VS Private Tours
VS Private Tours
5
Cultural Tours4WD, ATV & Off-Road ToursHiking & Camping ToursPrivate ToursDay Trips
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
3:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
About
Exclusively Private, Tailor Made, Personalized Travel Services in Oman. We specializing in day tours, multi-days history and culture tours, hiking & trekking tours, 4WD customized adventures with an experience local tour guides fully licensed from Ministry of Tourism in Oman.
Muscat, Oman

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Tours and Tickets by VS Private Tours
Travelers talk about

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles227 reviews
Excellent
202
Very good
13
Average
2
Poor
4
Terrible
6

transnick
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates96 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021 • Couples
I contacted Valentina a few weeks in advance and asked her to set up a custom wadi trip (Wadi Shab + Wadi Tiwi) based on our likes and our time constraints. I chose a combination of Wadi hike and 4x4 exploration.

The whole tour was perfect and she adapted along to our pace and stamina while making the trip as comfortable and educational as possible.

She has a true passion for Oman and is great at communicating it.

Strongly recommended.
Written February 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Irina P
21 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
The 4-day tour introduced us to a lot of places of interests and made us fall in love with the desert. The counry turned out to be a wonderful surprise. Maybe, we should have included an island into our package. Overall, we loved it.
Written February 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

pachecos
Rhode Island5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2016 • Couples
We booked two days with Valentina for four of us as a private tour. Valentina was prompt and provided us two great days seeing the sites of Oman. We could not have asked for a better guide. She was knowledgeable, great driver, and very pleasant. Do not hesitate to book her. You won't be disappointed. Thanks again Valentina!!!
Written January 1, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LeslieParis
Paris, France29 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2018 • Couples
Just got back from a wonderful trip to Oman, a very interesting and safe place to visit. I started my research into our trip using my usual tools, various upscale tour companies in Europe and the States(for itinerary ideas) and Tripadvisor for hotels, guides, etc. – all this is my usual way of self planning a trip. In the end, we decided that it would be wiser and that we would get more out of the trip by hiring a guide/driver to take us around. After quite a bit of research, I fell upon the reviews of VS Private Tours and read what a wonderful guide Valentina was. I contacted her by email and received her itinerary and quote and assurance that SHE WOULD BE OUR GUIDE once we got to Oman. After much thought, I decided to take a chance and go with her. Normally, I wouldn’t send a large sum of money to someone whom I don’t know and just read about on the internet, but the reviews were glowing, so I decided to take the plunge. Since we were not booking too far in advance, our choice hotels were not available. Communication was fluid and for the most part, Valentina replied promptly. All that stopped after I sent the first half of the money (almost $2000) for our 5 night/6 day trip. No answer…I told my husband that I thought that I fell for a scam ! I actually had to contact her by sms several times to see if she got the money. I anguished for about a week and sent emails and text messages and finally she told me that yes, the money arrived and all was set. Getting in touch with her was super difficult and the waiting often long to get an answer. This is unacceptable when you are paying for a service. I never got a final itinerary, I never got a note from her saying ‘looking forward to meeting you at X hôtel at 9am…’ I realized that I was way overpaying for her services (based on estimates for the same tour that I got from the hotel concierge (a 5 start hotel so you know that their prices are already inflated) but I figured, hey, we are going to have a super guide. She also never asked about our level of mobility as some of the sites require a bit of hiking in rather rough conditions. No little note to tell us to bring hiking boots, our own towels for swimming in the wadis or water shoes so that we could enter into the water without killing our feet.. A form note that she sent to all her clients is all that it would have taken. The hotels that we were booked in were very mediocre for the most part (excepting the desert camp) and it is clear that we totally overpaid for our trip.

But the biggest surprise came the day that we were leaving on our trip (still hadn’t gotten a little email saying we will be waiting for you…..) and when we got to the lobby I still wasn’t 100% that we hadn’t fallen for a scam , Valentina was there, but told us, SURPRISE, she wasn’t going to be our guide ! She had an ‘emergency meeting’ at the bank and her collègue was going to take us on the trip ! Wow, I had confirmed with her by email that SHE was going to be our guide and that was the reason I went with her company ! Total deception and not very honest on her part. Never a note saying that she had a VERY IMPORTANT MEETING even though I wrote her many times to tell her that we were leaving home and starting our trip, etc etc. This I found to be totally dishonest and that she didn’t live up to her part of the deal.
I could have paid literally half of what I paid her for the same trip and had a guide that I knew nothing about by going with the quote from the hotel.

As is turned out, Mohammed was a wonderful guide and a pleasure to spend time with. But that is not the point. She misled me and the communication with her was difficult and not professional and it was overpriced.

