Breakfast in the garden at the Omani Guesthouse then into our 4×4 to head to the desert. Had booked a desert camp for one night and needed to meet in Bidiyah to get guided there through the sands. Major 6 lane highway almost all the way. Tried to stop at an interesting museum in Al Kamil but it was shut.
Stopped in Ibra to see their souk (market) but it was disappointing- unattractive and utilitarian. Tried to find the old fort and ruins of the old town. Took a while and really not much there of interest. Had a quick, tasty lunch at a greasy spoon restaurant then on to Bidiyah.
As we approached Bidiyah, could start to see the golden-red sands. Found our meeting spot at the edge of the desert just before 3pm. First step was to deflate our tires so that we could drive in sand. After waiting for over an hour, followed our guide’s truck into the desert. Lots of fun driving in for about 20 minutes. Camp was nestled between two large dunes and consisted of about 10 Bedouin tents on stilts with comfortable beds, ensuite toilets and showers! Now that’s camping. Coffee, tea, dates, cakes and fruit were served up for afternoon tea on the communal dining platform. After a snack, wandered around camp and checked out the camels being readied to ride. We chose to do a walk through the dunes to see the sunset instead. Hitched a ride over seven dunes with folks who were dune bashing. Snapped some sunset pix then headed back towards camp. Got caught in a sandstorm that was very uncomfortable, sand went everywhere – eyes, ears, mouth and nose, but we managed to find our way back to our tent. Delicious dinner in the dining area then off to bed. Sadly, no promised campfire and stars were significantly obscured by the almost full moon.
