Wakan Village is about two hours from Muscat. A four-wheel can be driven up the dirt road until you reached the village parking area which is also the starting point for the hike. You can also park at the bottom of the dirt road and from there, you can walk for about thirty to forty minutes so you will reach the hike starting point.
Before the more laborious hiking trail, anyone will be able to walk up the about 100 stairs leading to Wakan’s gardens. The trail within the village and into the gardens will be filled with views of grape, pomegranate, apricot trees and other root crops. There will also be large date palms settled in between lush green farms. In winter, between November and February, the tree leaves in Wakan will be a mix of orange and yellow — the closest Wakan will get to an autumn season.
The hike
For those willing to take on a challenge, once you reached the end of the paved stairs, it is time to ascend to the top of the mountain. Expect walking up on loose rocks. A lot of the trail will be walking by the edge of the cliff while being guided by the yellow, white and red painted flags on the rocks. Do take time to look across as there will be at least ten mountain tops almost looking fake from so far away.
The first time I did this hike was in March a few years ago. I was worried it would be too hot to hike but the guide insisted that it’s going to be much cooler on the mountain. On this particular hike, there appeared to be no shade, no breeze and just the hot sun beating on my face. His comment was ‘oh normally it is not this hot, but today seems to be different.’ About two hours into the hike, some of the participants of the hike stopped and did not want to continue because of the heat.
A few of us carried on while taking short breaks in between. Every time I looked up; the top seemed so far away. Another hiker kept saying we were almost there. Well, their version of almost there and my version is completely different. Almost there to him meant another two hours, while mine meant twenty minutes tops. We kept motivating each other as we ascended on loose rocks, climbing carefully toward the edge of the cliff at times while going over larger sturdy rocks as well.
The view from the top
After huffing and puffing, the top of the mountain had appeared. All around there are different shapes of mountains in shades of light brown and green. The feeling of this challenging accomplishment is a mix of not believing this hike was achieved, proud that it was completed and happy that the top was finally reached.
As we were approaching the village on our way down, a nice local man offered us fresh apricots which were so refreshing to eat.
I went a second time about a year and a half later in December with a different hiking group. The bonus when going during this month is the view of the white fluffy clouds touching the tip of the mountain. I told myself I would never go again after the first time, but glad I went in December because the views of the clouds touching the mountain and the bright blue sky were quite the feeling of being on top of the world.
No matter what season this hike takes place, it is wise to start climbing down no later than 1 pm to make sure the hike is complete before dark.
It is possible to do this hike without a group as long as you have a companion who has been there before. For those who would like the convenience of organised hikes, you can check out @yalla_adventure_om, @exploreandchallenge, and @wadi.adventure as they usually post updates on Instagram. If you want to book a private trip with some friends, you can also contact @ahmed_nizwa.
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