The Best Adventure Activities in Oman

Adrenaline junkies can try a ton of thrilling adventure activities in Oman, a location that is bursting at the seams with them.

The nation is endowed with an abundance of breathtaking natural features, such as vast deserts, unexplored cliffs, tall mountains, craggy wadis, and deep blue lakes and seas. You can find any kind of adventure you're looking for in the Sultanate of Oman.

Here is a list of adventurous things you can do during your next trip to Oman.

The Send Dune Bashing

Dune bashing, also known as desert driving, is an exhilarating activity where you can put your nerves to the test in a vast expanse of sand. Leading Oman desert safari tour operator Mountain Valley Holiday has years of experience planning amazing dune-bashing excursions. Our vehicles take you through the wilderness in a dashing drive that keeps you holding onto the edge of your seats and screeching as you go up and down the dunes. The dunes of Oman’s desert offer a terrific experience that you won’t forget during your entire lifetime. It's a challenging journey, but our well-maintained 4 X 4 vehicles and highly experienced drivers keep you safe!

The Sharqiya desert's vast emptiness, with nothing but rolling dunes extending to the horizon, will astound you. It’s the ideal activity for both experienced thrillseekers and those looking to add a little zing to their holiday. Don't assume it's just a long drive through the desert, though, just because we say it's a safe activity. Riding the waves is an exciting activity that is best done under the supervision of knowledgeable drivers because there is plenty of excitement to be had. After that, you can visit Bedouin villages to learn more about how they live in the desert or combine this with a stay at a desert camp. Mountain Valley Holidays can arrange a well-planned tour for you, which is why it is a highly-rated tour operator in Oman.

With high dunes and long sand valleys, you'll never get bored of adrenaline-fueled dune bashing in Oman. Experience the breathtaking sands that lie in the enormous Wahiba desert with Mountain Valley Holiday on one of the many dune-bashing trips, or choose to tackle the dunes during your stay at 1000 Nights Camp, Arabian Oryx Camp, or Desert Nights Camp. Adventure tours in Oman

Mountain Biking

Mountain biking has gained worldwide acclaim since it was first developed and made popular in the 1970s. It is now practiced by a large number of ardent cyclists. Here in Oman, an increasing number of bikers have discovered the charms of Oman’s expansive landscape and are choosing to head to the country to get a taste of its charms.

The Al Hajar Mountains, which play a significant role in the country's geographic layout, serve as another geographic boundary for Oman in addition to the vast Al Sharqiya sand desert. The Hajar Mountains, which rise to a height of 2,000 meters in the Musandam Peninsula, contains numerous graded tracks that were originally made for four-wheel drives and provide the ideal terrain for cross-country mountain biking in Oman.

These tracks are typically the width of a car and provide enough space for two cyclists to ride next to each other. The tracks vary greatly in difficulty, with most being easily doable even if they do become steep at times.

On some routes, the tracks cross wadis, which makes them more strenuous to ride as the trail is harder to follow without an experienced guide. Many new tracks have been constructed recently to support larger infrastructure projects; while they may not be particularly picturesque, they are frequently quite difficult to ride and it's fun to access new areas. Occasionally, sand from the nearby desert can be blown over a track, which makes cycling more difficult. Other than these, the remains of old donkey routes and walking paths can be transformed into popular single trails after some cleaning and trail building.

Hiking

Many believe the Sultanate of Oman to be made up of tiny cities surrounded by a vast, arid, and barren desert, but what most don’t realize is that Oman is a region with a varied, beautiful landscape, and tourists need to learn that the most stunning scenery in the country is only available to those who are willing to walk for it.

Oman is the ideal location for your next hiking vacation because it has perfect weather for nearly nine months of the year, with cool evenings suitable for willing campers. Some of the best trails can be found near the wadis, with both easy and difficult trails to choose from.

Wadi Visits

Once we mention Wadi’s, we should clarify that they are an adventure in themselves. On a long, hot afternoon, there’s nothing more refreshing than plunging into a wadi pool—its cool, clear water washes away the dust and heat of the day. The majority of Omanis adore these natural oases, which are surrounded by date palms and fruit trees, and frequent them for picnics, parties, and impromptu diving competitions. 

If you ask for recommendations, you will be inundated with choices, as everyone has their personal favorites that they’ll be glad to show you the way to. Some of the best wadis are difficult to reach without a guide, but we promise that they are worth the effort, as you will realize when you gaze upon the clear blue and green waters or go exploring through caves and cliff-like structures. Some of the popular wadis include Wadi Ghul, Wadi Arbayeen, Wadi Bani Khalid, and Wadi Shab, Wadi-Tiwi among others; Also, if you have the time, you should head to the Bimmah Sinkhole for a delightful evening.

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving

The unspoiled sea life and coral of Oman offer a safe, cheap, and friendly place to go diving or snorkeling, and are typically more accessible than similar destinations in the Pacific island area. The Gulf of Oman and the northern Arabian Sea have generally pleasant ocean temperatures, with November's average being around 28 degrees Celsius and rising to even higher levels in the summer, from July to September. Oman Sea tours

The months of November through January are some of the best for planning your snorkeling trip to Oman because the water temperature and visibility are at their best during this time. The clear waters also help you spot some of the increased numbers of sharks and dolphins in the region at these times of the year. A trip to one of the nine beautiful Daymaniyat Islands is one of the most popular diving spots, with the islands lying some seventeen kilometers from the coast, which is only about half an hour by boat. The city of Musandam is another great destination for diving enthusiasts, with turtles, whale sharks, hammerheads, and eagle rays all on view. snake canyon

Snorkeling is a great way to see the beauty of the underwater world, which is home to eye-popping underwater corals, fish such as parrotfish, wrasses, and striped sergeant fish, as well as occasionally clownfish and thrilling swims with rays, leopard sharks, and cuttlefish. People who don't think they can handle scuba diving should give it a try.

Whale Watching and Dolphin Spotting

In Musandam, Ras al Hadd, Masirah Island, and Dhofar, you can choose to go on tours for whale watching and dolphin spotting. Keep an eye out on these tours for the uncommon sightings of these migratory animals that travel these routes every year. The majority of these tours are based out of Muscat and last for about two hours, or longer if they are combined with snorkeling or other types of coastal sightseeing. The boats used for dolphin spotting tours around the country can range in size from small, open-decked boats with outboard engines to larger and more traditional wooden Dhows.

Spinner dolphin sightings are common near Muscat all year long. Other species that are frequently seen include common bottlenose dolphins, Risso's dolphins, Bryde's whales, false killer whales, sperm whales, and, less frequently, killer whales, blue whales, and humpback whales from the Arabian Sea. Both Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins can be seen year-round in the shallow water inlets of the Musandam peninsula in northern Oman, and either or both species are occasionally spotted along the shores of mainland Dhofar in the south of the country between September and May. Observations of humpback whales in the Arabian Sea are uncommon outside of Dhofar.

Camel Safari

It is possible to arrange camel tours of the Sharqiya Sands with the local Bedouins, whose knowledge of the region is unmatched, for a more leisurely but no less fascinating experience. One of the most unforgettable and captivating experiences you can have in Oman is riding a camel through the rippling, windswept desert, tahery cave with the option to camp out under the stars or head back to your hotel. You'll also have the chance to see Oman's simple, rural way of life on a camel safari. While the desert can sometimes seem desolate and lifeless, there is a surprising amount of vegetation and wildlife to be found there, including several migratory birds that pass through during the right time of year.

Oman Tours also offers a variety of other thrilling adventure activities, including paragliding, river-crossing, camping, and more.