Car rental with a rooftop tent
DuneTribe4x4 rents 4x4s with a hard-shell rooftop tent and a full camping kit in Muscat. Prices are in OMR and include 5% VAT. The minimum rental is 3 days. Rental days are the nights between the pick-up and return dates, so a 7-day trip is 6 rental days.
Pick-up and return at Muscat airport or a hotel or address in Muscat cost nothing extra, between 08:00 and 20:00. You pay 30% to confirm the booking and the balance at pick-up. Up to 2 additional drivers are free; a child seat, the ground tent and night pick-up are priced on request. You buy no camping gear: the kit has bed linen (sheets and a pillow for each traveller), an electric fridge with a separate freezer compartment, a gas stove and kitchen kit, a chair for each traveller and a table, an LED lantern, a BLUETTI power station (600 W, 320 Wh), a portable shower (21 L), a compressor, recovery boards, a recovery rope, a jump starter and a first-aid kit. The daily prices:
- The Jeep Wrangler 4-door costs OMR 55 per day. Its rooftop tent sleeps 2 adults.
- The Family tent Wrangler for four costs OMR 65 per day from 15 December 2026: 2 adults and 2 children, or 3 adults.
- The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2024 costs OMR 75 per day, available from January 2027.
- Ground tent for 2 more people: price on request.
Damage packages and the security deposit
Every car has third-party insurance with Dhofar Insurance; it does not pay for damage to the rental car. For that, a damage package sets the most you pay per accident. It limits what you owe us; it is not insurance. Basic is included (at most OMR 500), Plus costs OMR 5 a day more (at most OMR 250) and Full OMR 12 a day more (at most OMR 100). With Basic and Plus, a rollover or an accident with no other vehicle is capped at OMR 1,500, and tyres, glass and underbody are paid at cost; Full includes up to 2 tyres, 1 windscreen and the underbody. Some cases have no cap at all, for example driving where our terms do not allow it or in a wadi: see the rental contract.
The security deposit is OMR 500 (Basic), 250 (Plus) or 150 (Full). It is held on your card at pick-up, or left in cash against a signed receipt, and it is not a payment: we release it after the return, minus any charges set out in the rental agreement.
Fuel prices in Oman and how much you will use
As of October 2026, petrol costs 229 baisa a litre for M91 and 239 baisa for M95. Diesel costs 258 baisa. That is about USD 0.60 to 0.67 a litre. Prices are set each month. They match the ceiling set by Royal directive in 2021, and petrol has not changed in the past year.
Our Wranglers run on petrol; a full 81-litre tank costs about OMR 19. The US EPA rates recent automatic Wrangler 4-door models at 17 to 21 mpg combined, about 11 to 14 litres per 100 km. A rooftop tent adds drag: in one US test it cut fuel economy by 17%. With mountain climbs and sand tracks, our estimate is about 15–17 litres per 100 km; it is not a measurement of our cars. At the M95 price that gives:
- Every 100 km: about OMR 3.60–4.10
- 1,200 km (our 7-day route): about OMR 43–49
- 1,600 km (our 14-day route): about OMR 57–65
No road tolls, and parking is mostly free
As of October 2026, Oman has no toll roads. All highways are free, including the Muscat and Batinah expressways. The tolls planned so far are for new roads built mainly for heavy trucks, such as the proposed Salalah–Thumrait truck road. Parking at Wadi Shab and Wadi Bani Khalid is free, and DuneTribe4x4 cars stay in Oman, so there are no border costs.
Entry fees: forts, wadis and turtles
Most natural sights are free. The national tourism site does not publish fort prices, so these come from 2026 visitor guides and the turtle reserve's website. Carry small cash. On our 7-day route, two adults pay about OMR 50 in total for Nizwa Fort, Bahla Fort, Jabrin Castle, the Wadi Shab boat and the Ras al Jinz tour.
- Nizwa Fort: about OMR 5 per adult.
