Empty Quarter
Empty Quarter
4.5
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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.
4.5
45 reviews
Excellent
38
Very good
3
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Dubai Fam
Dubai, United Arab Emirates895 contributions
Sep 2020
This review is about Empty Quarter, what a majestic place to visit and see away from all the distractions and city noise. It’s a place where the heart and mind get connected and start to think and feel of all the positive energy inside you. you defiantly need a super good car, I cant recommend less, get your food and water supplies depending on your agenda, don’t forget your car emergency tools, extra petrol tank preferred metal and graded and first aid kit. I do not recommend this place for kids or families and if they do, then not more than a day. It’s a place where you can see where it all begun, snakes, scorpions, lizards, amazing night animals and birds, just make sure you have the right camera to capture it right. if you are couples, this place will bond you more and make you work as a team. meditation is your best when you don’t hear anything except the wind. No money can buy this, that is why its free. Make sure you carry your ID’s, passports just in case. Please clean your mess as you leave cause no one going to clean it there.
Written September 6, 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.
Hana G
Chicago, IL92 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
If you're interested in the lost city of Ubar, it's not in the Empty Quarter of Oman, as asserted by Nicholas Clapp in his famous book, Road to Ubar. This archaeological site in Oman named Ubar after the lost city of Iram is really the ruins of an old outpost. No ancient city of pillars in these ruins. It was a huge disappointed and no one should be mislead into thinking that a trip here will shed any light on the actual lost city of Iram. Not even close.
This is a major skip, unless you are already spending the evening in the Empty Quarter on an overnight trip.
This is a major skip, unless you are already spending the evening in the Empty Quarter on an overnight trip.
Written January 21, 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.
Phishow
Fairfax, CA145 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
My friend and I got a guide in Salalah and camped overnight in the Empty Quarter. By far the highlight of my stay in Oman. The vastness of this sand desert is truly breathtaking. The endless patterns the wind makes in the red sands. Standing atop a 300m dune at sunrise and sunset will be something I never forget. This is a sight to behold. The stars at night with no light pollution was amazing. Put this in the tip of your list. Don’t go to one of these glamping sites. Grab a tent and go. With a guide of course! You won’t regret it
Written June 4, 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.
Melika34
Munich, Germany2 contributions
Feb 2014 • Solo
I am a big fan of deserts although I haven't visited a lot yet. The Empty Quarter desert ("Rub' al Khali") on the Arabian Peninsula is definitely worth a visit - for preferably more than one day, e.g. on a jeep or camel safari with camping (I only took a day trip - it is also nice to get an impression and you still have time to walk around there).
Émpty Quarter is the largest sand desert in the world and covers parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen - with sand dunes with heights up to 250 metres.
I started my day tour in Southern Oman / Salalah early in the morning because of the upcoming heat. We were 3 tourists and had a comfortable 4WD with a/c, of course, plus English speaking driver. It is important you don't do it alone but with an experienced guide that knows the area well and is there in case of emergency. You really can get lost there!
It takes a few hours to get to Khazaf where the desert starts. On the way you drive through semi desert and cross the Dhofar mountains with spectacular views.
We spend around 3 hours on the sand dunes, drove around, walked around, took lots of pictures until it got too hot. Although it was not a long time but only "desert in a nut shell", I was very impressed with this vast ocean of sand where only a tiny plant grows here and there. In the evening - after having passed a nice wadi with frankincense trees - we returned to Salalah.
Next time I will put up tent in the sand and stay there for a few days!
Émpty Quarter is the largest sand desert in the world and covers parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen - with sand dunes with heights up to 250 metres.
I started my day tour in Southern Oman / Salalah early in the morning because of the upcoming heat. We were 3 tourists and had a comfortable 4WD with a/c, of course, plus English speaking driver. It is important you don't do it alone but with an experienced guide that knows the area well and is there in case of emergency. You really can get lost there!
It takes a few hours to get to Khazaf where the desert starts. On the way you drive through semi desert and cross the Dhofar mountains with spectacular views.
We spend around 3 hours on the sand dunes, drove around, walked around, took lots of pictures until it got too hot. Although it was not a long time but only "desert in a nut shell", I was very impressed with this vast ocean of sand where only a tiny plant grows here and there. In the evening - after having passed a nice wadi with frankincense trees - we returned to Salalah.
Next time I will put up tent in the sand and stay there for a few days!
Written October 15, 2014
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.
Poppadoc5748
Brighton, UK233 contributions
Nov 2018 • Friends
We visited the Empty Quarter and stayed in the Al Hashman camp. The camp is very basic with tents in which there are two or three beds. Food is served in the open around a firepit. The camp is surrounded by dunes which can be climbed with difficulty. Our visit was a few days after there had been rain in the desert and plants with yellow flowers were scattered around in the sand. Racing around on the dunes in a 4x4 is great fun for the guides/drivers and their passengers! Lying in the open looking up at the starry sky is a memory to treasure. Sunset and sunrise from the top of the dunes is spectacular.
