Desert Oasis Adventure: Wadi Shab, Bani Khalid & Camp

We opted for this tour as two American travelers in our mid-20s, who have been to ~50 countries and taken a number of tours - this is by far one of the worst tours we have ever taken. First of all, the tour was falsely advertised, as we did not stop at the sinkhole at all and after we arrived at what we thought was Wadi Shab, we were told that it was a different wadi. There was no "desert safari" - we basically paid $700 (we chose to book the Desert Night camp ourselves) for just transport to the desert from our hotel, which we could have booked at the hotel for much cheaper. While booking the experience, we communicated that we wanted to try basic dune bashing, which we were told would be part of the experience. Once we got to the camp, we were told to take the complimentary desert camp car up to the dunes to watch the sunset, as well as the complimentary camel ride through the camp. The tour guide simply drove us and did not walk with us at all at the Wadi nor at the camp, and despite us asking questions about Oman's history and culture, did not learn much at all. The guide was nice and polite but seemed more concerned about stopping to check on his house being constructed by the desert instead of making this "tour" an informative and enjoyable experience for us. Finally, the cherry on the top of this all was the end of the tour, when we were haggled for full cash payment upon arrival to the hotel. We were shocked - who carries that much cash in a foreign country on them? We have taken numerous tours, and if there is an expectation of cash payment, that has always been communicated to us well in advance, or we have paid with credit card. When we said we didn't have that much cash with us, the company demanded that we make an online payment with an absurd service fee tacked on, to which we objected and ultimately just ended up paying the $700 online. This "tour" is a joke, completely unprofessional and disorganized, and we highly recommend avoiding this company. Save your money - you're better off just hiring hotel transport than booking this experience.

Had a great tour. Felt very lucky to have guide Aziz who came fully prepared for everything the day had to offer. Tent, pillow and sleeping bag was all provided for along with plenty of water. Really enjoyed the local knowledge and the secret pool at the end of the Tiwi was certainly a highlight.

The Wadi and the sunset in the desert were wonderful experiences. Due to the heat that day the overnight was changed from wild camp-Site to the tents of 1000 Nights Desert Camp that provide cooling AC. That was a very, very reasonable decision. Like that, everything was perfectly organized. So thumbs up :-)