GREAT DISCOVER OF OMAN

      Transfer to a mountain village (230 km - 3h)

      Hike through villages, palm gardens, and mountain

We walk in the wadi and on the luxuriant terraces of the palm gardens. The path then heads along the valley, goes up to a small pass and down to an isolated palm garden. The inhabitants of the village where we started the hike come there regularly to take care of the cultures and of the falaj (traditional irrigation system). The entrance in the gardens is now private, so we stop just before and have lunch near the stream and we come back using the same way…

- Level 2    
- Duration : 4 hours
- Height Difference : +300m/-300m
- Walking Time : 2 to 4 hours

      Transfer to a mountain guesthouse (65 km - 2h 15)

It's an old settlement which was nicely renovated and turned into a guesthouse. The farming activity was kept (fields and cattle). And the staff is particularly nice!

Dormitory
Dormitories from 4 to 10 persons with bunkbeds and A/C. Breakfast & Dinner taken at the hotel

      Transfer to a mountain village (5 km - 0h 15)

      Walk in a mountain oasis

We start from the main valley and head to a narrow gorge. This part of the walk is just wonderfull! At the end of the gorge, we discover the village. Built in a small hill and surrounded by cliffs, this village is one of the most beautiful of Oman. We walk through the village and the ardens and come back through an other branch of the small gorge.

- Level 1    
- Duration : 2 hours
- Height Difference : +50m/-50m
- Walking Time : 1 to 2 hours

      Transfer to Al Hamra (50 km - 1h 30)

      Visit of a lively museum of traditional know-hows

Bait As Safah is a traditional omani house located in the old city of Al Hamra. The women of the vllage welcome us in this house and show us how they make omani bread, omani coffee, carpets, and different creams and lotions made from mountain plants.

- Duration : 1 hours 30

      Transfer to a mountain oasis (10 km - 0h 12)

      Short walk in a mountain oasis

This is one of the most beautiful mountain village of Oman. It is located on the slope of a canyon. The gardens were built all around the old village on man-made terraces. Laying at an height of 800 meters, we find their a wide variety of tropical fruits : bananas, papayas, oranges, limes, dates, pomogranates, etc…

- Level 1    
- Duration : 2 hours
- Height Difference : +100m/-100m
- Walking Time : 1 to 2 hours

It's an old village in a splendid terraced palm grove. The old houses have been left from most of the inhabitants who built modern houses aside, and are now renovated mostly for touristic use. The guesthouse is located a few minutes walk away from the parking ; so, please plan a small bag with only the stuff you need for that night. Also, to respect the inhabitants of the village, it is forbidden to bring alcool in the village and to smoke inside the house ; we thank you in advance for respecting these rules!

Standard Room
. Breakfast & Dinner taken at the hotel

      Transfer to a high settlement (50 km - 1h 12)

      Hike on top of Arabia's Grand Canyon

The path is very easy and offers all way long wonderful views on Arabia's Grand Canyon. On the way we can see the highest point of the country. Finally, we arrive to an old village built in the cliff. The village was abandonned in the 90's when the road was built. Some 5 to 10 families were living there, taking care of their gardens also built on the cliff and of their goats. We come back the same way. It is a very easy and rewarding walk!

- Level 2    
- Duration : 4 hours
- Height Difference : +250m/-250m
- Walking Time : 2 to 3 hours

      Transfer to Nizwa (100 km - 1h 30)

A beautiful hotel located in an old quarter of Nizwa, just behind the souk. It's a complex of several old houses which have been renovated with a lot of taste. Rooms, bathrooms, majilis, and teraces are spread in a labyrinth of corridors, stairs, and bridges.

Standard Room
Rooms are charmfull. They are furnished in a traditional style and are all equiped with A/C. Mattress are on the floor. Bathrooms are private but may be located outside the room.. Breakfast taken at the hotel

      Souq of Nizwa

Nizwa is a major city of Oman located at the foot of the mointains in the interior. In the past it was the capital of the country and remains the cultural center of the country for mountain people. The Souq was rehabilitated some 15 years ago. Friday is the market day, called 'Souq Al Jumaa', and brings visitors from the nearby mountains as well as bedous from the desert side. The livestock souq is particularly worth a visit. But you find also the fish souq, vegetable souq, meat souq, as well as some people saling moutain honey, dates, incense, and anything you might need.

- Duration : 1 hours 30

      Transfer to a salt desert (300 km - 3h 30)

We drive a boring road, but we see oil and gaz plants on the way.

      Stop in the Salt Desert of 'Umm As Sammim'

In arabic, 'Umm As Sammim' means 'the mother of poisons'. It is a very dry and plane stretch of salt. It is very unhospitable for life and there is no vegetation. We stop in this weird place to have a look at the salt crust.

- Duration : 0 hours 30

      Transfer to Rub Al Khali (80 km - 1h)

      Short walk in the sands to sea the sunset

We go have a walk across the high dune of the Rub Al Khali (Empty quarter in arabic), the huge and arid desert of Saudi Arabia that crosses Oman's border. We'll walk up a dune to see sunset in this unbelievable landascpe…

- Level 2    
- Duration : 1 hours
- Height Difference : +150m/-150m
- Walking Time : 1 to 2 hours

We set our camp at the foot of the huge dunes of the Rub Al Khali

Individual camping tent

      Hiking in Rub al Khali

Morning, we start walking from our camp. We climb several high dunes which surround us : the ascent is sometimes exhausting, but the descent is quick and fun and gives us sometimes the opportunity to have the dune sing. Around noon, we walk back to our our camp and have lunch and rest under a shady place. Late afternoon, we climb another huge dune to get to its summit and enjoy a wonderful sunset at the top.

