Villages in the Mountains

About 2 hours from Muscat lies "Jebel Akdar."  This can be translated into English as "Green Mountain."  Geographically, this area contains a plateau, several deep river-cut gorges and a number of peaks and mountain tops.  Due to its elevation, it is about 20 degrees F cooler than Muscat and the coastal areas.  It also receives more rainfall, making it an ideal climate for agriculture.  This territory has been inhabited for hundreds of years.  Over this time, terraces have been built into the hillsides for growing crops and trees.  Today, there are a dozen villages spread throughout the region.  In the old days, people and goods traveled between the villages along donkey paths that ran along ridges and hilltops.  Today there the villages are connected by roads.  The donkey paths still exist and are used by locals and hikers. 

A few weekends ago, we camped out at Jebel Akdar.  Camping is easy in Oman because there are no restrictions on where you can put up your tent.  Pick a spot and its yours.   We found a nice location close to the road and only a few miles from a hike that we planned to do the next day.  After a comfortable night under the stars, we got up early and headed to the path start-point.  The trail snaked along ridges and terraces, across several dry river beds and through three villages.  The kids did great, heartily climbing up the steep parts and being very cautious when peering over ledges and cliffs.  The scenery was spectacular and we hope to head back again.