Monday, January 23: Today I tell my boys we are driving over the Wester Hajar Mountains on dirt roads, using my Oman Off-Road guide, from between Al Hamra and Al Hoota Cave in the Al-Dakhiliyah region to Rustaq in the Al-Batinah region. I am a little worried about accomplishing this feat, but only because I have heard I “might get lost.” But since I have my trusty guide with a pretty detailed map and instructions, I figure we shouldn’t get lost. We will double-check all landmarks along the way and if we can’t find any one of them, we’ll simply turn around and come back the way we came. The plan is, once we get to Rustaq, to go visit the hot springs there and maybe make a quick stop at Nakhal Fort.

Our view at the top of the mountain before we almost go over the edge!!

the rough track down the mountain; you can see the road carved into the side of the mountain to the right…
My friend Adil, who I met at Wadi Bani Khalid in November, and who lives near Rustaq, drove over this road one afternoon and popped in, with all his friends, to pay me a visit in my old villa. He made it sound like it was no big deal, just an hour and a half, he said, and only about 70km. No problem.

another view of the hajar mountains, this time from the dirt track
Things start out fairly well, as we take the road toward Al Hamra, and then take a right on a road signposted for Hat and Balad Sayt. This is a good tarmac road that climbs up the mountain in a series of switchbacks. At the beginning of this road, I think it says 38km to Balad Sayt. At the top of the mountain, right before the point where the map says the road turns to a dirt track, we stop at the viewpoint of Sharafat al Alamayn and get out of the car to see the spectacular view, considered one of the finest panoramas in Oman, across the entire Western Hajar and down towards the coast below. The wind is blowing hard and the air is so frigid, we feel a little worried at this point that we haven’t dressed properly for this excursion. It is freezing!!
We get back in the car and turn on the heat and start driving. At the crest of the mountain, we see three bikers standing at the top, talking and checking their gear. Taking a break of some kind. As we drive by, we all three look at them and wave cheerily. The next thing we know, and not one of us sees this coming, we are bumping over a dirt road full speed ahead and heading toward a knee-high gravel embankment, more like a big bump, on the other side of which is a sheer drop-off. “Watch out!!” the boys yell. I feel it before I see it, the pavement giving way to dirt and gravel, because frankly I am just turning my attention from the bikers to the road. I see what is before me and it isn’t good. I turn the wheel toward the sheer rock wall of the mountain, away from what could have been a long precipitous drop to our deaths!!

the entrance to the canyon leading to Balad Sayt
Oh my god!! I almost killed myself and my precious cargo, my two darling sons, who have entrusted themselves to my care here in Oman! As soon as we can, we stop the car, and all of us take a deep breath. We are shaken and looking at the treacherous road ahead, wondering if it’s wise to proceed. We decide to go ahead, but slowly and carefully.

the view from the canyon to the wadi bed
We drive cautiously, using my 4WD numerous times to slow our descent down the steep-angled and bumpy dirt track. Luckily, a kind of guard rail of sorts is all along the edge, really just a long continuous knee-high pile of gravel, which gives us some feeling that we’re protected from going off the edge. I doubt that it would really stop my Terrain, however, from the pull of gravity and momentum if we lost control of the car.

the narrow canyon leading to Balad Sayt
It is a long and slow descent, the road worming its way down an almost vertical escarpment, with spectacular views all along the way. These are the kinds of views that take your breath away. We pass by the village of Hat on the right, with a big falaj that tumbles down the mountain. We go through a very rough wadi bed, hard even on my Terrain, and pass two women coming from the opposite direction, from the Rustaq end of the route. They warn, “It’s really rough going ahead.” I say, “Oh no, it was really rough where we came from. I don’t know how much more of this I can take!”