Next time, I will book my own hotels and hire a guide/driver from the hotel and save myself a lot of money and unneeded anxiety from someone who is not professional.
Written February 28, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

meyauwe
Riehen29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2016 • Family
We took a tour that was personally guided by the owner, Valentina. She took us to Jebel Al Akhdar, Nizwa, Wahiba Sands Desert and two wadis for swimming. Valentina proved to be not only an excellent driver, covering long distances with her 4-wheel drive without a single look into the map, but also extremely knowledgeable about the country, traditions and history. She seemed to know every little restaurant along the way, what specialties we would get to eat, and even took us to a Bedouin family for lunch. Valentina is extremely well connected, knowing people everywhere. She also pointed us to good hotels and at the end of the tour took us an extra mile to see the second wadi, although our tour was supposed to end earlier. When we come back, we are sure that we will engage Valentina again!
Written February 17, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

evilmoo2
London, UK19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2016 • Couples
Valentina took us on a one day tour to Nizwa and Jebel Shams and we couldn't have been happier. From initial contact, she was extremely quick to respond and tailor the tour to our needs.

We originally wanted to travel on the Thursday but she told us about the famous goat market in Nizwa on Friday and if we would like to see that too (which included a very early start!) which sounded fantastic. She also agreed to a few last minute changes too, such as visiting the Mosque and Opera House on the return to Muscat.

Throughout the tour she was extremely friendly, talkative, humorous and knowledgable about everything to do with Oman and its history and culture. We got the chance to see a lot of amazing sights we wouldn't have been able to otherwise, and learn a lot in the process.

I cannot recommend VS Tours enough. We look forward to returning to Oman and going on a longer excursion.
Written January 24, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Evilmoo2, Thanks a lot for your great feedback. It was real pleasure for me as well to travel with you during your honeymoon in Oman. Wish you a long a happy life together! Please let us know if you decide to visit this country again. We will try our best to arrange your next holiday here. Keep in touch!
Written January 25, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Keith B
Cornwall17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2016
We engaged VS Private Tours on a one day visit to Muscat from a visiting cruise ship. There we met our guide Muhammed at the agreed place and time. We elected to do a half day tour and I remain amazed at the diversity and scope of Muhammed's chosen itinery in such a short time; he took us away from Muscat port through the modern part of Muscat pointing out buildings of interest on our drive to the fantastic Opera House. We spent some time there learning about its construction, facilities and short history. The Omanis seemed justifiably proud of this iconic building, its facilities and surrounding grounds. Thereafter we went to the impressive Grand Mosque where Muhammed explained its history and features. This naturally opened the opportunity to learn a little about Islam (my knowledge was scant and perhaps tainted). Muhammed's explanations were both enlightening and fascinating; his gentle delivery was free of dogma and very informative; he explained that the Omani's are generally tolerant of other faiths. Inside the Mosque he explained the fundamentals, tradition and protocols observed during prayer. He introduced us to a lady who further explained Islam in the female context, again interesting. We then visted every day Muscat, the fish market and the souks where the hustle and bustle was in stark contrast to the peace our previous locations ! A further highlight was a visit to old Muscat where we saw the city, its fortress, palace and again a fantastic Omani contrast, the stunning Shangri-la hotel complex further down the coast. Throughout out tour Muhammed was gentle, dignified and provided explanations to our questions in good English. I personally enjoyed Muscat and what I've seen of Oman in general. Thanks to VS Tours and Muhammed of course,I hope to return to Oman incentivised by its originality, my new respect for its culture, faith and people. I thoroughly recommend VS Tours based on my own experience.
Written January 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

N841UVkevina
Christchurch, UK7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2016 • Couples
I booked this excursion for our party of 4 (two couples) based on the many favourable reviews on Trip Advisor. We were visiting Muscat for two days as part of a cruise holiday. The booking process was very straightforward with Valentina able to reassure us about pick up location, return to ship time etc. Payment was very easy via PayPal (in advance). Having booked and paid it was a little difficult to elicit a response to my follow up emails/ texts etc so I was a little apprehensive for a while but Valentina eventually came through and all was fine. (It is a small operation and when Valentina is taking multi day tours into the desert / mountains communications can be delayed).
Our tour guide was Mohammed, the most pleasant young man we could have wished for as our tour guide. As a proud Omani himself, he was able to not only show us many wonderful sights and experiences in and around Muscat but also provide us with a fascinating education about the Muslim faith, how the Omani people live their lives and their ambitions for their country. We were all rather humbled by the gentle way he explained the teachings and rituals of his Muslim faith and we came away with a much better understanding and some admiration of the ways of these peaceful people.
The tour lasted over 6 hours with Mohammed determined to show us as much as possible without at any time feeling rushed or hurried. We were driven around in a comfortable saloon car and supplied with plenty of bottled water free of charge. Value for money was excellent and so much less expensive than a cruise ship excursion. Our day spent with Mohammed was the highlight of holiday that included a 7 day cruise of Oman and the UAE plus 3 days in Dubai. I hope that if we ever return to Muscat, Mohammed will be there to continue our education.
Written January 16, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TMBHL_on_the_go
Wagga Wagga, Australia999 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2015 • Family
I was quite late contacting Valentina to enquire about a day trip for our family of 5 (children aged 19. 17 & 14) who were passengers on the MSC Orchestra. By this stage she was already booked, but said she would organise her associate Mohammed to guide us. I was a bit nervous about this, as all the wonderful reviews of VS Private Tours refer to having Valentina as their guide, but trusted her assurances that Mohammed would be a great guide. I’m very happy to report that Mohammed was indeed a great guide, and we had a spectacular day in Oman seeing far more than the cruise excursions offered for less cost.

