Dune roaming

STANDING atop a 30m sand dune is a daunting experience. Driving a brand-new Range Rover down the steep pile of sand is a different matter entirely. I'm travelling with a self-drive desert safari, an off-road 4x4 adventure that will cross Oman and the massive shifting dunes of Ash-Sharqiyah, also known as Wahiba Sands.

Following breakfast overlooking the Gulf Sea, our group of eight receives a safety briefing from Land Rover's team of experts, flown out from the UK to join our trip. Our convoy consists of eight 2009 Range Rovers, including a lead guide vehicle, a medic, a mechanic and a back-up car, with our group split among the remaining four.

Slowly, we pull out of the hotel car park and into the hustle and bustle of Muscat's busy streets. Manoeuvring through the city traffic and its many roundabouts is tricky, and I soon realise my reasonably well-mannered style of driving is getting me nowhere. Locals don't seem to acknowledge the 'right of way'. I hold my breath and launch myself into the flowing traffic on a large roundabout, hoping for a positive outcome. We are soon out of the city and on our way to the Wahiba Sands.

The Sultanate of Oman is on the eastern end of the Arab Peninsula, bordering Yemen in the south-west, Saudi Arabia in the west and United Arab Emirates in the north-west. Oman's current leader, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, seized power from his father in 1970 and has transformed the country from a desert backwater into a modern Arab state. For visitors, the main attraction is its natural beauty, craggy mountains, stunning coastline and vast, dramatic deserts, while the low-rise capital, Muscat, is the greenest and cleanest city in the Middle East.

The Wahiba Sands lie in the country's eastern region and cover an area of 12,000 square kilometres. After driving south for five hours along busy, winding inland roads, we finally hit the sand, and it's time to stop for lunch before heading off into the sweltering desert. We eat beneath a huge mushroom-shaped sandstone formation that provides the only shelter for miles, grateful for its shade.

The best time to visit Oman is between September and May, when temperatures are usually around 25C. Summer is too hot, even for the locals, when the soaring heat can rise above 50C. The midday sun is relentless, and I'm wearing long trousers and a long-sleeved shirt to prevent sunburn. I'm also observing the fairly strict Omani dress code because although locals may not say anything, a little sensitivity towards traditional customs goes a long way. Men should generally cover their knees and wear a shirt, while women will gain more respect if they cover their legs and shoulders and avoid low-cut necklines.

Our team of experts offers tips on how to drive safely through the tough desert terrain. Each driver is assigned a personal guide, who they must follow through the dunes. I listen carefully to my instructor, who reels off a list of things to look out for. I'm told that dune-driving is a precise science and the fundamental rules are: lower tyre-pressures to improve traction and reduce track-erosion; conserve momentum; don't slow down in case you can't get going again; drive smoothly with gear-changes at high revs; ensure wheels are pointing straight ahead when setting off; avoid soft sand at the base of dunes and gullies; make turns as wide as possible; only travel straight up or down dunes; follow in others' tyre-tracks to drive on compressed ground; avoid braking and just coast to a stop; don't floor the throttle if you are bogging down; and when stuck, try to reverse on your own tracks.

My coolly competent instructor leads me across the sandy valley floor and into the high dunes, following invisible routes mapped only in his memory. I stick close in his tracks, keeping my momentum and determined not to lose sight of him. This place is treacherous for the uninitiated. We are surrounded by a landscape of mountains on the move, all slowly being rearranged by the wind.

After a long and very hot day, our desert camp is a sight for sore eyes. Set in the middle of nowhere and encircled by towering dunes, the tented village is decorated in authentic Bedouin style, with sprawled carpets and cushions covering the ground. We sit sipping tea and coffee scented with cardamom.

To my surprise, the individual sleeping tents are furnished with very comfortable double beds, while hot-water shower and toilet tents are set up on the outskirts of camp. Over dinner, we share stories of our day in the dunes as we sit around a roaring fire of frankincense and acacia wood. At night, every star is visible and we sleep peacefully in the silent desert.

The following morning we rise to what appears to be different surroundings as the sunrise casts an amber light over the dunes. There is something romantic about deserts, especially in the soft morning light as I take an early stroll with our Bedouin guide and his camel. When the Bedouin ride, they are elegant, poised and effortless '“ unlike my English travelling companion, who is now inelegantly sliding off the beast's rear end as it lurches through the sand.

After breakfast, we jump back into our vehicles and I follow my instructor to the edge of the biggest dune in the desert. Peering over the top, I see the valley floor 30m below. My instructor drives down the dune, then looks back up at me, waving his arms '“ an indication for me to follow. From the top, I see an ocean of golden dunes in the seemingly endless vastness of the Wahiba Sands. The view is awesome; row after row of deep-red dunes stretch for hundreds of kilometres in all directions. It's hard to grasp the sheer scale of the place.

Keeping my wheels dead straight and desperately trying to remember the long list of rules, I slowly drive over the edge. The front of the vehicle rises up and all I see is blue sky. I feel I'm about to take off, then the bonnet drops and the vehicle points towards the valley floor. Driving at a 45-degree angle, the seatbelt is the only thing keeping me from falling onto the steering wheel. Moving very slowly in first gear and hill-descent mode, I hold the wheel tightly to prevent the tyres turning in the deep sand. It's an incredible sensation and the adrenalin is pumping through my body, while a wave of sand builds in front of the car as I head towards the bottom. I arrive with a sense of achievement and utter relief.

One of the highlights of the trip is the return off-road route, which leads across the small eastern Al Hajar (Arabic for stone mountains) range to Muscat. They separate the low coastal plain of Oman from the high desert plateau, and lie 50-100km inland from the Gulf of Oman coast. Located 2,000m above sea-level, along a difficult snaking path en route to the fishing town of Sur, the route offers breathtaking views down into the wadis, or riverbeds, and foothills, where small settlements balance precariously on the mountainsides. Worth investiging before we joining the highway back to Muscat once more are a number of recently discovered beehive-like tombs dating back 5,000 years, which are dotted across the range, and the deep turquoise coves and villages on the Gulf Coast.

We arrive back at our hotel, where the vehicles, plastered with sand and dirt, are whisked away for cleaning '“ it's illegal to drive a dirty car in Oman and we run the risk of being fined 9 on the spot. The Chedi is the perfect place to relax after a trip to the desert, with its minimalist Omani architecture, lush palm garden, ponds and a private beach. It's also aperfect hideout for celebs looking for the ultimate retreat. In the evening, we sip exotic cocktails and eat fresh seafood by the shore and reminisce about our rollercoaster ride through the Wahiba Sands.

FACT FILE: OMAN

The Ultimate Travel Company (020 7386 4646, www.theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk) arranges self-drive trips to Oman from 1,825 per person, including flights from London, private transfers, hire of a 4x4 vehicle and B&B accommodation.

Land Rover Experience (0844 848 4455, www.landroverexperience.com) lets you discover what a Land Rover can really do with off-road instruction at the award-winning facilities in Perthshire. Prices start at 175 for a half-day introductory course.

Oman Tourism (www.omantourism.gov.om) can provide further information about the country, places of interest and things to do.