The Wahiba desert is just inland from the Omani city of Sur. It looks like the Sahara, with endless sand dunes. Omani entrepreneurs have set up desert camps throughout the area, but spaced so travelers think they are alone in an empty expanse of desert. We spent the night of January 25, 2026 at our camp. In the evening, we went "dune bashing" in our SUVs, and were served dates and Arabian coffee heated over a campfire in the sand (only dates for Dave and me). In the morning, Dave and I were up before dawn for a camel ride into the desert to see the sunrise.
We had our own thatched hut with heavy, white-washed walls and Bedouin-patterned cushions on the porch.
The camp was low and sand-colored, so it nearly disappeared among the surrounding dunes.
We ate dinner and breakfast at the outdoor restaurant. There was a grilling station for camel meat. Dave said it tasted just like...chicken.
The camp also had a Bedouin tent, with typical Bedouin furnishings.
Our evening began with dune-bashing--the drivers of our SUVs competing to see who could dash down the steepest dunes the fastest, and swerve at the sharpest angles.
The drivers then built a campfire and heated strong Arab coffee, as the rest of us watched the sunset.
The drivers paused for prayers.
In the morning, Dave and I and our friend, Sue, signed up for a camel ride into the dunes to see the dawn. The ride, including a stop to admire the rising sun, took a bit more than an hour. That is all I need of camel riding. I didn't realize that my camel would have no stirrups, and the only way I could hold on was one big handle tied to the top of the hump.
I felt like I was holding on for dear life, especially as the camel lurched up and down to get me on and off.
Camel beauty contests are a "thing" in the Gulf States. Puffy lips and long eyelashes are prized. I'm not sure how our creatures would have fared in a beauty contest.
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