Mohammed was waiting at the port entrance with my name on a sign, always a welcome sight. On the 1.5 hour drive to our destination of Wadi Shab (wadi means waterhole) we learnt plenty about Oman’s history and culture. When we arrived at the start of the walk another guide (Hussein) took over to take us on the 1hr walk to Wadi Shab through a long rocky gorge with several other wadi’s on the way. There were a few large red ‘strictly no jumping or diving in the deep wadi’ signs along the path. Hussein however encouraged the kids to have a go, so if the guide says jump apparently it’s fine to ignore those signs, and they did really enjoy launching themselves from the 7.5m ledge into the deep wadi below. After about 45mins you strip off your shoes and clothes down to swimmers only. We went on from there alone while Hussein stayed with our gear. He lent us brilliant waterproof pouches for our iphones which you hang round your neck and can still take photos through. He also very kindly offered me his swimming shoes which made the rocky sections so much easier than for the others hobbling through on bare feet. Most of the time we could swim though, the water was beautiful and the colours of the rocky gorge just breathtaking. After swimming/clambering along through several wadis we reached the entrance to Wadi Shab, which is semi enclosed with a very narrow opening. We tried to get a photo at the opening, but as that involved me treading water in very deep water, trying to hold the iphone/case up to get a shot while not laughing too much, the results are pretty dodgy. Inside the opening the wadi was fairly round, with about a 10m diameter and a waterfall at one end. There were narrow ledges around that you could clamber up to for a break from treading water (well actually the kids pulled me up, my clambering abilities are pretty weak). The kids all took the challenge of pulling themselves up on a rope dangling down one side of the waterfall and then circled round up higher to a very slippery slope from which they launched themselves back into the wadi. It was very nerve-wracking to watch and my photos of those jumps reflect that as I was shaking so much just watching they are all completely blurred. I should mention there were quite a few other people in there with us, so we’d all had time to watch them and gauge what was possible. We eventually made our way back the way we’d come in down the gorge and were on such a high at having seen this beautiful place. There are many wadi’s scattered through Oman, we agreed it would be fun to return and go through them all. There’s also lots of hiking to be done in an area known as Oman’s Grand Canyon…always so many reasons to return to places you get just a taste of on a cruise.

Mohammed had said that if we weren’t late leaving the wadi we should have time to go into the old centre of Muscat and see the palace (which is for show only, the Sultan doesn’t live there), fort and souk (market) so that gave us the incentive to keep moving. There was no food whatsoever available at the wadi, but luckily we’d done our usual foraging at the breakfast buffet and had brought 2 tupperware containers full of muffins and pastries. These are usually our snacks on tours, but today it was lunch as well. We were back in Muscat by 3pm, had a wander there and saw the sights before a final stop at the souk. Mohammed showed us frankincense in the souk that was smoking in an incense burner and we bought our usual souvenir magnet and Christmas ornament. At 4pm we were about to keel over from lack of food, so asked to be dropped back to the ship. We had to be onboard by 4.30pm and Mohammed offered to show us something else to use up the 30mins, but we were ready to rest. I have to say that’s the first time a guide has wanted to give us every minute of the time booked, they’re usually very keen to drop you back early. I can thoroughly recommend VS Tours, would love to get back to Oman and see more with them.
Written January 16, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear TMBHL_on_the_go, Thank you very much for your feedback. We are delighted to know that you were happy with our services during your tour to East Coast & Wadi Shab. It was a great team work. Mohammed with Hussein are good tour guides and they did their best. Please let us know if you decide to visit Oman once again. We will be happy to assist you. Keep in touch!
Written April 11, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Social_Din
London, UK121 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2019 • Friends
We booked two excursions with Valentina, one for wadi shab & Bimaah sinkhole, and the other one included Grand Canyon, Nizwa Fort and Market, Palace and the village at the bottom of Jebel Shams. Both were amazing, Valentina made our stay extremely enjoyable, I would recommend you book everything with her as she is a true expert and will make sure you have an amazing time!! Thank you Valentina, you're the best! Xx
Written May 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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