The Wilayat of Al Jabal Al Akhdar is one of the unique tourist destinations of the Al Dakhiliyah Governorate. Tourism activities thrive in the summer seasons of the year. The wilayat, which rises about 1,500 meters above sea level, has temperatures that drop significantly making it a refuge from the heat of the summer seasons. With the exception of winter during which the wilayat witnessed a significant drop in temperatures reaching below 10 degrees Celsius at night and sometimes even dew drops freeze at dawn in various locations in the wilayat.
I headed with my friend Khalid al Hashli to the Wilayat of Al Jabal Al Akhdar on Thursday to experience its unique atmosphere, the cold breeze and to make a tour around the wilayat which houses many stunning tourist attractions that give visitors the opportunity to walk on mountain terraces and get closer to the nature of the wilayat and the various activities of its people most notably agriculture.
We started the journey in Khalid’s car, a Jeep Wrangler sensing the temperature dropping little by little as we climbed the summit. It was around 2 o’clock pm and the temperature was 29 degrees Celsius before we took the mountain path. Then the temperature began to drop gradually until we reached the top of the mountain. At 3 p.m as the thermometer indicated 14 degrees Celsius. After taking a rest at the DusitD2 resort, we took a tour of the wilayat exploring its beautiful landmarks, exquisite scenes.
During our visit, we encountered His Excellency Mohammed bin Salem al Tobi, former Minister of Environment in one of the alleys of the ancient village of Saiq. I told him that I believed that the number of tourists visiting Al Jabal Al Akhdhar in the winter has declined. He convinced me that the reverse is true as in the winter sees active tourist arrival to Al Jabal Al Akhdhar particularly the Europeans tourists.
Al Hashli and I moved forward to meet Omani and Western youth groups in various locations across Al Jabal Al Akhdar who had come to the wilayat to enjoy its exceptional winter weather.
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