Al Maalam Tours is the name of the company, whose office is located in Nizwa (Oman), who holds local licence for operating tours in Oman.
Oman Trekking Guides our commercial name, which is more easy to use for our non-arabic-speaking guests. "Al Maalam" means "cultural heritage", that's to say a transmission from the past ; a person from the Ministry of Tourism, originating from Jebel akhdar gave it to us.
We organise tours at fixed scheldules in small groups or private tours to discover the Sultanate of Oman, mainly walking (from easy walks of a few hours to demanding multiday hikes), sometimes swimming, almost always also with the support of vehicules to drive longer distances or to carry luggages and equipment.
Created in 20100 by two friends from Oman and France, it has developped quickly until 2016. We have worked with important tour operators in Europe (Tirawa and Atalante in France, Hauser Exkursionen in Germany, ASI in Austria, Sayu Travel in Japan), some small travel agencies, and many independant travellers on private tailor-made tours. |
|
Starting with 3 guides in 2010, we were 12 in 2016, without counting the numerous drivers and the logistic team. This last year, we've taken more than 1000 persons on tours of an average length of 8 days. |
|
We had a very good team with persons of high quality, of different origins (6 nationalities!), with different views and tastes, but sharing a same enthusiasm. |
|
During these 7 years we continuously went on exploration trips to offer original and high-quality itineraries. Experience also improved our savoir-faire. |
|
Maybe victims of a too quick success, of the fatigue of passing time, or of a change of era, Ibrahim and Antoine wanted to step back in 2016. But they found nobody to replace them, and their employees did not want to take over without them. So they decided to close the company in 2017. They changed the website to help travellers find ideas of tours and get in touch with experimented and now independant guides : no more structure, everyone free... Anarchy! |
|
5 years later, after having taken rest, stepped back, explored other fileds, and lived the great uupheaval of the years 2020-2022, we decided to start again our activity. |
|
The environment changed a lot within 5 years and we learned from the past. |
|
So, we decided to start again differently : of a smaller size, we do not work anymore with big trekking tour operators, and we offer mainly tours in small groups, at fixed schedules, sold directly or through small size retailers, on new itineraries, always changing, and adapted to the season. According to our availabilities, we can also organize private tours. |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
www.omantrekkingguides.com, website of AL MAALAM TOURS , company registered under Commercial Register Number (1087801), and with
(local tour operator licence)
AL MAALAM TOURS - PO BOX 917 - Post Code 611 - NIZWA - SULTANATE OF OMAN
SAID |
||
|
||
CHILDHOOD |
||
Said was born in a remote oasis of the Eastern Hajar Mountains. |
||
YOUTH |
||
After finishing school, Said could not study at university and thus did several small jobs.
It was an opportunity for him to get to know better Muscat, which at that time was accessible from Shab only through dirt track and small road. |
||
ADULTHOOD |
||
He started to go always more often on tours as a guide with guests of different nationalities (french, british, swiss, australians, japanese, etc...). |
||
FUTURE |
||
The following of the story happens now, and will we written in a few years… |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
DEEP |
||
|
||
CHILDHOOD |
||
He was born and grew up in Nepal, in the hilly and wooded region of Chitwan. |
||
YOUTH |
||
After finishing school, he immediately faced the necessity of earning money to help his family : after spending a few months in Kathmandu, he went to India to join his uncle, hoping to find work there. |
||
ADULTHOOD |
||
When Al Maalam Tours closed in 2017, he kept on working in the mountain hut as manager and took part intensively to its nice developpment. |
||
FUTURE |
||
The following of the story happens now, and will we written in a few years… |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
ANTOINE |
||
|
||
CHILDHOOD |
||
He was born and grew up in a peaceful village in the countryside in Normandy. |
||
YOUTH |
||
He studied in Paris first humanities and then switched to business management, still keeping on reading about history, philosophy, sociology, and working on holidays in a warehouse. |
||
ADULTHOOD |
||
After working a few years for another agency in the field of adventure tourism, he opened Al Maalam Tours with his friend Ibrahim. |
||
FUTURE |
||
The following of the story happens now, and will we written in a few years… |
![]() |
|
|
IBRAHIM |
||
|
||
CHILDHOOD |
||
He was born and grew up in an old quarter of Nizwa, a city with long history and traditions. |
||
YOUTH |
||
Good soccer player and several times champion of Karate in Oman, he started to work early, performing various small jobs : waiter, delivery-boy, seller of fruits and vegetables, office assistant… When he entered adventure tourism, first as driver/assistant, he immediately knew he found his way. |
||
ADULTHOOD |
||
After several years working for different agencies in the field of adventure tourism, he opened with his friend Antoine the agency Al Maalam Tours. |
||
FUTURE |
||
The following of the story happens now, and will we written in a few years… |
|
|
![]() |
NASER |
||
|
||
CHILDHOOD |
||
He was born in the village of Tiwi, on coast between Sur and Muscat at the foot of the Eastern Hajar mountains. |
||
YOUTH |
||
After finishing school, he could study mechanics during 2 years. |
||
ADULTHOOD |
||
Not used to foreigners and speaking only very little english, he worked first as assistant/driver during several years for Al Maalam Tours. |
||
FUTURE |
||
The following of the story happens now, and will we written in a few years… |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
BRUNO |
||
|
||
CHILDHOOD |
||
. |
||
YOUTH |
||
. |
||
ADULTHOOD |
||
. |
||
FUTURE |
||
. |
![]() |
![]() |
|
RACHEL |
||
|
||
CHILDHOOD |
||
Rachel is born on the swiss shore of Lake Geneva. |
||
YOUTH |
||
After high-school, she started to work as an animateur for mountain school trips. |
||
ADULTHOOD |
||
She continued her social commitments : working with families of the so-called "fourth-world", taking part to human rights projects in Palestine/Israel and in Sri-lanka, and helping foreign new-comers in Switaerland. |
||
FUTURE |
||
The following of the story happens now, and will we written in a few years… |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
THE ACTIVITIES WHICH WE OFFER |
|
HIKING |
We offer tours with hikes of several hours, of different levels, sometimes for several following days, in the mountain, in the desert, or in wadis. |
WALKING |
For the ones who are less fit but still like to walk and discover the country not only by car, we also offer tours with not too difficult walk of a few hours only. |
SWIMMING |
Oman is an arid country yet with water being present everywhere , with the sea and the wadis (canyons in which water flows year-long).
