Travel Dairies: Jabel Shams

Hey guys !! 

I was going through my pictures today when i found a few of our trip to Jabel shams and i thought why not share these with you guys!

So here they are. I'll tell all about the place and how we spent the day !

We wanted to escape the hot weather here in Oman and go someplace cool, so on a whim we planned a trip to Jabel Shams

It was quite an adventure.

Jabel shams literally means 'Mountain of the Sun'. It is considered the Grand Canyon of Oman.

It is located in the north eastern region of Oman. The height of this mountain is 9934' (3028 m) (source: google)

So this is how the day went.

It was 22nd August. The day was Friday. 

It was a typical hot summer day in Oman, the sun was shining awfully bright and it was really hot, I remember sweating when i was going to the car, which, thankfully, my husband has already started 10 minutes earlier and cranked up the AC (best husband ever!)

Before we go any further, let me tell you where we live. Our house is in 'Al Wadi Al Kabir' which is about 8-10 minute drive from Muttrah.

So we packed up the things for Barbecue and left our house around 8:30 am.

It was a long drive. It took us about 4 and a half hours to reach there. But the stunning view and the weather was totally worth it ! 

It was 33-34 degree centigrade in Muscat, but there it was 22-23. It was incredible !

The most magnificent sight is this jaw dropping cliff, which is so incredibly deep (you cant really tell how deep it is from the picture, which i captured with my iPhone)

We walked around for a bit, than cooked food, ate and clicked pictures!(sharing a few)

THE SPECIFICS:

Distance (from Muscat to Jabel Shams): 273 km (source: google maps)

The Route We Took: We started on the Expressway from Qurm, took an exit for Nizwa (i dont know the exact kilometer to the exit, but it takes about 20 minutes to reach there). 

Followed the direction to Nizwa. Muscat to Nizwa is around 160 km (took about 2 hours to reach)

Once you enter in Nizwa City, Make your way to Al Hamra roundabout. Take a right from there.

After a while you will start your ascend. Some areas of the road are pretty steep, It is better if you have a 4WD, which we had. But i did see some 2WD on the way and on top as well. So i think it should not be a problem for experienced drivers.

There is 20-25 km of unpaved road in the middle. Which takes up about 45 minutes. it would take in a total of about 1 to 1 and half hours from Al Hamra roundabout to reach the top

Things to do: You can spend the day barbecuing, enjoying the view and the weather.

You can spend the night at Jabel Shams Resort which is about 2 minutes from the cliff.

Theres not much else to do.

But this in itself is enough. The quiet. Clean, cool air. and Stunning view!

Pros: Breathtaking scenery, Cool weather, Great place to spend the day.

Cons: Long drive. Steep and unpaved road (in one part)

Will I go again? : Absolutely! I'm already planning a trip in Winters !

So beautiful !

On the way to Nizwa

Going up !! 

Magnificent view !

Saw some slithery friends too !

About 20 km stretch of the road is unpaved.