Wednesday 11 March 2015

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".
1000 nights camp oman wahiba sands
1000 nights camp oman wahiba sands tent
1000 nights camp oman wahiba sands tent inside
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.
wahiba sands sunset1000 nights camp oman birds eye view
1000 nights camp bbq
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.
1000 nights camp horses
1000 nights camp animals You can read about Wadi Bani Khalid, here, and our first experience in Wahiba Sands at the very glamourous Desert Nights Camp, here

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