|
CANYONING |
In more demanding tours, we also include easy canyoning and aquatic hikes (a mix of hiking, bouldering, and swimming in a canyon, with no abseiling). |
SNORKELING |
On the seaside, we sometimes have opportunity to snorkel : it's a great activity which gives opportunity to any swimmer to see underwater life. |
CULTURE & SCIENCES |
We focus mainly on popular culture and living traditions.
|
OUR RANGE OF TOURS |
|
DISCOVER |
These tours are mostly designed for a first visit iin the Sultanate of Oman.
|
GO DEEPER |
These are tours designed mostly (but not only) for persons who already know the country and want to discover an aspect or a region in-depth.
|
EXPLORE |
These tours are only for persons who we already know and are not advertised on the website. |
DIFFICULTY LEVELS |
|
Level 1 |
Tour with short walks but no real hikes |
Level 2 |
Quite easy tours with easy hikes (no more than 4 hours walking and 300m height difference). These tours might include swimming but no aquatic hike nor canyoning. There is always the option, for the participants who wish it, not to do the walk ; when poss |
Level 2 & 3 |
Tours which can include full-day hikes (up to 800m elevation gain) and not too difficult aquatic hikes. We have cars with us during the whole tour ; if some persons do not want to do some hikes or some canyons, they can always go by car to the arrival po |
Level 3 |
Tours which can include full-day hikes (up to 800 elevation gain) and not too difficult aquatic hikes. |
Level 4 |
Tours which can include demanding hikes (up to 1200m elevation gain), aquatic hikes and canyoning. |
ACCOMODATIONS |
|
HOTELS |
We try to choose hotels of medium category with a good value for money, when possible wiith charm and view, and above all well located. |
GUESTHOUSES |
This type of accomodation has developped a lot in Oman these last years. They are often very nice, with a lot of charm, and in great locations, but with slightly less comfort than hotels. We try to choose guesthouses with particularly friendly staff. |
PRIVATE HOMES |
It's a type of accomodation which is noot very wide spread on Oman for cultural and economical reasons. On some trekking tours in the mountains, it happens that we rent houses in some villages which are not inhabited on a daily basis : it gives us a little more comfort compared to camping (toilets), offers us deeper relation with people from villages, and allow the owners to maintain or renovate their traditional houses. |
CAMPING |
It's wild camping. We find beautiful and wild places with access for the cars. We provide you individual tents (for 1 or 2 persons) and thick mattresses (~7cm) to sleep. In the evening, we drink tea and eat dinner on big mats and mattresses (you take them to your tent when you go to sleep). We have all the cooking equipment to prepare you nice dinners with fresh products. There is no toilets : you have to go in the nature...
|
BIVOUACS |
On some tours with multi-days hikes, it can happen that we sleep in the wild under the stars, without the assistance of vehicules. If it is the case, it is clearly written in the program. We spend the night under the stars and you have to carry your sleeping bag and sleeping pad. Conditions are more basic than camping, but we still cook you good meals. |
OUR PRICE POLICY |
|
Our job is, humanly, one of the most interesting and enriching. But it requests a big personal investment. |
|
Low prices and low income forces us to sell more tours, which leads to decreasing quality and quick exhaustion. It also reduces the free time we have to explore new places and to learn more. In a competitive environement, it leads to an overuse of the places we visit and to an 'industrialization' of our job. |
|
High prices give us a better income, which gives us more time to learn and explore, and preserves the artisanal aspect of our job. It also leads to a lower use of the places we visit. But it selects our clients on their income, which does not suit us. |
|
Fix costs (guide, driver, vehicules, fuel) are an important part of the costs of a tour, and if they are shared on a low number of travellers, they make prices high.
|
|
That's why we have decided to offer our services mainly through small-group tours at fixed schedule : we can gather different travellers, offer affordable prices, and receive a fair income. |
|
OUR PRIVACY AND COMMUNICATION POLICY |
|
We publish our offer to the attention of our clients. But we want to remain discreet hence control our communication. |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
www.omantrekkingguides.com, website of AL MAALAM TOURS , company registered under Commercial Register Number (1087801), and with
(local tour operator licence)
AL MAALAM TOURS - PO BOX 917 - Post Code 611 - NIZWA - SULTANATE OF OMAN