Alex sits on a rock to put his shoes on in the canyon leading to Balad Sayt
The thing we want to see most is the charming village of Balad Sayt. Described in The Rough Guide to Oman as such: “Tucked away in the folds of the mountains, this Shangri-La-like settlement is one of the most famous traditional villages in Oman, although its size and relative modernity come as something of a surprise given the remote and inhospitable location. The core of the village remains magical, however, with a picturesque pile of small houses, crowned with a tiny fort, sitting above a lush swathe of immaculate terraced fields.”

a colorful door in the village
Oman Off-Road describes two ways to approach the village. They recommend the approach by foot, because “your first views of the town will come after you emerge from an improbable canyon cleft – it’s like discovering a lost city, seeing Petra for the first time.” Having been to Petra in November, and knowing just what it feels like to walk through a canyon and to come upon a hidden treasure, I can’t resist this approach. So, near the wadi bottom, we find the cleft in the canyon, park the car, and climb up into it, following an Omani who we have seen gracefully gliding up into the canyon.
It turns out there are many pools along the way that we must wade through. I roll up my pants legs all the way to my knees, and they still get wet. We have to wade through about 4 of these pools, some quite deep. Finally, after quite an adventure, we arrive in the beautiful village, which is lovely but is not quite Petra!! The actual view as you emerge directly from the canyon is not that magical, although after you’re well out of the canyon, we discover it is a totally charming little village.
We come immediately upon some Omani boys shooting a gun at a target and they let both the boys shoot the gun. We then walk up through the village, where a young man comes out and introduces himself and then takes us on a tour through the village, beside the newly built mosque and through his own family’s plantation. It is lovely, with terraced fields of crops set against the backdrop of the stacked village and the Hajar Mountains. It sits in a bowl in the midst of the brown mountains, an oasis of lush greenery and golden houses. Shangri-La.

the young man from Balad Sayt, Adam & Alex in Oman.
After our walk, I tell the boys I will wait at the entrance to the village while they go back through the canyon and the pools and get the car. The young man who has given us the tour offers to accompany them and show them the way. I sit alone for a bit, but then several boys from the village join me. They can speak just rudimentary English, or none at all, so we just take pictures of each other and sit in silence.
Finally the boys return with the car, and we take off for the second half of the drive. The girls we met earlier were right. This part of the drive is much more treacherous and scary than the first part! We drive along a dirt road on which one side is a sheer wall of rock, and on the other side is a straight drop-off into a deep and bottomless canyon. The views are unparalleled, simply spectacular, but driving the road is terrifying.
We pass by Snake Canyon (Wadi Bimmah), which takes its name not from actual slithering reptiles but from the twisting shape. The canyon is a popular destination for adventurous hikers, and supposedly involves daring jumps into rock pools and swimming through ravines. Apparently a number of hikers have died here from raging torrents caused by rain in the mountains above. I don’t think Snake Canyon will be a destination for me.
Later the terrain finally flattens out and we pass by Little Snake Canyon, another smaller cleft in the rock face which is apparently easier to navigate than Snake Canyon proper.

