As the father of three young daughters, Maddie, Evie and Bella (aged, 4, 6, and 8), my wife Millie and I usually opt for a beach getaway involving a substantial kids’ club and a bit of surf.
However, as our kids have grown older, and after 16 years of living in Singapore and exploring much of the surrounding region, we have discussed venturing further afield to experience new travel destinations. When friends moved to the Middle East last year, the region and Oman came onto our radar. A bit of research uncovered many attractions, from ancient forts, bustling souks, and ornate mosques, to dramatic sand dunes, tropical islands, outdoorsy activities (and even some swells!). Several websites showcased adventure and escape via family road trips which planted a few seeds and simultaneously put our minds at ease regarding how to go about it.
We’d never undertaken a family road trip before, so the opportunity to explore Oman – ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ style – had a certain mystique and appeal. We also discovered that the region has an excellent road system! Thanks to our trusty travel spreadsheet, we mapped out our eight-day journey in advance including travel times, places of interest, and accommodation. We also downloaded Google Maps so we could access it in the middle of nowhere with no reception. (As ANZA Scouts would say, “always be prepared!”).
DAY 1
After flying from Changi to Dubai, we picked up our hire car from Avis at Dubai Airport as they allowed border crossings into Oman, plus we could drop the car back there when we came to leave. We spent one night in the city before setting off on a six-hour drive (it would take less without little people) from Dubai to Nizwa, one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Oman. We wanted to stay in the old town, home to the most famous fort in Oman, Nizwa Fort, built in the 1600s, plus several other attractions including the souq (market), selling everything from farm animals to trinkets. Our girls were enthralled by seeing camels, goats, and cows up close in a somewhat chaotic market environment! We also purchased some lovely pottery and trinkets to take home – yes, the shopping started early!
After a fantastic dinner at Tamrah Restaurant (tamrahrestaurant), which has an awesome rooftop venue overlooking the fort, mosque, and mountains, we spent the night at Al Bustan Inn (topomanhotels.com), a cute little place perfectly located by an entrance to the old town with a nice garden and a small pool. We highly recommend staying around this area when visiting.
DAY 2
We got up early to embark on a two-hour drive up the Jabel Akhdar mountains which has to be one of the world’s epic drives, rising to over 2000m with incredible vistas mesmerising you. As we didn’t have the required 4WD for access, we parked our car at the mountain’s security checkpoint and hitched a ride with a friendly local in their Land Cruiser (who also charged several hundred dollars less than the hotel quote!). Given the majestic setting, we wanted to stay somewhere memorable so opted for Alila Jabel Akhdar (hyatt.com) which is set on a clifftop on what feels like the edge of the world. An infinity pool takes in the glorious view whilst the resort is camouflaged into the setting which brings a sense of connection to nature. The architecture draws on the ancient forts in the region for a truly unique setting.
In such a remote and elevated landscape, on top of the must-do hiking we also joined the star gazing experience led by a passionate astronomer – our kids loved the high-powered telescope! The barren mountains provided an incredible location and whilst we loved the Alila hotel, it would be hard to go wrong elsewhere.
DAY 3
A four-hour drive from Jabel Akhdar took us up to One Thousand Nights Camp (thousandnightsoman.com) in the heart of Eastern Omani Sands, a camp consisting of around 50 luxurious (by desert standards!) and traditional black wool Bedouin tents, and our home for the next two nights. Everyone was super-excited on the journey, not only for the desert glamping experience that awaited us but also because we were meeting some family friends, some from Singapore and others who have moved on.
We parked our SUV in the nearest town of Bidiyah and met our driver for the 45-minute ride into the desert which we pre-arranged with the camp at an additional charge. This was definitely the right call given our inexperience with dune bashing and unknown terrain.
