Printed Guidebook and Map Purchase for Western Hajar

Second-hand guidebook

Search online using ISBN 9781908531797 to find second-hand copies.

ISBN for guidebook purchase

Since publication in February 2020, the day-by-day maps in the guidebook and the two-sided A1 1:50,000-scale folded map remain the only detailed contour maps of the Western Hajar available to the public. The National Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (NSGIA) has reviewed and approved the Roman spelling of the Arabic village names shown on the maps, and issued registration number 1246 (05/11/19), authorising their sale and use in Oman.

Western Hajar Traverse map
Front page of the 1:50,000-scale folded map of the Western Hajar Traverse.
Western Hajar Traverse map
Back page of the 1:50,000-scale folded map of the Western Hajar Traverse.

Additions since print publication to Day-by-Day chapters, November 2025

These updates apply to the printed guidebook and map. The PDF and iBook versions of the guidebook and maps available for free guidebook and map downloads are partially updated. For example now included is the new guest house at Hadash and the hand chain on the track to Sawjrah. However updated website links for serviced accommodation and guides are only kept current on this website. These updates are the result of Western Hajar feedback from hikers since 2020, from guest houses and hotels, and from my Omani friends who are mountain guides.

Days Day's journey Update Update consequence
1 Al Afyah to Hadash Al Afyah is the name of the village where the traverse starts according to NSGIA, who are trying to standardise the translation of these Arabic place names. However some taxi drivers only recognize the spelling Al Afiah because that is how the village is signposted. Accommodation is now available in Hadash, the Hadash Guest House. It is now possible to walk the first six days on the low route Al Afyah to Misfat Al Abriyyin using serviced accomodation every night, although the hotel on Day 4, the Alila, is very expensive.
2 Hadash to Wukan Track descending to Wukan has a set of planks across a tricky section This fixes a portion of the track eroded by a land slip
3 Wukan to As Sawjrah The gentle cliff just below Aqbat Wukan where the track crosses the lip out of Al Ghubrah Bowl now has chains This was an easy climb made even easier
4 As Sawjrah to Ar Rus There is a new graded road above As Sawjrah to the view point above Wadi Bani Kharus This could be used as an alternative to part of the track, longer but faster walking
5 Ar Rus to Ash Sharaf There is another hotel being built at Ash Sharaf, and a roadside cafe
6 Ash Sharaf to Misfat Al Abriyyin Aqabat Al Hamra is now accessible by a new graded road where new houses are being built. There are now nine choices of accommodation in Misfat Al Abriyyin. This increase in accommodation means it is possible to find a taxi to Al Hamra for provisions or to begin or end the traverse at Misfat Al Abriyyin using public transport.
8 Hayl Ash Shas to Jabal Shams summit The cemetery before Hayl Al Khadra has drinking water. There are two blue drums collecting rain water near the summit. The water in the open tank at Al Barbad is thick with green algae, only usable with a filter. The cemetery provides another alternative for water if there is no one at Hayl Al Khadra and their tank is empty. Relying on the summit drum water is not recommended. All the open water tanks need filtration before use.
9 Jabal Shams summit to plateau There are now six hotels on the Jabal Shams plateau Within 2 km of the end of track there is a wider choice of accommodation, and more likelihood of finding a taxi off the mountain if a hiker chooses to begin or exit the traverse at the Jabal Shams plateau.
10 Kurb road to Yisab road saddle The unfinished graded road connecting Kurb to Yisab is now built This Kurb-Yisab road creates a second north/south Hajar Mountain crossing so an opportunity for a 4WD support vehicle to follow walkers to Yisab with vehicular exit returning south via Kurb or proceeding east via Wadi Sahtan.
side route Hayl At Talhat to Naqa Ar Ruways There is a spring midway on this track near a ruin 20m from the track that is not shown on the map. It is 80 meters to the east, and 5 meters up from a campsite at 23°18.351′ N, 57°10.696′ E. An opportunity to fill water containers as the next water source is the tank at Naqa Ar Ruways that could be empty if the brothers and their families are not staying in their mountain home.
Updates for the printed guidebook and map.
Serviced Accommodation and Posted Freeze Dried Meals, updated November 2025

Serviced accommodation—guest houses and hotels providing relief from wild and roadside camping are located at the end of eight of the sixteen days’ walks as shown on the Western Hajar serviced accommodation map. The distance from the end of the track to the establishment is in the fourth column of the table. It is also possible to stay at the Sunrise Resort after Day 12 finishing at Kurb if you phone for a hotel taxi for the 9.2 km journey. Some of the establishments (The Suwgra, Hospitality Inn, Bait Bimah and others) provide shower facilities for a reasonable fee if you are camping nearby. They have restaurants and offer drinking water which is either delivered by tankers or piped desalination water. Both are safe to drink without treatment.

