Hiking in the Hajar mountains: Jebel Shams, Jebel Akhdar and the Balcony Walk

The Hajar are the great mountain range of northern Oman. Two massifs, about two hours' drive from Muscat, offer most of the hiking: Jebel Shams, the country's highest mountain, and Jebel Akhdar, the "Green Mountain", with its farmed plateau at 2,000 metres. Trails are waymarked with red, white and yellow painted flags and numbered (W4, W6 and so on).

Jebel Shams and the Balcony Walk

Jebel Shams rises to about 3,000 m: according to Oman's Ministry of Foreign Affairs it is the highest peak on the Arabian Peninsula (Rough Guides gives 3,005 m). It towers over Wadi Nakhr, a gorge often called the "Grand Canyon of Oman".

The Balcony Walk (trail W6)

This is probably the most famous hike in the country. The trail starts from the hamlet of Khateem, a couple of kilometres along a track beyond Jebel Shams Resort, and follows the cliffs halfway up the side of Wadi Nakhr to the abandoned village of As Sab. The cliffs are nearly a kilometre high, the village of Nakhr sits far below, and Egyptian vultures circle overhead.

• Time: about 3 hours there and back.
• Terrain: a cliffside path, with a sheer drop along much of the way.
• Short version: even ten minutes' walk from Khateem gives you the first views.

The south summit (trail W4)

The main summit, topped by a radar dome, is a closed military zone. Trail W4 leads to the south summit, Qarn al Ghamaydah (2,997 m), with views over Wadi Nakhr, Wadi Sahtan and Wadi Bani Awf.

Around Jebel Shams

• Misfat al Abriyeen, at 900 m, is a village of mud and stone houses watered by a falaj (a traditional irrigation channel) more than 2,000 years old.
• Al Hamra, at the foot of the mountain, has an old quarter of mud houses two to four storeys high.
• Via ferrata: a 5-hour guided outing costs from about €134 per person.

Our Jebel Shams page covers places to stay, including Jebel Shams Resort, at the end of the summit road, and The View.

Jebel Akhdar

Jebel Akhdar is a massif of plateaus and gorges whose heart, the Saiq plateau, lies at around 2,000 m (the weather station is at 1,997 m). Walks here lead through terraced fields, orchards and aflaj, the irrigation channels of which five have been UNESCO World Heritage sites since 2006.

• The rose gardens of the terraced villages bloom from late March to early May: see rose season on Jebel Akhdar.
• Via ferrata: a 2-hour guided outing costs from about €100 per person; a 3-hour via ferrata and hike around the village of Sharaijah costs about €115 for a group of up to three.
• Day trip from Muscat: about €117 per person.

The Jebel Akhdar road is closed to ordinary cars: a police checkpoint at the foot of the climb, near Birkat al Mouz, only lets 4WD vehicles through. Our guide to driving in Oman explains the rules. Hotels on the plateau, including Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Alila Jabal Akhdar and Sahab Resort, are on our Jebel Akhdar page.

Wakan and Balad Sayt, on the Batinah side

On the northern side of the range, facing the Batinah coast, two villages draw hikers:

• Wakan, at up to 2,000 m, which the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism counts among the most beautiful mountain villages in Oman, with old mountain paths now used by hikers all year round;
• Balad Sayt, famous for its farming terraces and the paths that loop around the village; getting there takes a 4WD and experience of mountain driving.

See our Batinah page.

When to go

The season runs from October to April. Readings from the Saiq station give an idea of conditions in the high mountains (highs: 1991-2020 normals; lows and records: readings from 1979 to 1990):

In midwinter, bring a warm jacket and layers: there can be frost at night, and Jebel Shams is a thousand metres higher than Saiq. In summer the mountains remain bearable (highs of 27 to 30 °C at Saiq), but the valleys and foothills become scorching: the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) notes that extreme heat has caused deaths from dehydration in Oman.

Safety

• Unprotected paths. The Auswärtiges Amt, Germany's foreign office, warns that most mountain and wadi paths have no safety features, and that a small slip in the wrong place can be fatal. It advises going with a tour operator, or at least in a group.
• Stick to marked trails, says the FCDO.
• Altitude. The FCDO also flags a risk of altitude sickness in parts of Oman, notably on Jebel Shams at around 3,000 m.
• Water and phone. For mountain trips, the FCDO recommends carrying a supply of water and a phone, and leaving your plans with someone at home.
• Rain. From October to March, heavy rain can turn a gully into a torrent: keep out of gorges and wadis when heavy rain is forecast. See our guide to wadis, swimming and flash floods.
• Emergency services are on 9999; in remote areas they can take several hours to arrive.

On your own or with a guide

The Balcony Walk is clearly waymarked, and its starting point at Khateem is reached by 4WD. For the south summit, longer routes and the via ferrata, a local guide brings knowledge of the terrain and the day's weather, which is also Germany's advice for any mountain outing.