At the very end of the valley wadi Sahtan
The vast Wadi Sahtan Valley lies directly north of the majestic Jebel Sham Ridge. Newly, a nice asphalt road leads through it, which you can reach almost within reach of the mountains. The road ends at the village of al Ghawr, which is worth visiting, including its surroundings. A nice oasis awaits you here and views of the vertical rock walls exceeding you by almost 1500 meters
Sunrise over the mountains
We slept on a small plot near the penultimate village in this side valley, so we had such a view practically directly from the car. The asphalt is completely fresh here, the remains of the construction can still be seen everywhere. On the horizon is the destination of our walk, the village of al Ghawr
The starting point of the walk
From the sleeping area we drive another kilometer to a small parking lot just a few tens of meters before the beginning of the village
Oasis Al Ghawr
You walk a few meters beyond the end of the road and you are in an oasis. Working with highly scarce water is amazing here. The system of canals and small dams distributes water over small terraced fields.
Omani mountain development
The small houses glued to the rock are really picturesque
Ascent to the village
Our first goal is to climb to the very top of the village – although on this walk it is more true that the road itself is the goal, the surrounding landscape is really amazing
View of the wadi Sahtan valley
There is a nice view of the valley from the village, but you can't go much further from there.
Valley below the village
The village is built directly above a small valley. We go to it, maybe we get through it to another village
A short journey through the gorge
We give way along the gorge after a few tens of meters, we would have to overcome a number of huge boulders blocking the way
Gecko
In the gorge we meet a gecko basking on a rock
Road along the irrigation canal
Already in the village we noticed that an irrigation canal leads above the gorge, so we climb up to it and make a third small exploration expedition here.
March along the irrigation canal
The path along the irrigation canal is probably the most interesting part of this walk, but also the most adrenaline-fueling. The canal winds really high above the ground, a fall would probably be fatal
Swimming pool
Our journey ends at the swimming pool, where there is a super refreshment after the previous walk around. Unfortunately, the way forward is quite impossible. So even the third attempt to get to the next village failed
Views of the mountain peaks
The north side of the mountains is really great. It would be worth spending more time in this area
Return
We return the same way, it was a nice morning
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Giga List: The most beautiful trips in Oman
In Oman you can make a number of beautiful trips. Both short hikes through the valleys to amazing swimming lakes and tours of… continue reading