The duo guiding women through Oman’s outdoors

In 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic restricted travel, childhood best friends Lujaina al Sabri and Sharifa al Siyabi found themselves with a sudden itch for exploration.
“We thought, ‘We can’t go anywhere. We can’t literally travel or do anything, so let’s explore’”, Lujaina recalled
With Lujaina driving her Jeep and Sharifa searching the map, the 34-year-old duo began exploring Oman and developed a passion for camping and off-roading.
“For years, it was always just the two of us”, Sharifa said. “We had no pinned location; we were just going around, roaming across Oman and every camping experience felt completely different”.
Lujaina, a content creator and drone photographer, began documenting their adventures online. “We realised that so many people loved seeing us going camping”, she said. “From there, we decided to take girls camping”.
The pair began organising excursions for women in 2025. Since then, they have led seven trips to destinations across the Sultanate of Oman, including Bidiyah, Al Jabal Al Akhdhar, Jabal Shams and Bar Al Hikman, guiding more than 100 participants.

Recently, in July 2026, the duo founded Ghawiya, a women’s social and adventure club under the Oman Automobile Association. “Ghawiya is a community for ladies who love adventure, who are into nature and who want to figure out who they are”, Sharifa said. “There is no age limit and no nationality. As long as you are a woman and willing to take the step forward, we welcome you”.
Before their first women’s excursion, the pair had spent five years exploring Oman, learning through trial and error and seeking guidance from tour guides.
When I asked how they became experienced in camping and off-roading, Sharifa replied simply: “By making mistakes”.
“For our first camping experience, we had no idea where to go, so we went with two tour guides”, she said.
From then on, the pair sought local guides whenever they explored a new area. “One person might have ten years of experience, another five and another two”, Sharifa said. “We gathered that experience, learned together and grew together”.

The guides instilled in them a deeper responsibility towards the environment. “Nature doesn’t belong only to us; it belongs to all creatures”, Sharifa said. “You shouldn’t be loud and you should be mindful of the lighting you use. White light can disturb creatures”.
Their own mistakes were equally instructive. “You can’t go out without checking when the car was last serviced and whether it can travel a long distance”, Sharifa said.
The pair also documented each difficulty, turning their mistakes into safety procedures for future excursions.
“Any difficulties we face, we want to avoid with the ladies”, Lujaina said. “We note them down. We seriously sit for hours noting down the safety points and discussing them”.

Today, those experiences shape every excursion. Before each trip, participants receive itineraries, packing lists and instructions through WhatsApp. Vehicles travel in a convoy, while walkie-talkies are used in areas without network coverage.
“It’s our responsibility to take them safely and bring them back safely”, Lujaina said. “Safety is one of our values”.
These measures are also supported by Al Saada Group, an overlanding solutions provider and the pair’s first sponsor.
“They prepare our car and make sure it is 100 per cent safe”, Lujaina said. “They believed in us and I’m very thankful to them”.
The pair also expressed their gratitude to the Oman Automobile Association, which onboarded Ghawiya as Oman’s first women’s automotive team.
The pair expressed that positive feedback from women has encouraged them to continue developing Ghawiya. “It makes me want to keep doing this”, Lujaina said. “They keep us going”.

The pair now want more women to discover that camping and off-road driving are not as difficult as they may appear. “They have this idea that driving is hard, but it’s not”, Lujaina said. “Once they try, they go, ‘Okay, it’s this easy.’ You just need to learn the rules”.
Looking ahead, they plan to expand Ghawiya beyond camping and off-roading, aiming to build a supportive community for women.
Their plans include meet-and-greets, volunteering activities and events marking occasions such as Omani Women’s Day. “It will be something that everyone can join”, she added.
“We wish more ladies would join us and know that there are no limitations”, she added. “If we can do it, every woman can do it”.
You can follow their adventures on Instagram at @ghawia_om, @eefa_alsiyabi and @lujaina_khalil.