Last weekend we revisited the 1000 Nights Camp in Wahiba Sands, and while I won't go into detail about the camp again (you can read about it, here) I will say that it was a completely different experience this time. We knew how to get to the camp for starters.

On this occasion, we had my aunt, mum, and cousin with us. Before entering the sands, we stopped in what I can only call an oasis for lunch. Right next to the sands, an area filled with green plants and trees. Beautiful. I wish I had the photography skills to get a shot showing the contrast, but just picture sand dunes next to farmland.

After the 40km drive, we arrived at the camp and managed to get a drive up to the top of the dunes to watch the sunset. Our driver gave us a taste of dune bashing, which was terrifying. As you go over the top of a dune, you get that feeling that you do at the peak of a roller coaster, except you are very aware of the fact that there is no suspension to slow you as you fall and you are completely reliant on the skills of the driver.

Having safely arrived at the top of the dunes, we sat and waited for the sunset.

Being April, it was much hotter than last time and we were wrong this time to have got a room without air conditioning, the temperature stays hot throughout the night before dropping very slightly in the early hours of the morning and then heating up all over again. This time the water in the bathroom was warm though, which made having a shower outdoors much more bearable.

The next day we headed along to Wadi Bani Khalid, again. This is still my favourite place in Oman, and while I wouldn't recommend a trip to the desert right now, Wadi Bani Khalid would be a perfect day trip because the pools of water are perfect for cooling off in.

With the summer quickly catching up with us, I'm starting to get a bit of anxiety thinking about being trapped indoors for the next couple of months. How do you cope?! 

Camping: 1000 Nights Camp, Wahiba Sands

I assume most people work up from regular camping to glamping. I'm not convinced I will enjoy a true camping experience, but when my sister arrived in Muscat and said she wanted to see the sands I decided that this time we should experience something a bit more "authentic".

We booked a stay at 1000 Nights Camp. The camp is an hour drive in from the main road; so it's far, approximately 40km in, and you need to know where you are going because once you get deep into the desert there is no phone signal. Annoyingly, the GPS coordinates on the website are wrong, but I have included them below. As you would expect, driving that far into the desert you do get the sense of total isolation, it is easy to be the only car in sight and when you are trying to beat sunset it adds to the thrill of the drive.

When you eventually get there, you arrive at a very authentic looking camp, plus a swimming pool. The tents are typical of what you would expect and depending on your budget you can go basic or luxury. We opted for the Sheikh tent, which has no AC but does have its own "bathroom". Since at this time of year it actually gets very cold at night not having AC is not a problem. I would suggest you take a jumper, and some socks.

Having never been camping showering outside was certainly a new experience for me. I'm not sure I was really that clean though after my 30 second shower, but the lukewarm water and cold air certainly woke me up.

When we first arrived at the camp we wanted to catch the sunset from the top of the dunes again, but since this camp doesn't offer a drive up there and we had to give ourselves plenty of time to walk up the dune, which is steep and tough! The climb reminded me why I really should start doing more exercise. What's nice is that the camp does have sandboards for you to use so if you can drag more than yourself up the dune, it's a fun way to come back down.

When evening came we had a BBQ dinner, which was ok, but I think by this time we were all exhausted, a little cold, and ready for sleep. Breakfast the next morning was good, freshly cooked omelets and crepes were available as well as cereals, fruit, and sausages. We then wandered around the camp before checking out, taking a look at the animals and once it started to heat up I realised why the camp also has a pool.

We heading off to Wadi Bani Khalid again for another explore of the area, which was just as beautiful as the first time.

You can read about Wadi Bani Khalid, here, and our first experience in Wahiba Sands at the very glamourous Desert Nights Camp, here. 

Camping: Wahiba Sands, Desert Nights Camp

I grew up with a very movie-inspired idea of what the Middle East and the desert looks like: golden sands and dunes as far as the eye can see, only disrupted by a lone wandering camel. You can appreciate my disappointment when landing in Muscat to find that it didn't fit this image. One area of Oman does fit the bill though, Wahiba Sands, and its located about 3 hours drive from Muscat. 

For my parent's final weekend in Oman we decided to treat them to a glamping experience at Desert Nights Camp, where you can experience the real desert with all modern comforts that Londoners expect. The drive to the camp is much like any other drive around Oman, lots of rocks, mountains and wadis. But as you approach the area you start to see a hint of the "real" desert, which is very exciting. 

The camp is situated about 10km from a tarmaced road. A four wheel drive is ideal, but we saw plenty of regular cars whizzing up and down the path, which is well tread. The sight as you distanced the road was quite thrilling, real sand, complete with ripples, and even camels. Driving on sand is surprisingly bumpy though, even though my husband described it as "like driving on air". 

We were welcomed into Desert Nights Camp with cool towels, dates, and Omani coffee. The friendly staff whisk off your luggage to your tents, saving you having to drag it through the sand. We stayed in a huge two room Bedouin style tent with plush Arabian inspired furnishing. All of the tents are air conditioned and I was pleased that the roof is doubled lined to limit the number of bugs that could have access to you! 

At around 4.30pm we were driven up to the top of the dunes to watch the sunset, which was my favourite part of the whole trip. The view is amazing and as the sun goes down the colours you see are beautiful. 

Breakfast and dinner are included in the stay, the camp's main area has a restaurant which serves a buffet BBQ for dinner, which was very good. We chose a spot outside to enjoy the atmosphere and luckily the wind had died down a bit or we would have ended up with very sandy food! 

After dinner we ventured away from the restaurant to get away from the lights and see the stars. If you are one for star gazing I would recommending downloading an app for your phone before you arrive (there is internet at the camp, but is limited to the reception area and is very slow). With the app you simply point your phone at the sky and you can see the names of each of the stars and what constellations they are in, and because there are very little "city lights" I've never seen so many stars. 

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast and took advantage of the free camel rides offered. Although the ride was short (about 3 minutes) it was long enough for me to realise I wouldn't want to head out into the desert for hours on a camel!

We only stayed the one night, and if you aren't doing any extra activities that is enough. Price wise the experience isn't cheap, an average night costs 125OR for two people (prices do drop when it gets hotter). There is a lack of mid-range desert camping experiences so the option really is to go glam or budget. Obviously if you are in Oman on holiday I say go glam and treat yourself to any of the additional activities you want, you only live once. However, as someone living here I would love to return but the price is limiting. As a HSBC customer they had a offer giving me 15% discount (which just about covers the taxes not included in the room rate) but the camp made it really difficult for me to get this. If you are a Phoenix Club member I believe you can get 20% discount, just make sure you confirm it with the camp first and have it in writing!