Muscat, Oman

Magic Camps Oman

Price per night from$2,529.91

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD2,529.91), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Perfect pitch

Setting

High dune

Discover magic in the Arabian desert at Magic Camps Oman, a series of secluded luxury tents tucked away from civilisation. The camp is specially constructed for each group, meaning attentive service and a once-in-a-lifetime experience by towering golden sand dunes or space where the sands meet the Arabian Sea. Head out on camel rides or surf the sand dunes by day, then return for festive banquets of mezze and skewers. The tents are stocked with Berber textiles and plush mattresses for perfect sleeps, with flickering lanterns reading, though the best light show happens overhead with glorious views of the desert sky.

Smith Extra

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A sunset mocktail spread

Facilities

Photos Magic Camps Oman facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Fifteen tents maximum per camp.

Check–Out

10am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

Prices

Double rooms from £2444.59 ($3,086), including tax at 22 per cent.

More details

Rates include continental breakfast and dinner, as well as laundry.

Also

Activities are tailored to each group’s preferences, and can include camel rides, dune bashing and microlight flights over the dessert.

Hotel closed

The camps are closed from May 1 through August 31.

At the hotel

Dining tent, four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Our favourite rooms

Each tent is equally spacious and situated for maximum privacy, with Bedouin-style linens, a divan and lanterns.

Packing tips

Bring plenty of sunscreen and bandanas or linen scarves to protect from the desert sun and sand.

Also

The camp is not wheelchair-accessible.

Children

All ages welcome, though the camp is best suited to older children who will be fine without electricity and can participate in camel rides and sandboarding. If you're travelling with children, ask about extra bed rates for littles when booking.

Sustainability efforts

The hotel is made of packable tents, making it temporary and quite green, so when it’s packed up at the end of a stay, no traces are left behind. The staff use minimal power, including solar energy and candles for light to minimise impact on the surroundings.

Food and Drink

Photos Magic Camps Oman food and drink

Top Table

The lone table is set for your group, so rest assured that you’ll have the top table in the open-sided tent.

Dress Code

The weather can cool off at night, so plan to layer on fleece.

Hotel restaurant

Meals are prepared in the communal tent, showcasing the best of the region, with hummus, tabbouleh, barbecued prawns and meats, and saffron-scented biryanis to fortify diners for desert adventures. The breakfast spread includes breads, cereals and an omelette station.

Hotel bar

There’s no dedicated bar, but there is a cooler of soft drinks. They don't have alcohol, but if you bring your own they'll happily chill it for you.

Last orders

The staff accommodates each group’s preferred timing, though dinner is typically at 7pm, and breakfast can start as early at 7am.

Location

Photos Magic Camps Oman location
Address
Magic Camps Oman
8V4M+8R
Al Hawiyah
Oman

Magic Camps Oman are located in Qihayd, Ras Ruwais and the Wahiba Desert, toward the west coast of Oman.

Planes

Muscat International Airport is the closest international airport, a three-hour drive from the camps. Oman Air operates direct flights from London, Paris and Milan, as well as Middle Eastern hubs. Contact Smith24 for transfers.

Automobiles

Navigating the roads to this remote desert hideaway isn’t easy, but can be done. Nizwa, an ancient trading centre, is the nearest city to the Camp, a two-and-a-half-hour drive away. Though there is on-site parking, a four-wheel-drive car is necessary for navigating – and crashing through – the dunes, so Magic Camps operates a shuttle from a nearby Shell petrol station at Al Mintarib for US$375 a vehicle (for up to four guests). For the desert crossing from Wahiba to Qihayd/Ras Ar Ruways, transfers in a four-wheel-drive cost US$500 each way (for up to four guests).

Worth getting out of bed for

Whether guests prefer to enjoy the desert on land, by air or in an oasis of water, adventures await at Magic Camps.  Hop out of bed at dawn to take on each day. The staff can arrange coffee and tea service as the sun climbs over the eastern dunes. After robust breakfast, take on the dunes, either crashing through on a buggy or mastering the front flip sandboarding. For an aerial view of the desert, hit the skies in a microlight fixed-wing craft, soaring 90 metres over the sands. For a real oasis, Wadi Bani Khalid is a palm-dotted valley escape of pools and caves, including chambers belonging to the Sultanate. Bring swimwear or just linger over a poolside picnic. Return to camp in time for sunset soft drinks for a day bookended in panoramic vistas.