Sailing
Season: Year round
Sail with us on the Jinan Al Bahr, a Turkish gulet, to Bandar Khiran for swimming, snorkelling and white sandy beaches, before returning to Muscat. Turtles, dolphins and many species of colourful fish are often seen on these trips. Sailing trips can be arranged for half day, full day or overnight charter.
Wadi and dune bashing
Season: Year round
A popular, fun activity in Oman, and one indigenous to the region, is wadi-bashing. Wadis are dry riverbeds that run through the mountains to form a narrow valley that can often be negotiated in a four-wheel-drive vehicle – join us to discover lush greenery, sparkling pools for swimming and waterfalls.
Meanwhile the Wahiba Sands are pure desert where you come face to face with enormous dunes which ripple along for 200 kilometres. You’ll see the great orange mountains of sand rising from the plain long before you actually reach them then traverse them in our comfortable 4WD vehicles where our experienced drivers will take you for a rollercoaster thrill ride!
Heritage & Culture Tours
Season: Year round
Our Heritage Tours will introduce you to some of the most significant forts and castles in Oman, along with many ruins and ancient tombs.
Dolphin watching
Season: Year round
Sea Thunder is a “Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat” – RHIB - which operates dolphin watching and coastal tours out of Muscat several times a day. Tours last 90 minutes and include an informative coastal tour pointing out a number of historical sites as well as travelling further into the Gulf of Oman in search of dolphins. Dolphins swim in large numbers off the coast of Oman and while we cannot guarantee a sighting on every trip, we do our best to try and find them! Such a trip is a highlight for many visitors to the Sultanate.
Sundowner Cruise
Season: Year round
Watch the sun go down over Muscat from the tranquillity of our yacht as we sail around the coast, and the twinkling lights appear as the city comes alive at night. Traditional Arab coffee and dates will be served for an authentic experience, in addition to a range of soft drinks.
Horse Riding
Season: Year round
Desert Thunder can organize horse riding along beaches in Muscat or in the desert. A trained rider accompanies you on the trip and gives guidance as to what you see on the ride.
Trekking
Season: Year round
Desert Thunder can organize treks in both wadis and mountains in Oman, varying from easy walks for just 2 -3 hours to more strenuous all-day treks. Wadis provide some of the best hiking in Oman as mountain walls rise up to form shady green corridors of rushing streams, boulders, swimming holes and palm trees. The Hajar mountains also provide excellent conditions for enjoyable trekking, and additionally many remote spots provide breathtaking views of the surrounding areas.
Big Game Fishing
Season: Year round
Spend a day at sea on a real big-game fishing yacht, the Al Tayf, fully equipped for a fishing experience you are unlikely to forget. The waters of the Gulf of Oman are teeming with marine life and you will be guaranteed to come back with a catch, perhaps of tuna, red snapper, kingfish, barracuda, marlin and sailfish, all of which are regular catches.
Scuba diving
Season: Year round
In association with Euro Divers, Desert Thunder offers scuba diving trips from any of our 3 boats. A fully trained PADI instructor accompanies the divers and can give instruction for first time divers or experienced divers alike.
Food and Beverages
Hotels are booked on a B&B basis, but half board (to include dinner) can also be arranged. Lunch is included on all our day trips whether that be on sea or land. This can vary from a picnic lunch provided by a local hotel, to lunch in a local restaurant serving Omani food, depending on where the tour is going. Water is always included on all trips, both land and sea.
Accommodation
We will provide whatever accommodation our guests prefer but specialise in either 4 or 5* hotels where our excellent rates make visiting the Sultanate very affordable.
We also have camping equipment consisting of 4m x 3m tents with a luxury bed and duvet plus kitchen and toilets facilities.
The Jinan al Bahr gulet yacht has 6 double en-suite air-conditioned cabins whilst Al Tayf, our motor cruiser, has 1 double and 1 twin cabin.
Transport
Desert Thunder owns 3 boats:
Sea Thunder is a ten metre “Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat” – RHIB - which seats 12 people.
Jinan Al Bahr is a 24m Turkish gulet, which can accommodate 25 people for day or half day tours, and also has 6 cabins so 12 people can stay overnight.
Al Tayf is a VIP yacht and has a maximum capacity of 15 passengers. It has 2 cabins able to accommodate 4 people overnight.
Ice boxes are provided on all our boats, as are lifejackets; an informative safety briefing is given to all passengers before each trip.
Desert Thunder also own 4WD drive vehicles and 2 minibuses: seatbelts are available in all. We take no more than 4 people maximum per 4WD to ensure everyone’s comfort and safety.
Local Guides
We employ 6 local guides. They are all trained both by our Director of Operations in customer service and by our head guide who has over 10 years experience. All are registered Ministry of Tourism approved guides. Training is an ongoing process and we set aside 1 morning a week to go over various points and to cover new ground.
Reliability and excellence in meeting the needs of highly discerning travellers is what sets us apart from all others. We been careful to recruit highly disciplined guides who are dedicated to their job. Two of the guides are First Aid trained and the remainder are currently undergoing training. We have two guides who are experienced trekkers and who know the mountains well and can call on two others when required.
Age Restrictions
We prefer to operate tours without age restrictions, and welcome families with young children and senior members. We will give advice on the suitability of our tours if needed and details what we believe ages the tour is most suitable for in each itinerary. Should you have any queries we will be pleased to advise.
What to Bring
Generally speaking no specialist equipment or clothing necessary, but this can vary from tour to tour. The dress code in Oman is comparatively relaxed, but extremely revealing and inappropriate clothing may be considered offensive. It is preferable when in rural areas for women to wear longer trousers and have their shoulders covered.
Lightweight summer clothing is ideal for most of the year. Sweaters, a fleece or a light jacket may be needed for the cooler evenings during the winter months.
On trekking tours or those into the desert we advise lightweight trail boots, trekking trousers and a fleece – details in each tour itinerary.