- Bahla Fort: OMR 4–5 per tourist adult (sources differ), OMR 2 per child aged 6 to 12.
- Jabrin Castle: about OMR 3 per foreign adult.
- Wadi Shab: no ticket. The boat across the first pool costs OMR 1 per person return, cash only, from about 08:00 to 17:00.
- Wadi Bani Khalid: free entry. Toilets about 400 baisa, changing tents about 100 baisa.
- Ras al Jinz Turtle Reserve: OMR 12 per tourist adult, OMR 6 per child aged 6 to 12. Tours start at 21:00 and 5:00; book ahead.
- Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque: free according to a guide updated in February 2026, but the national tourism site still lists OMR 8, so check.
Food and groceries
Local food is cheap. With the electric fridge, its separate freezer compartment and the gas stove, you can cook most meals at camp. A 2026 budget guide puts supermarket food at OMR 3–5 per person a day. If you cook breakfast and dinner and eat one local meal out each day, plan on about OMR 10–14 a day for two. Stock up in Muscat, because large supermarkets are rare on the coast road south of the city.
Numbeo's Muscat averages, updated on 21 October 2026:
- Meal in an inexpensive restaurant: OMR 2
- Three-course dinner for two, mid-range restaurant: OMR 15
- Cappuccino: about OMR 1.95
- Water, 1.5 litres: about 260 baisa
- 12 eggs about OMR 1.18; chicken fillets about OMR 2.68 a kilo
Where you sleep: tent, desert camp or hotel
Sleeping in the rooftop tent costs nothing. Wild camping is common in Oman: keep away from villages, farms and private land, and leave no trace. In Muscat Governorate you may camp only where the municipality allows, and stays over 48 hours need a permit.
In the Wahiba Sands, many travellers book a desert camp for a night; our 4-day loop to the Wahiba Sands and wadis has one or two desert nights. A June 2026 guide gives the camp prices below; they change with the season. You can also ask a camp if you may sleep in your own tent and pay for dinner and a shower. A 2026 budget guide lists mid-range hotels at about OMR 25–35 in Nizwa and OMR 40–60 in Muscat. Desert camp prices:
- Simple camps: about OMR 15–25 per person, with dinner and breakfast
- Mid-range camps: about OMR 40–70 per person
- Luxury camps: OMR 100 or more per tent per night
Example budget: 7 days for 2 people
This follows our 7-day Oman road trip from Muscat: about 1,200 km, 6 rental days, 5 nights in the rooftop tent and 1 in a simple desert camp. Add OMR 30 for the Plus damage package or OMR 72 for Full. Flights, visas and travel insurance are not included.
- Jeep Wrangler with rooftop tent and kit, 6 × OMR 55: OMR 330
- Fuel: about OMR 43–49
- Tolls and campsites: OMR 0
- Entry fees: about OMR 50
- Food and water: about OMR 70–100
- One desert camp night with dinner and breakfast: about OMR 30–50
- Total: about OMR 520–580, or OMR 260–290 per person (about USD 675–755)
Example budget: 14 days for 2 people
This follows the two-week Oman itinerary: about 1,600 km, 13 rental days, 2 desert camp nights, hotel nights in Nizwa and Muscat, and the rest in the tent. With the Family tent Wrangler the car would cost OMR 845, and with the Prado OMR 975. Plus adds OMR 65, Full OMR 156.
- Jeep Wrangler with rooftop tent and kit, 13 × OMR 55: OMR 715
- Fuel: about OMR 57–65
- Entry fees: about OMR 55–75. That is the 7-day fees plus Al Hazm and Nakhal forts (about OMR 1 each in one guide), the Grand Mosque (free or OMR 8) and small fees at Rustaq Fort; check locally.
- Food and water: about OMR 140–200
- Two desert camp nights: about OMR 60–100
- Two mid-range hotel nights: about OMR 65–95
- Total: about OMR 1,090–1,250, or OMR 545–625 per person (about USD 1,420–1,625)