Hud Hud Travels is a 5-star glamping organization offering private, bespoke camps for families, couples, and groups in Oman’s most fabulous and unspoiled landscapes. They combine the camping experience with Oman’s 5-star hotels and are able to create custom itineraries to cater to individual travellers’ needs. Each camp is set up solely for the guests and can be customized for each trip according to the guests’ demands. They offer insightful guiding of Oman, fabulously varied day trips, great hospitality, and isolation from the rest of the world. Their core focus is to engage their clients with nature, fellow travellers, and surroundings and detach them from technology.

Hud Hud Travels offer anything from a laid-back camp on an uninhabited isolated island to a survival course in Oman’s Empty Quarter. Some of the activities they can arrange are sailing, diving, kitesurfing, camel rides, cultural exploration, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, canyoning, extreme dining, trekking, stargazing, or just relaxing away from it all. They have unprecedented experience in delivering unique and innovative private and group events in Oman, as well as creative dining and wedding venues in nature. 

Hud Hud Travels has three different camp styles (African, Bedouin, and Bell Tent). These varieties are applied based on location, seasonality, and logistics. All room tents have their own private bathroom with a gravity-fed shower and a smart African long drop style toilet as well as a dining area, a Majlis (Arabic style sitting room) kitted out with topical books, games, iPad for stargazing as well as some info on local flair and fauna. All of their camps include a 5-star chef and dining experience and friendly staff to serve the guest’s needs.

Hud Hud Travels pride themselves on stepping off the beaten path as much as they can and on looking after nature. They have reduced their plastic usage by 90% in 2019.  

Your Trip

Your guide will pick you up from the hotel or the airport on the first day of your trip at a pre-arranged time. You will have the opportunity to discuss the planned itinerary and speak to your guide about what you would like to experience, and the itinerary can be tailored accordingly. This can also be discussed ahead of your trip if you have anything specific in mind.

Arrival/Departure

This is very much dependent on your itinerary, but you are likely to reach the camp between 4 pm and 5 pm, just in time for sunset. Departure times are usually between 8 am and 9 am to make the most of the day.

Accommodation

Hud Hud Travels uses a variety of sleeping tents depending on the camp location and time of year. In order to ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible, they always assess the temperature and weather before determining which style of tents to use. Bedrooms offer a high level of comfort with beds made up of mattresses, duvets, pillows, and cotton sheets. Each bedroom has a separate bathroom tent positioned close by. There is also a large majlis tent with Arabic-style seating for relaxing in. Meals are served at a dining table under the stars.

Bathroom Facilities

Toilets are ‘African style long drops’ and are covered by a wooden seat. Hud Hud Travels use gravity-fed showers and heat the water upon request. Towels are changed every two days.

Vehicles

Hud Hud Travels use 4×4 Toyota Land Cruisers. These are the best options for off-road driving and they are very comfortable. Each vehicle can carry a maximum of four passengers, although they recommend a maximum of three adults per car for comfort. If you are travelling in a larger group then you will be split between two or more vehicles. They can provide child seats for children travelling in the vehicles upon request.

Climate

From October to March, daytime temperatures range from 25-38°C, and nighttime temperatures in the desert can drop to around 10°C (over the winter months). Mountain temperatures typically drop a further 10°C. When possible, Hud Hud Travels light a campfire and provide hot water bottles. The best time to come to Oman is between September and May as it is generally too hot to be enjoyable outside these months.  

Meals and Drinks

Hud Hud Travels provides a picnic lunch each day you are travelling. At the camp area, their chef will prepare a delicious three-course dinner and a continental breakfast in the morning, complemented by a selection of freshly cooked dishes. Please notify on booking if you have any specific dietary requirements or food allergies.

Hud Hud Travels has a selection of soft drinks and fruit juices in the camp, along with coffee and a variety of teas. If you would like anything specific, then please let them know in advance and they will do their best to provide it. They are not permitted to provide alcohol but will happily chill and serve anything you bring with you. Alcohol is not readily available in the country, but you can purchase it at the duty-free shop in the arrivals hall at Muscat Airport. Each adult is permitted four bottles.