Written November 20, 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.
L82London
London, UK49 contributions
Nov 2016
We did a two day trek in the Oman part of the Empty Quarter and for anyone visiting Oman and looking for something different this is an experience of a lifetime.
We travelled with Arabian Sands agency organised by Steppes Travel in the UK and we were delighted with the local guides. Ali and Obed were really the most wonderful people with such incredible knowledge of the desert that they made us feel like we really were part of a place where time has stood still.
The guides took us to some of the most remote parts of the area just as we wanted and they became almost as friends. We did not have any set camps, again, we preferred not to be around other people, and Ali and Obed, gave us exactly the experience of total seclusion we were looking for.
The feeling of being in the desert is hard to describe so one has to really feel it by themselves. First I felt slightly claustrophobic which is strange because it is a vast open space however the feeling of nothingness was palpable. A few minutes after, it is the exact nothingness that becomes magical. Noone else were around us for hundreds of miles and the only thing we could hear was the fire Ali and Obed set up to make tea and cook dinner. It was the most incredible experience I have ever had.
If you are looking for something different you must try empty quarter and make sure to have great guides such as Ali and Obed from Arabian Sands.
There is also a way of doing the desert in set camps at the Wahiba Sands but I think the empty quarter offers a better and more unusual experience.
We travelled with Arabian Sands agency organised by Steppes Travel in the UK and we were delighted with the local guides. Ali and Obed were really the most wonderful people with such incredible knowledge of the desert that they made us feel like we really were part of a place where time has stood still.
The guides took us to some of the most remote parts of the area just as we wanted and they became almost as friends. We did not have any set camps, again, we preferred not to be around other people, and Ali and Obed, gave us exactly the experience of total seclusion we were looking for.
The feeling of being in the desert is hard to describe so one has to really feel it by themselves. First I felt slightly claustrophobic which is strange because it is a vast open space however the feeling of nothingness was palpable. A few minutes after, it is the exact nothingness that becomes magical. Noone else were around us for hundreds of miles and the only thing we could hear was the fire Ali and Obed set up to make tea and cook dinner. It was the most incredible experience I have ever had.
If you are looking for something different you must try empty quarter and make sure to have great guides such as Ali and Obed from Arabian Sands.
There is also a way of doing the desert in set camps at the Wahiba Sands but I think the empty quarter offers a better and more unusual experience.
Written November 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.
Frank R
Munich, Germany1,139 contributions
Apr 2018 • Couples
After a 1,5 hour trip from Salalah we reached the small village Shisr and the legendary ruins of Ubar.
The legend of Ubar (or Wubar) is one of the most persistent in the Arabian peninsula. The name seems originally to have referred to a region or a tribe in or near the Empty Quarter (desert) but later became associated with a legendary city – also known as Iram (or Irem) – which grew immensely wealthy as a result of trade between the coast and population centres inland to the north. According to the story as related in the Qur’an, the city’s rich but godless inhabitants were repeatedly warned to mend their ways by the prophet Hud, but ignored him – after which God destroyed the city, which collapsed back into the sands, never to be seen again.
Whether the ruins at Shisr are in fact those of the legendary Ubar remains something of a moot point, however.
The remaining ruins can be explored within 30 minutes easily because there are only one building and several pieces of walls left. Don‘t expect to much!!!
After that we drove into the desert and entered some dunes to have a nice look around. You need for sure a 4x4 SUV otherwise there is the risk to get stuck. Be aware of temperatures achieving 103 Degrees (shadow, which doesn‘t exist in the desert) and 130 degrees in the sunshine. Regardless you don‘t sweat because the humidity is very low.
The legend of Ubar (or Wubar) is one of the most persistent in the Arabian peninsula. The name seems originally to have referred to a region or a tribe in or near the Empty Quarter (desert) but later became associated with a legendary city – also known as Iram (or Irem) – which grew immensely wealthy as a result of trade between the coast and population centres inland to the north. According to the story as related in the Qur’an, the city’s rich but godless inhabitants were repeatedly warned to mend their ways by the prophet Hud, but ignored him – after which God destroyed the city, which collapsed back into the sands, never to be seen again.
Whether the ruins at Shisr are in fact those of the legendary Ubar remains something of a moot point, however.
The remaining ruins can be explored within 30 minutes easily because there are only one building and several pieces of walls left. Don‘t expect to much!!!
After that we drove into the desert and entered some dunes to have a nice look around. You need for sure a 4x4 SUV otherwise there is the risk to get stuck. Be aware of temperatures achieving 103 Degrees (shadow, which doesn‘t exist in the desert) and 130 degrees in the sunshine. Regardless you don‘t sweat because the humidity is very low.
Written April 1, 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.