Upon arrival, it was pure joy mixed with pandemonium as seven children were reunited and headed straight for the pool. Towards dusk, we all climbed the sizeable sand dunes. Reaching the peak as the sun began to set was our first real experience of being amongst gigantic desert dunes and it was just breathtaking. The kids rolled wildly down the dunes having the time of their lives; the adults couldn’t stop smiling. It was a beautiful moment, finally closed out with us back at camp post dinner lounging around a large fire and cooking marshmallows.
DAY 4
This was a proper day of Omani adventure! The camp has lots of excursions on offer, so the dads thoroughly enjoyed an ATV excursion blasting around the surrounding dunes while the mums hung out by the camp pool. We rejoined forces in the evening to head on a sunset camel ride into the dunes with our 11 camels! While the ride was a little scary at first for the young kids who went solo on fairly sizeable camels, this proved short-lived as squeals of delight and much laughter took over – especially at the bodily workings of these large beasts.
In the evening our party was collected by a squadron of Land Cruisers and driven further into the desert for a buffet BBQ feast of succulent meat, Arabic salads and thick Lebanese bread on top of the dunes. The night was completed again with a fire, marshmallows, and memories of being reunited with friends against landscapes so completely new and foreign that we will all cherish forever.
DAY 5
It was time for our group to leave our Bedouin bolthole together and head back into civilisation. After being transferred back to our hire car in Bidiyah, we got ourselves comfy in the car again for the five-hour drive to Oman’s capital, Muscat. About three hours into the journey, we stopped to check out the coastal city of Sur, known as one of the oldest coastal ports and maritime cities in the world. With the kids faltering a little, we settled for a quick swim at the beach and a race around Al Ayjah lighthouse which faces out over the Gulf of Oman.
We would’ve loved to explore along the coastline to the south a bit further, however we didn’t want to risk overdoing it with the kids in the car so we settled on three final nights at the Grand Hyatt Muscat (hyatt.com) with our friends. Set in the heart of Muscat, it was an excellent location on the beach with spectacular views of the Hajar mountains. The lazy river here was a winner with all the kids!
DAY 6
Amongst all the driving, we had to include a day at sea into our trip: cue the hotel helping us to charter a boat from Muscat to make the 18km excursion to the Ad Dimaniyat Islands in the Arabian Sea. These nine tropical islands are a protected nature reserve and blessed with pristine turquoise water begging you to snorkel (or dive) amongst rich turtle and fish populations. We got a little unlucky with an algae bloom which is growing more common in the gulf – it didn’t stop us snorkelling but it did restrict visibility. As the Ad Dimaniyat islands were not opened to the public until 2013 (they were previously reserved for marine researchers and conservationists), they felt like a well-kept secret and reinforced the sheer variety of things to see and do across Oman.
DAY 8
After we bid farewell to our friends at the hotel, we set out for the five hour drive back to Dubai. This time we drove via a different border, crossing at Hatta – Al Wajajah in a bid to visit Hatta Rock Pools, a series of natural pools where you can swim between the rock crevices, bathe in a small waterfall, or just relax on the rock ledges. This was a welcome break and the swim was amazing. Wadis, which are spring or creek settings are a real highlight across Oman and in hindsight, I wish we’d visited more of them. Just as we were getting set to pack up, a local family sitting near to us insisted we join them in eating their homemade biryani, further reinforcing the very welcoming Omani culture.
CONCLUSION
Oman is simply incredible with so much to offer. Our fears about how our younger children would cope with the consistent road time were overplayed and our road trip ended up being a real bonding experience. Only two iPad movies were watched throughout the entire journey – a shockingly positive result and testament to the wonder of Oman. The Middle East has not seen the last of the Martin family!
Recommended websites for an Oman road trip
showthemtheglobe.com/oman-with-kids-itinerary
livelikeitstheweekend.com/oman-road-trip-itinerary
solemateadventures.com/oman-road-trip-a-4-day-self-drive-oman-itinerary
justgoexploring.com/destinations/driving-from-dubai-to-oman
