Cars
Our guests can choose whether to hire a car from one of our carefully selected partners, hire a car from an external company themselves, or take their own 4×4. Our routes have been carefully selected so that unmodified cars can tackle the tracks and terrain easily, so no need to put on new tyres or upgrade your suspension etc. We carry a selection of offroad recovery equipment, so should you get stuck, we have the means to extract you; there is no need to purchase extra equipment for this trip.
Hire Cars (Package A)
Our rental partners in Oman are Bahwan Travel and Tourism, who supply us withNissan Patrol Y62 Automatic 4.0 litre petrol* (pictured above).
They are very roomy and can carry 4 adults and their luggage in comfort. Where we are heading there are no radio stations being broadcast so we suggest you bring some music of your own and a jack plug to connect your phone to the car’s entertainment system.
They have a 140 litre fuel tank – don’t worry you won’t be paying to fill it – which covers over 1000kms onroad and 650kms or so offroad, dependant on terrain. We carry extra fuel in our guide cars, just in case, but it is unlikely we will need it for any of our itineraries as we do a maximum 600kms between petrol stations.
Guests from the UK and many other countries do not need an international driving licence as they can drive on their own one. If your licence is not printed in English we recommend getting an International Driving Permit from a motoring organisation in your own country before your holiday.
Whilst car accidents are extremely rare, certainly where we are going, you should know that you are covered for insurance both on and offroad (with certain limitations, which we will be mindful of), but you are required to guarantee a damage deposit of 250 OMR for onroad damage or 350 OMR for offroad damage. There are insurance companies which cover you for excess charges and a quick google search should find one local to your home country.
*Occasionally a similar car may be substituted.
Packages B and C: Using your own or an externally rented car
As a tourist, you may wish to hire your own car and packages B (7 or 8 days) and C (5 or 6 days) are there for you on both our Rocks, Sea and Sand and Oman Coast and the Rub Al Khali Adventures.
Perhaps you are an expat in the UAE or KSA and have your own car you wish to take, these packages will also work for you.
Cars should be full 4x4s, ie have 4LOW gear – All Wheel Drive cars are not suitable for our trip – see our suggested list.
They should have proper recovery points front and rear and the vehicle should be in good order and up to date with maintenance.
They do not need all terrain tyres, however all tyres should be in good condition including the spare, which should match the others.
Tyres should not be low profile – cars with sidewall aspects of less than 60% are more likely to sustain damage offroad.
Suggested Vehicles
Please note the below list is not exhaustive, please email us if you would like to join one of our trips but your car is not on this list.
- Nissan: Pathfinder (pre2015), Patrol Y61, Patrol Y62 (without City bumper), Xterra
- Toyota: FJ Cruiser, Fortuner, Landcruiser, Prado
- Mitsubishi: Pajero
- Jeep: Wrangler
- Ford: F150, Ranger 3.2D
- Landrover: Defender, Discovery, LR3, LR4
- Mercedes: G Wagen
If you take your own car you should have insurance which covers offroad use as well as driving in the Sultanate.
Empty Quarter Enterprises Ltd T/A Xpedition Arabia, 39/8 Hyvot View, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, EH17 8PQ
Call/whatsapp us +971509478563 UK number +447565570827
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