Eitleoir
Irvine, CA610 contributions
Nov 2015 • Solo
I spent two nights in the Empty Quarter and it is out of this world...well, not really, but it really is an awesome sight to see. Of course, it is seemingly endless with the colors and the variety of dunes providing one with endless experiences of a sublime world. My guide brought along another guide in order to have someone to help bail us out in case when we got stuck while dune-bashing, which happened a few times. I'm sure that my guide would have been a bit more cautious if we were on our own, but having another man who had a deep knowledge of life and survival in this harsh environment gave my guide the liberty to be more aggressive. It certainly made for some thrilling rides up and down the massive dunes. It was a bit windy the first night that we camped out, so the inside of my tent was layered with sand in the morning, but that was part of the experience. On both nights my guide set up camp in a beautiful area that afforded me an opportunity to climb the nearby dunes to watch the sun set in the evening and rise in the morning. What a breathtaking experience it was to be so far removed from civilization and see the endless desert spread out before me. This experience marked the approaching end of my trip to Oman and I must say that it was a most remarkable country to visit. The Empty Quarter was definitely one of the highlights!
Written September 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.
Nina G
1 contribution
Jan 2018 • Couples
Visiting Rub al-Khali is definately a great experience to remember.
We did a private day tour with tour giude Ahmed (phone number :99493775
whatsup: 98858477) from Salalah which I can definitely recommend if do not have the time to stay overnight in the desert. He also offers to stay overnight though.
He picked us up from our hotel and drove us to Al Hashman springs, empty quarter in Rub al-Khali, Ubar and also to a place with frankincense trees and on our way back we even stopped at a local place close to the desert to eat. On our way to the desert he bought us local coffee and dates. It was enjoyable to drive there and see the landscape change and chat with him about Oman.
I can only recommend Rub al-Khali as the desert in itself is so impressive. Plus there were no other people except us. The best experience for me was actually "hearing" the silence, the moment when I heard just "nothing" was a bit scary at first but absolutely breathtaking and unique. I truly loved the desert and wished I could have stayed longer. Next time I would do an overnight tour which gives you more time to enjoy the desert and also experience sunset, the night and sunrise.
We did a private day tour with tour giude Ahmed (phone number :99493775
whatsup: 98858477) from Salalah which I can definitely recommend if do not have the time to stay overnight in the desert. He also offers to stay overnight though.
He picked us up from our hotel and drove us to Al Hashman springs, empty quarter in Rub al-Khali, Ubar and also to a place with frankincense trees and on our way back we even stopped at a local place close to the desert to eat. On our way to the desert he bought us local coffee and dates. It was enjoyable to drive there and see the landscape change and chat with him about Oman.
I can only recommend Rub al-Khali as the desert in itself is so impressive. Plus there were no other people except us. The best experience for me was actually "hearing" the silence, the moment when I heard just "nothing" was a bit scary at first but absolutely breathtaking and unique. I truly loved the desert and wished I could have stayed longer. Next time I would do an overnight tour which gives you more time to enjoy the desert and also experience sunset, the night and sunrise.
Written November 18, 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.
Gopikrishnan S
Ajman, United Arab Emirates616 contributions
Nov 2016 • Family
The nearest entry is via Ibri towards Saudi border and tarmac ends there. Another 200odd kms will take you through the emptiness of Rub Al Khali which extends another 600kms further south until Thurait beyond the lost city of Ubar. We travelled with an expedition team well experienced guys Desert Diva. Overnight camping at no mans land with absolutely no mobile signal. Only connection with civilization was MW radio channels. Though you could find few PDO oil exploration team some places was a relief. Carry at least 15 galloon water sufficient food, 20litre minimum extra fuel, a good compressor for tires, exhaust driven baloon jack. It a wonderful drive across no mans land on a reliable 4x4. Please avoid to take an old vehicle as its extremely difficult to recover it or you just need to discard the car.
Written October 20, 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.
Hallo, wir haben für Anfang Februar 2020 eine Urlaubsreise in den Oman / Salalah / gebucht.
Wir möchten gerne eine Wüstensafari mit Übernachtung buchen.
Dein Bericht hat uns sehr gut gefallen !
Kannst du uns den Anbieter nennen, mit wem ihr eure Tour gemacht habt.
Danke + Grüße
Thomas
Written November 4, 2019
Hi. I will be in the Empty Quarter from December 27th to the 30th. How cold does it get at night? What about the daytime temperature? Thank you.
Written December 23, 2018
grandemame251
Mobile, Alabama
Does it move like a river and can you go in it or on it??
Written March 7, 2018
Kann mir jemand einen guten Touroperator ab Salalah empfehlen? Danke, Claudia
Written December 11, 2017
I will be in the Empty Quarter from December 27th to the 30th. How cold does it get at night? How about the temperature during the day? Thank you.
Written December 23, 2018
Can you suggest any tour operators for Empty Quarters ?
Written September 7, 2016
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