Thousand Stars Desert Camp

We had the most incredible stay with Ali! He was the perfect host, super friendly and we had lovely chats with him! The camp was spectacular, super clean and comfortable and the food, especially the dinner was delicious! Absolutely recommend staying here for a unique and private desert camping experience! We loved it and would definitely come back if in Oman again!

We were the first customers of the season. And instead of just giving us the all of the old stuff of the old season, most of the items were replaced with new items. All that one needed to be and feel comfortable was there. We came with 4 children between 2 and 11 years of age, and neither of them, nor us grown ups had the feeling of not feeling well or comfortable. On the contrary, we loved the surroundings, the food and slept extremely well.

Nothing. Everything that had to be there was there. With a good sense of aesthetics. And what was unnecessary was not there.

The hospitality of the host

My wife and I began to consider our options as we followed a stranger in a foreign country into the empty desert to stay at a camp we weren’t sure truly existed. Sure, Oman has ridiculously low crime rate, but the possibilities of what awaited us were endless. After a 20 minute drive through bedouin camps and an empty sea of sand we were relieved to find the camp as pictured on the site. However, shortly after setting up for bed, the camp was hit by a storm which was extremely rare to the area. I stood there for 30 minutes holding the pole of the tent from inside, so it didn’t collapse on us, as the rain and wind pattered the canvas. If I could go back in time to the moment we started our journey… I would do it a million times over. Thousand Stars is a passion project started by Ali and his companion, and cared for by a truly honorable and wonderful caretaker - Sadam. It is not a 5 star resort run by a board of trustees with millions of investment dollars. It is 3 men, who put their blood sweat and tears into each and every night. We started the evening off by having tea, coffee and fruits with Ali and discussing life. Shortly after, Ali ensured we were comfortable and left us to be. We were the only couple there that night so we had the whole camp to ourselves. There are usually 2-3 tents available per night. My wife and I spent some time chatting under the moonlight, but called it early as we saw a storm approaching. Sadam was working hard to cover the dining tent with a tarp so that we could be comfortable while eating dinner. The storm came, and yes, there was a short bit of time where I had to hold the tent up but this was no fault of the camp - just nature. Despite the storm, Sadam trekked over to our tent from his to make sure we were ok. Right after the storm ended I heard the roar of a car. It was Ali again, who drove all the way back just to make sure everything was ok.

Small camp with only 2 tents - made it very cozy and familiar Ali was a great host - very entertaining. Too bad he could not stay longer during our stay to share more about the life of the beduins Great that you could just walk up on a nearby sand dune do view sunset and sunrise

Ali and his colleagues were friendly and helpful. The camp is remote with no signal, so perfect if you are looking to disconnect from the world for a brief moment. The beds were comfy and the tents were really nice. There is even a shower on site which I did use. The sand dunes were beautiful. It gets a little chilly in the evening so remember to bring an extra layer. Dinner and breakfast was tasty and there was lots of it.

Unfortunately, the morning desert tour felt like a bit of a rip off. We paid 85 OMR (approx. £160) for two people for a "tour" that lasted just under two hours. The tour was Ali and his friends driving us around the desert and over the dunes, where we stopped along the way to see a few camels and drink some tea. The only other wildlife we saw were two mating dung beetles and one lizard (that I spotted). Whilst the tour was fun and worth doing (there is nothing else to do in this time other that sleep / chillat the camp) it felt like a rip off given how expensive it was and the fact that the our driver didn't speak good English (Ali (who has great English) was in another car with the family that stayed at our camp at the same time as us) and so what he could tell us about the area and the wildlife was extremely limited, gas prices are cheap in Oman and the tour didn't feel structured at all. If the price was reflective of the actual experience, then this would be fine.

The small size (2 tents only), the remote location, the level of service, the attention to details. I advise to do the desert tour as well with them if you like having sensations in 4x4 in the dunes.

Nothing.

Perfect location in sandy dunes, not far from the town, but very quiet. Excellent service by Ali and his small team!

This experience was unique ! Even better than expected ! The food & service was excellent ; especially considering the context of a camp in the middle of the desert ! Landscape was fabulous and camp organisation / installation was also very good.