a waterfall in the plantations of Balad Sayt
By the time we finally get to Road #13, known as the Ar Rustaq-Nakhal loop, it is 4:30 in the afternoon. We are too tired to search for the hot springs in Rustaq. As a matter of fact, we don’t go to Rustaq at all, but head in the opposite direction, to Nakhal. I want the boys to see Nakhal Fort, but sadly, it closed at 4:00, so we can only see it from the outside.
We decide we all are starving, as we haven’t eaten all day, so we’ll go directly to Muscat to eat at the Turkish House Restaurant, one of my favorite restaurants in Muscat. We drive around and around in circles in Khuwair, and finally, by asking people walking along the road, we finally find it. Though the boys are a little disappointed in the lack of vegetarian options on the menu, they do find a delicious hummus platter on the menu that they devour happily. Food is always a happy ending.
Great post – very informative. Planning to do this trip soon – inshallah!
Thank you! I loved your photos of Nizwa Souq and the camel races!
Please be careful on this drive. As you could see, I almost killed me and my sons. Also, one of my students told me last week a family of five got killed going over a cliff here. They apparently went over at midnight (although I don’t know why anyone would drive this road at night) and they weren’t found till 6 a.m. the next morning…
Thanks!
Yes, I hadn’t realised it was so treacherous. Got to keep your wits about you on these drives. You got some beautiful pics though!
It is indeed a very dangerous drive and should only be undertaken by serious off roaders. I followed the tarmac road from Sharaf Al Alamayn and found myself on the track. When I saw the vertical hill down to Hat I decided that I did not want to risk it as I could see lots of soft sand ahead. I got out of my vehicle to take a closer look at the road `Nope` I thought.“ I do not want to go there“. i was too nervous to reverse back on to the tarmac road so decided to wait for someone to come along and maybe do that for me! (I am a woman bye the way) Along came a couple from Texas who had been used to driving along the mountain roads in Peru. He said `You can do it!“ `But I don`t really WANT to do it“ was my reply. They offered to go ahead and I felt compelled to follow. It was THE most nerve wracking experience! The soft sand is a real danger – if you break too hard, you will skid – its like driving on ice but at the same time you dare not drive too fast bearing in mind the steep drop below. I prayed all the way down (following the dust trail from my Texan friends) until I reached Bilad Sayt when it got easier ( holding my breath whilst driving through deep water). Like you, I took the Nakhl Road back to Muscat. I was still shaking when I reached home. This road will be closed in the near future to make way for the construction of a tarmac road which I imagine will be like the fantastic road to Al Jabal Al Akhdar.
Thanks Maryam for sharing your experience. It is quite harrowing, yet somehow I always still see it as an awesome adventure. I know what you mean about the steep sandy spots where you can skid ~ right off the edge of the road and over a mountain!! You are so right that when that tarmac road is done, it will be much safer ~ but less of an adventure!!
Hi there,
Feel really stupid saying this but…..I drove in this area at night. It was a moonless night & as you can imagine, it was pitch black in the mountains. We drove up to 1400m high up. We were looking for Jabal shams and somehow lost our way and landed between Balad Sayt & Hat. I must say though, it was one of the most magical night drives we ever did. Some of the narrow passage ways up and down between the huge mountains were unforgettable. The drive through the canyons was also fantastic with just the silhouette of the mountains against the starry sky. Unfortunately ! I don’t know how to get to the exact same place again ! I know how to get to balad sayt & Hat , so I’m gona go there with my mates again and try to find the route we did ….only this time ofcourse, in daylight.
Travis
Hi Travis, First I must apologize for my late reply. I’ve been traveling around China and Myanmar for the last 6 weeks, and I just arrived home yesterday. I have a lot of catching up to do.
I can’t believe you drove that crazy drive in the dark, on a moonless night no less! I bet it was beautiful at night, but also mighty scary, especially in the deep canyon area between Balad Sayt and Rustaq. I don’t know how you did it. You should be able to find the route again easily, by starting either on the inland side near Al Hamra, or on the north side, near Rustaq. Good luck finding it in daylight. I think I did that drive 4-5 times while I was in Oman (I’m no longer there and am currently living in China). It was one of my favorite, most adventurous, things I did while living in Oman. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this wonderful post. Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
Thank you and you’re welcome Francine!
