Privat tur: Grand Canyon of Oman och Jebel Shams Day Trip

Everything went smoothly, the organization, the car and especially our guide Said were extraordinary, we could not ask for more! Thank you for making our stay in Oman unforgetable!

We were picked up at our hotel bang on time and Mustaffa our guide explained what the day would entail (which is several long drives). The car was a large 4x4 which was very handy on the dirt road sections and a good high platform to take in the views from. Our first stop was the old Capital, Nizwa about 140km from Oman. We walked around the Souk and were guided through the various market areas (the sights and smells were really interesting - spices good smells and fish market, not so good - :) .. We were also given a chance to walk around on our own and we also looked at the Fort which you can visit for an extra fee (about 5 OMR each). From there it was off to the Canyon via long, windy and dusty roads, quite an experience in itself. Up to the high peak at the top of the canyon, Really great views. We had lunch a short distance from the top of the canyon in a resort, then off to visit the abandoned villages made of clay. Fascinating trip and a great way of seeing a lot of Oman as well as a glimpse into the old Oman (the clay houses were lived in until the 1980s!) and some of the Wadis (Green areas with water and lush vegetation). I would recommend this trip, particularly the private tour.

<p>The driver tour guide was flexible and allowed us to enter the Nizwa fort at our own expense, which was only meant to be a photo stop in the original tour. There was some communication issue with the tour guide at that stop. We were told to meet the tour guide at a coffee shop after we finished with the Nizwa fort, but we were not shown clearly which coffee shop, and we went to the wrong coffee shop. We were also apparently told to meet the tour guide at the other end of the Nizwa Souq, so we were not sure whether we should visit the souq by ourselves or wait for the tour guide to lead us through the souq after we had finished with the Nizwa fort, but we decided to walk through the souq first as we couldn't find the tour guide at that time. We were finally re-united with the tour guide. The rest of the trip was fine. The Grand Canyon was just a photo stop. I knew it was not like the Grand Canyon in America according to another review so I didn't have much expectation. It would have been nice if we could have a short walking tour or be shown different angles of looking at the Grand Canyon. The goats near the Grand Canyon were interesting though. We were not taken to see local weavers and rugs as advertised in the tour information. The tour guide was pushy at the end and insisted that I wrote him a review on the spot as his boss wanted it, even though I told him that I would write a review online.</p>

<p>This is unbelievable site and takes ones breath away. The tour operator was great, provided good vehicle to travel through mountains, the guide cum driver was well knowledgeable and provided lots of local site seeing near by. He spoke very good English which was helpful. The tour included and excellent lunch at the top of mountain. Thanks.</p>