Sidab Coastal Trek - pure nature inside the city

There are many great hikes right within Muscat - the kind of hikes where you park in the middle of the city and after walking just 15 min you find yourself in the middle of nature-heaven. So even when we stay at home for the weekend we do not have to miss out on our weekly hike-ration. This weekend we tried the Sidab coastal trek and it was a huge success!

The trek is marked, you just need to follow the regular red-white-yellow flags. The path is not easy though and we would not recommend for toddlers - at times it is super steep, with loose rocks etc. You need to consider tide timing (or you can also use this page) as some of the beaches get cut off at high tide - we started a few hours after high tide peaked which meant we had around 5 hours until low tide peaked and even when water levels start rising you have a couple of hours before you are in trouble (or need to swim your way). Omantripper has a great and detailed overview of this trek with considerations to be taken.

The beaches are simply stunning and the whole trek is just breathtaking . We hiked, we climbed and we snorkeled - we spent on the whole outing around 5 hours. Snorkeling is actually fun and worthwhile - we picked the third bay (the last, where the red warning sign marks the end of the trek) and found some huge corals with plenty of fish, among others many huge parrot fish. It was certainly worth to pack the masks! Apparently some of the oldest corals in the country are in these bays - we do have the diving book from 1991 mentioned in the Omantripper post, but the maps are drawings and we were not sure which bay they refer to. Next time we will try the other one :).

We started around 9.30 and there were many people on the trek, mostly returning. Around midday though the whole place got deserted and we had the beach to ourselves - it was fantastic! No wonder this is a popular trek - it is gorgeous, versatile and it does count as a workout as well :). You can make a quick hike or a long day at the beach out of it - depending on mood and time available. 

For more inspiration on Muscat hikes or daytrips from Muscat check out our Let’s hike page or the Muscat day trip label !

Update 2022: the trek became very popular. The ladder got changed to stainless steel one and now it is properly attached to the rock. There are cables and ropes now to support at the most exposed parts. Because it is busy it is also very slippery, so be cautious. 

Best for: Snorkeling and finding surprising cultural mementos

Best time to visit: Any time but check the tide times!

Pools: No, but there are beaches!

Marked: Yes

Location for parking: 23.6039,58.5982 

Location for trail head: From the parking, walk towards the mountains, cross the cemetery, and look out for the markers and the ladder to start the hike.

Location for end of the hike: 23.6115, 58.5990, the last bay

Difficulty: medium, after the first section which is slippery and steep it is easy.

Total time: 2 hours + plus beach time

Distance: 5 kilometres there and back

Elevation difference: 180 meters

Car: 2WD car is okay

Kids: Not toddler-friendly

Summer: Absolutely!

Fun start of the trek 

Can you spot the elephant? You can climb to the top of it!

We snorkeled in this bay.

On the way back the water was so low that we could walk over to this little islet.

Some serious father-daughter love :).