- Level 2 & 3    
- Duration : 8 hours
- Height Difference : +250m/-250m
- Walking Time : 4 to 6 hours

We set our camp at the foot of the huge dunes of the Rub Al Khali

Individual camping tent

      Transfer to a limestone escarpment (225 km - 3h 30)

      Short walk in a rocky chaos at an escarpment

We stop at the foot of the cliffs made of white lime stone. We then walk across the many small gorges which. It is a very exclusive place with unbelievable landscapes. Rocks are having very particular shapes...

- Level 1    
- Duration : 2 hours
- Walking Time : 1 to 2 hours

We set up our camp at the bottom of the cliffs, just at the beginning of a small gorge.

Individual camping tent

      Transfer to the white desert, among rocks and sand (200 km - 2h)

      Walk across sand and rocks

We walk across rocky outcrops covered by sand in the surroundings of the White Desert. It is a wonderful place. The sand has different colours : sometimes cream, and sometimes red. And there is a small accacia forest which gives a touch of green to the landscape

- Level 2    
- Duration : 3 hours
- Walking Time : 2 to 3 hours

Varied landscape : sand dunes, rocky hills, and an accacia "forest"

Individual camping tent

      Transfer to a fishing village (60 km - 1h)

      Stop in a beduin coastal village

This is a very picturesc fishing beduin village : feelings to be t the far end of the world where old 4WD cover with algaes and shells tow small boats coming back from fishing.

- Duration : 1 hours

      Transfer to the white desert, on the seaside (20 km - 0h 20)

      Short walk in the white sand dunes

We have a walk in the white sand dunes. It's a very surprising and beautiful place.

- Level 2    
- Duration : 2 hours

      Swimming in the Indian Ocean

Hard to say if we are on the bech or in the desert, since the dunes arrive in the sea… Here endless beaches strech along the Indian Ocean. The bath is just great!

- Duration : 2 hours

Unusual landscape : on one side we have pure white dunes, whereas on the other side we have the Indian Ocean…

Individual camping tent

      Transfer to a bedouin village between desert and sea (170 km - 2h)

      Transfer to our campsite in the desert (180 km - 4h)

      Sunset in the dunes

We start a walk across the dunes in late afternoon. The heat isn't too strong anymore and the sunlight is the more beautiful. The setting sun always gives changing colour to the sand and the shades. This a great unforgetable time.

- Level 1    
- Duration : 1 hours

A very nice camp which lays in the middle of the sand dunes, in a quiet and wild area.

Arabic Tent with private bathroom
Arabic tent nicely equiped as an hotel room : bed, carpets, tabe, chairs. Private bathroom.. Breakfast & Dinner taken at the hotel

      Transfer to a wadi (80 km - 1h 30)

      Hike to waterfalls and swimming

The lower part of this valley forms a narrow and wild canyon. We start from a lovely village in the valley and cross its palm garden to access the entrance of the canyon. We hike in the canyon between big boulders (the way is not very easy but doesn't last long) until we arrive to a splendid pool with waterfall. We have rest here and enjoy a swim. For those who like jumping, a very nice 10 meters jump is possible there… According to the rains and floods which change the river course, it can happen that we need to swim or hike in the water to reach the waterfalls

- Level 2    
- Duration : 3 hours
- Walking Time : 1 to 2 hours

      Transfer to Sur (150 km - 2h)

A good hotel with modern and comfortable rooms, located just outside the city on the lagoon

Standard Room
. Breakfast taken at the hotel

      Visit of the city of Sur

Sur is a big city living quietly. It is built on the seashore and extends along a wonderful lagune. It was famous in the past for the naval construction. This traditional industry is declining but there is still one factory which produces wondeful traditional arabic dhows. We stop to visit it. We then walk up to a watch tower from which we have the best view over the city.

- Duration : 2 hours

      Transfer to Tiwi (60 km - 0h 45)

      Short hike in the wadi through palm gardens

We hike in the wadi, through the palm garden (which also hosts bananas, papayas, mango trees, lime, etc…) along the falaj to reach our camp site. Water flows in the river bed, flanks are covered by lush green gardens, dominated by steep cliffs.

- Level 2    
- Duration : 2 hours
- Walking Time : 1 to 2 hours

We camp in a private garden in the wadi. The place is great and walking around late afternoon is great : superb views and lots of birds! For the moment, the place is very simple, but the owner plans to build toitlets soon…

Individual camping tent

      Hike through gardens and water pools

A wonderfull valley, with a river and water pools, a huge palm grove streching along it on terraces, villages, and scenic mountain slopes. We spend there the whole day alterning walking and swim stop(s) : several itineraries are possible for a nice full day walking not too difficult

- Level 2    
- Duration : 6 hours
- Height Difference : +100m/-100m
- Walking Time : 2 to 4 hours

      Transfer to our campsite (70 km - 1h)

We set up our camp on a flat area at the foot of beautiful mountains, with a panoramic view

Individual camping tent

      Transfer to a wadi (30 km - 0h 30)

      Walk and swim in a wadi

We start with a refreshing swim in the vast pool down the village where we park. We then walk up the wadi around large boulders and across water pools until the canyons narrows to form very long pools. We swim there and go back the same way. Warning : in some places, you might have to step in the water ; you shoes and pants might get wet…

- Level 2    
- Duration : 4 hours
- Walking Time : 2 to 3 hours

      Transfer to Muttrah (180 km - 2h)

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