The Lost Village(s) walk - Jabal Akhdar

Jabal Akhdar is a fantastic place for hiking - due to its altitude temperatures are 10 degrees below the coastal temperature and it takes less than 3 hours to reach it from Muscat which makes even day-hikes possible if you start early enough. And the views are just something to die for - absolutely stunning!

Even though the place screams hiking, it is not that easy to find good information about the different routes - we also only got to know about them once we visited and saw the information signs set up by Alila or when came across a really old hiking book with hand drawn maps. You are in a much better situation though - we collected all the hikes we got to know about in this post!

This particular hike, the Lost Village Walk has been on our to-hike list for a long time - and now that we completed it, we have a new favorite hike here in Oman! Here is why:

* It is exactly challenging enough: 7km, took us 5 hours, we got nicely tired but not too hammered. The terrain is diverse, you have to walk a up and down, it does not get boring!

* The views are unbelievable. You have to go there to see it for yourself!

* It has exposed rim walk, wadi walk, abandoned villages, a pool, gardens - kind of all in one hike

* It is clearly marked.

* It is not crowded: we only met a few locals, otherwise we had the place for ourselves.

If you leave early in the morning you can do this as a day-hike from Muscat - we camped though, and must say it was VERY cold at night so bring proper sleeping bag and loads of warm cloths. Campsites marked on google maps in Jabal Akhdar can get very crowded - we loved our spot, bit away from the main routes. The views are stunning and we only had a few cars passing by.

We did this hike during first week of March and it was already hot in the sun - it was just boarder line not too much. So it is NOT a summer hike despite the altitude. Also not a hike for rainy weather since a section of it goes deep into a wadi and you even climb a waterfall - would not like to do it with water in it frankly.

It is ok for bit older kids, due to length it is not for toddlers. If you carry the kid on your back it should be ok.

There is no off-road driving involved, you drive to the trail head on asphalt road, however you can only allowed to Jabal Akhdar in a 4WD, so it is not salon car friendly.

As usual make sure you bring enough water, wear sunscreen, hat and good shoes and bring some snacks!

Location for parking: 23.1533,57.5386

Trail head: 23.153154, 57.538378

Total time: 5 hours

Total distance: 7km

Challange: altitude difference, lots of up and downs 

The overview of the trek. We took the "upper" route out which is a kind of balcony walk with absolutely gorgeous views (see pic above) and walked the "lower" path on the way back which leads you through the wadi.

The first lost village - can you spot it?

The second lost village - you can also explore the gardens below, what we skipped this time.

Our lunch spot right after the village - nice and shady!

How to climb a waterfall?

The third village - hidden in a cave.

Everything starts and ends with a mosque around here :).