I did the drive two weeks ago, but the opposite way, from Nakhal to Nizwa. I am not an experienced off-road driver and drove a car I had no prior experience with. Based on what I had read I expected the drive to be far more challenging than it turned out to be. It seems like you got yourself in trouble mostly because you were distracted by those three bikers. Personally I didn’t think the roads were very difficult to drive on, or even treacherous. Anyway, nice post!
Hi Joe, Thanks for visiting my blog and for your comment! Yes, I think the thing that caused the problem was being distracted by the bikers, for sure. And also the fact that the road changed from a sealed road to a dirt track around a bend in the mountain, and we were going too fast for that change. I’ve never driven the route in the direction you did, but I will have to try it sometime. It’s just that I always seem to be coming from Nizwa!
I still do think the roads are treacherous, because in some steep parts the roads are quite gravelly and I’ve felt the gravel give way under the car. I saw one relatively new SUV laying all battered off the edge of a steep drop once, and I know of several students from UNIZWA who went over a cliff on this drive last year; all of them died. If you’re careful and paying attention, I think it’s fine. It definitely feels like an adventure! Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I’ve done the trip 3x since I wrote this!
Hi Joe,
My wife and I are planning to go to Oman for 9 days and would like to drive from Nakhl to Nizwa through the Mountains.
We would be very grateful if you could advise us to drive with a standard car, not a SUV, being too expensive.
Thanks in advance
Gianni
giannicasa@yahoo.fr
Hi there Gianni,
First, I’m not sure where you got that my name is Joe! It’s not; I’m Cathy. Pleased to meet you.
I really don’t advise that you drive through Wadi Bani Awf with a standard car. Some of the inclines are very steep and rough, and the wadi at the bottom is VERY rough indeed. As a matter of fact, I messed up my 4WD on one of my trips through that wadi. It’s a very long and slow drive; you will get to Nizwa much faster on the main highways. Have fun in Oman! 🙂
Oh dear, I just realized you were asking Joe, whoever that is who commented on my post! Sorry to answer when you were asking him. Don’t know if he will see your question by the way!
very insightful .. am planning to do this trip soon .. n i did read most of ur travelogues and they are amazing
Wow, thank you Suhail. I hope you enjoy the trip; it really is amazing ~ one of the best adventures in Oman. Enjoy, but please be careful!!
Oman Off-Road Guide indeed! Fascinating places. The photo of the painted door – I guess that’s a widespread custom isn’t it? My son photographed a number of them when he was stationed in southern Afghanistan. The Wadi Bani Awf & Balad Syt photos are great.
Thank you, Lynn! I love the painted doors in Oman. I’m amassing quite a collection of them. It does seem to be quite a custom. Glad you like the photos and thanks so much for all your comments. 🙂
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Hi Cathy/ All,
Just a quick one from us. We drove this yesterday and I found it extremely nerve wracking. Fortunately we had a fantastic car and Mark is a confident driver and managed the roads well. I don’t think I would have been so calm.
We did the drive the opposite to you, so starting from the Nakhal direction. This is a good way to do it as you have the time to adjust to the off road track before it becomes really scary. However it does mean that you are driving mainly uphill and don’t see the views in the same way. Spectacular none the less.
It was a fantastic adventure and our camping and walk in little sake canyon just wonderful. However any future drivers just be careful! The Oman Offroad guide which we also used did not give a true reflection of the steepness of the road nor the dangers involved though it was great for navigating and we never got lost.
Jo
Hi Jo,
Thanks for letting me know how you fared on this drive. I think going from the Nakhal area to Al Hamra would be a totally different experience, one which I never had. Yes, it’s hard to tell from Oman OffRoad how steep the drive is, and it is quite scary in some spots, especially right after you leave Balad Sayt and head toward Nakhal area. Some amazing views though, right? I’m glad you stayed safe and enjoyed the adventure. What did you think of Balad Sayt?
Thank you for sharing your photos from Oman
I would like to know for you, what is the best time in the day to visit the Snake canyons and also Bilad Sayt
Thank you
You’re welcome, Jonathan. I’m glad you enjoyed my photos. As for Snake Canyon and Balad Sayt, that is a big trip. I always came from the Nizwa side (the interior) out to the exterior. It usually took all day to do that trip! That of course is with making stops along the way to walk around and take photos. Be safe; it can be quite treacherous. 🙂
I was really impressed you made the trip.
Please tell me now that you have been through Wadi Bani Awf, which was would you tell me to go-from the Rustaq end or the Al Harma end?
Thank you
Joe Whitehouse
You can easily go from either end, Joe, but every time I went, I went from the Al Hamra end because I lived in Nizwa! 🙂 It was one of my best adventures when I was in Oman. 🙂