The Alila is extremely expensive, The View expensive, and the other establishments' least expensive rooms are priced between 95 and 35 Omani Rials for two including full board. The table below only includes accommodation that is on the traverse, while the serviced accommodation map also includes establishments on the side routes. The Alila is included because there is nothing else at the finish of Day 4. There are other choices if you walk 800m further at the end of Day 5 Ash Sharaf: (Al Hoota Rest House), Day 6 Misfat Al Abriyyin: (Bait Baitayn Bayt Albayitin, Roghan Hospitality Inn, Basmat Almisfah, Bait Al Mall Heritage Inn, Hissen Al Misfah, Misfah View and Jabal Shams Stars House) and Day 9 if you walk up to 2km on Shams plateau: (Jebal Shams View Stay, Mount Shams Nights, The Mountain Jewel Villa, Jebal Shama Dome, Al Wafa House and Mountsun Stay Jabal Shams).

At the end of Day 3, Day 5 and Day 6 are establishments who have received my posts from the UK of freeze dried meals for collection; The Suwgra in As Sawjrah, Shorfet Al Alamin at Ash Sharaf and Hospitality Inn and Misfah Old House posted via Canyon Adventures and Tours in Misfat Al Abriyyin. At the end of Day 9 both Sama Heights Resort and Mountsun Stay Jabal Shams accepted a parcel delivery as reported in the feedback. The establishments receiving my posts are highlighted with red in the table. The tracked postage took between fourteen and twenty-one-days. Their postal boxes are in Muscat, Nizwa or Al Hamra that are some distance below the mountain villages, and the businesses run their own consolidated freight service trips that are infrequent. This accounts for these long postage times. It is recommended to use a parcel tracking service, and email your chosen accommodation when your package has cleared customs in Muscat and arrived at their Post Office Box. From the U.K. the Royal Mail Parcel Force was the cheapest, proved reliable, and tracked the parcel through customs. The contacts and addresses for postage for five establishments are listed below the table of serviced accommodation.

Days Location Nearest Accommodation Road to Accommodation Contact
1 Hadash Hadash Guest House 0 www.bookings.com
2 Wukan Sama Wakan Heritage Lodge 0 samaresorts.com/WakanHeritageHome
3 As Sawjrah The Suwgra 0 www.thesuwgra.com
4 Ar Rus Alila 3.5km www.hyatt.com/alila-hotels-and-resorts/en-US/mctal-alila-jabal-akhdar
5 Ash Sharaf Shorfet Al Alamin 0 Email Ayetullah Sharif at shorfetalalamin@gmail.com
6 Misfat Al Abriyyin Hospitality Inn, Misfah Old House 0 Email Abdulrahman at info@canyonadventurestours.com
7 Hayl Ash Shas The View 0 www.theviewoman.com
9 Jabal Shams plateau Sama Heights Resort 0 samaresorts.com/HeightsResorts
12 Kurb Sunrise Resort Jebel Sham Mountain 9.2km west www.bookings.com
Updated table of accommodation on the traverse. In red are the establishments that accepted posted provisions.
  • Sama Resorts have two hotels on the traverse, one at Wukan and the second on Jabal Shams plateau. Mail is driven up the mountain in a weekly journey, Emails: rm@samaresorts.com, samawakan@samaresorts.com, samaheights@samaresorts.com. Postal address: Golden Oryx Tours, 6th floor KFC building, Al Khuwair, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
  • The Suwgra, Email Mohammed Al Sheriqi at reserve@thesuwgra.com, +968 9883 6356, Postal address: P. O. Box 1069, Postal Code 611, Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman. (Tracked parcel postage from London took sixteen days)
  • Shorfet Al Alamin Hotel, Email Ayetullah Sharif at shorfetalalamin@gmail.com, +968-99449071 | M: +968-99449721, for courier: Shorfet Al Alamin Jabal Hat, Al Hamra, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. For post: Postal address: P.O. Box. 3435, Postal Code 111, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman (Tracked parcel postage from London took fourteen days)
  • For both Misfat Al Abriyyin guest houses, Hospitality Inn and Misfah Old House, contact Abdulrahman of Canyon Adventures and Tours at info@canyonadventurestours.com, +968 9941 2660, Postal address: P.O. Box 64, Postal Code 617, Al Hamra, Sultanate of Oman. (Tracked parcel postage from London took twenty-one-days)
Alternatives for Freeze Dried Meal Delivery