Power and Mobile Coverage

Hud Hud Travels uses quiet generators during the day to power fridges and freezers but they are turned off once the dinner is served to ensure that the guests can really appreciate the remoteness and solitude of the areas they are camping at. There are no power outlets in the sleeping tents but if you need to charge any device please ask a staff member. There is no mobile phone signal at camp but there are satellite phones for emergencies. During the day you should have a good signal when traveling. If you are expecting a call or need to make one then please mention this to your guide and they can ensure you are reachable at the given time.

Sample Itinerary

Enjoy the luxury of a comfortable two-night expedition deep in the heart of the breathtaking Wahiba Sands. Our route takes us via much of Oman’s most impressive scenery including mountains, wadis, traditional Omani villages, forts, and into the stunning sand dunes of the Wahiba Desert.

Day 1

Leaving Muscat after breakfast the group makes their way to the coastal road that runs between Muscat and Sur. After short stops at the Bimah Sinkhole and White Beach, the group turns away from the sea and heads up the northern face of the eastern Hajar Mountains. Following a steep gravel track that, in a short time, takes the group to the peak of the impressive Selmah Plateau over 2,000 m above sea level. Views to the north are of the Arabian Sea and, to the south in the hazy distance, the Wahiba Desert.

This track passes ancient villages that were, until a couple of years ago, only accessible on foot or by donkey. This long, west-facing ridge is spectacularly lined with numerous beehive tombs built by the Umm Naa people in around 2500BC. Here the group will stop for a delicious and freshly prepared picnic lunch.

By mid-afternoon, the adventurers will leave the mountains behind and head through Wadi Tayeen. Leaving the tarmac road behind, the group enters the desert and drives the final stretch on sandy tracks before reaching the camp, set up with the russet red dunes.

The Wahiba Sands is a stunning desert of parallel valleys of sand dunes stretching north to south. Bedouin live, mostly on a seasonal basis, in the dunes tending to their camels. The camp will be nestled deep within the desert, away from other tourists and light pollution from streets and villages at the desert’s edge. The skies are crystal clear and covered with stars.

Day 2

Watch the sunrise over the imposing Sharqiya Sand dunes from camp, or for the more energetic, make your way to the top of a dune.

After a relaxed breakfast, the adventurers drive out of the desert to Wadi Bani Khalid, one of the greatest, most dramatic wadis in Oman, a green oasis spectacularly set against a mountain backdrop. The village still farms in a traditional manner growing dates, bananas, mangos, and papaya. A walk through this remote and little-visited community provides an insight into the lives of Omanis now and in many ways as they have always been. The wadi flows out of the village and into a dramatic and steep-sided canyon, which winds up from its entrance, occasioned by rock pools ideal for a quick dip. You will be served a delicious Hud Hud picnic lunch in the shade of the cliffs. The route is a combination of boulders, hiking, and swimming that is great fun.

Under the expert tutelage of seasoned Omani drivers, you will be given little tips and tricks about how to rescue even the most deeply embedded vehicle. Sandboarding can be organized in the late afternoon or, alternatively, you can just relax and soak up the views before enjoying a fantastic dinner served beside a crackling log fire.

Day 3

After breakfast, there is an opportunity to visit a local Bedouin family for traditional Omani kahwa (coffee) and dates. This brief meeting provides means of better understanding how the people work and live, in what can be perceived as an extremely harsh environment.

The onward journey passes some very dramatic terrain to the coast near the fishing town of Sur. There are many fishermen and a thriving fish industry that has existed for centuries. There is a small dhow factory where the traditional sailing boats that have taken Omani explorers, traders, and colonialists to the furthest reaches of the Indian Ocean, are still made.

The group will then continue with their route up the coast on the sea-side of the Hajar range, stopping at either Wadi Shab or Wadi Tiwi for a walk and a swim, arriving back to Muscat in the late afternoon.