Jabal Akhdar - the cliffhanger village of Al Suwjarah

Al Suwjarah (or Al Sogara) is a remote village in Oman - Wikipedia calls it one of the most remote villages, what I would argue with. There is a pleasant off-road trek leading to it, well maintained and wide - we have driven to villages on much less accessible roads. It does not take away from its beauty though. Apparently, the village existed for more than 500 years, and the oldest houses are carved into the limestone, creating a protective barrier against storms and the winter cold. The villagers descend from the Al-Shariqi tribe, which originated in Jordan over 1,000 years ago. Until 2005, foreigners were barred from visiting because Al Sogara was used as the center of a militarized zone.

The village has since been modernized and residents moved to the new houses built next to the road. The old village had been turned into a charming and unique guest house - the old buildings are carefully renovated, respecting their origins but still equipped with modern facilities - HERE is the homepage of the guesthouse. 

BBC ran a story on this remote village, it is an interesting read.

More posts about our trips in Jabal Akhdar: HERE. The overview of all hiking trail we know of in this area is here.

Location: 23.1369, 57.6719

Summer friendly.

Toddler friendly.

4WD is a must. 

One has to look closely to set the houses apart from the cliff. 

The new village with wadi views - the wadi looked super nice, probably offers some great wadi-hikes.

To get to the village, you need to cross this little wobbly suspended bridge.

Welcome to the village! Where the whole old village had been turned into a funky guesthouse.