The only online shopping service that accepted my order for freeze dried meal delivery to a P.O. Box in Oman was oman.whizzcart.com. However their delivery time included prolonged delays due to customs procedures so their services to Oman are therefore not recommended. Desertcart will not accept an order for Oman unless you have an Omani National ID number. Amazon.ae will not accept any orders for freeze dried meals with an Omani delivery address. Noon does not stock freeze dried food. The business Sport Zone LLC no longer provides mountain logistics support. However the individuals Suleiman Al Alawi and Ahmed Al-Malki living in Muscat do offer hiking tourist support. Contact them via email address suleimanalalawi71@gmail.com. They can arrange for your food supplies to be delivered wherever you need them. If posting directly to your choice of accommodation is no longer feasible, which is the cheapest option, then bring your hiking food supplies with your luggage for Suleiman to deliver. Bringing your own freeze dried meals is preferable as the choice in Muscat is limited.

Guides, updated November 2025

There is Omani law on specialist guides: Mandatory three week training prior to receiving a license from the Ministry of Tourism.

  • Muscat Experienced guide services are available from Mohamed Al Azri for all of the Western Hajar Mountains. He is a specialist tour guide, certified adventure guide and speaks both English and French. Mohamed is a skilled mountaineer so an excellent choice if you are interested in technical climbing as well as hiking and canyoning. This guidebook would not have been possible without his help. email address cheg11@hotmail.com
  • As Sawjrah Mohammed Al Sheriqi is the manager of the village owned guest house The Suwgra. Mohammed and his family have lived for generations in As Sawjrah and know the mountain tracks in the vicinity better than anyone. Mohammed can arrange a guide from his village. Email reserve@thesuwgra.com
  • The Bait Bimah Lodge baitbimah.com provide guiding services in Wadi Bani Awf
  • Misfat Al Abriyyin Abdulrahman is the owner of Canyon Adventures and Tours www.canyonadventurestours.com and the first restored guest house in his home village. He can provide guides from Misfat Al Abriyyin, and with a donkey if requested. Abdulrahman provided the donkeys and assistance for installing the chains at Safih Abu Habshah.
  • Hayl Ash Shas The hotel The View advertises hiking guide services on their website
  • Yiqa and the last four days Abdullah Al Khambashi +968 9569 8833 lives at Al Jammah 2.4 km west of Yiqa, a village with six donkeys. The gardens at Ghayl Shadhan and Hayl At Talhat on the traverse are owned by the Al Jammah villagers, and the tracks to them are the only ones in Western Hajar that today remain in continual use. Abdullah can provide guides and donkeys for this long remote section
  • Hajar Mountains www.omantrekkingguides.com is a website for Omani and expatriate guides to offer their services
Drinking water, addition November 2025

The water in open tanks and dams should be filtered then boiled or treated. The guidebook text omits filtering, which is necessary to remove green algae.

Sleeping, addition November 2025

Some of the walkers in their feedback do recommend bringing an ultra light tent or bivy bag to avoid the dew on their sleeping bag. Whether this justifies carrying the extra weight and volume of a tent is a personal choice. Our family always slept under the stars.

Spelling corrections, addition November 2025

The hut near the summit called Al Barbad is also known as Al Murabadh. The word isbar should be spelled isba in the sentence describing tracks rights of way; The economic benefit of this territory, called isba, belongs to the shawawiya but there are no restrictions on anybody crossing the land. The semi-nomadic pastoralists living in the mountains called shawawiya can be described as shawi for single, and shuwan for a group.

Accommodation, addition January 2026

There are four restored guest houses that could be useful for hikers making the north/south crossing via Wadi An Nakhur, Jabal Shams and Wadi Sahtan. This crossing provides a fit walker with 4000 m of climb in a horizontal distance of 22 km, a three day trip involving grade three climbing. Three of the guest houses are in Wadi Sahtan, two at the track finish at Wijmah called the Five Elements Village and Alabri Home and at one at Mushuq called Tilal Al-Qattara Hotel. There is also a guest house on the interior southern side of the mountain 6 km west from Ghul along the road towards the Shams plateau. It is called the Al Hajar Mountains resthouse and is 6 km the entrance to Wadi An Nakhur.