Four wheel drive road trips don’t get much better than an off road Oman adventure across the truly incredible Al Hajar mountains from Jebel Shams to the coast.
This epic self-drive journey is one of the highlights of Oman, if your nerves can take it!
Thinking back to when we did this epic Oman road trip, I can vividly recall a particularly challenging section of road: Dan was yelling instructions of some kind and I could hear the concern in the steadily escalating pitch of her voice, but I had no idea what she was saying.
This is the reality of driving across the Al Hajar mountain range. At times, there’s no room in your head for anything but complete focus on the trail ahead.
Distance, gradient, velocity, angles, space, time . . . . . these are the things that occupy your mind as you slide, almost imperceptibly, around another steep sandy bend in the road across Oman’s most spectacular mountain range.
There were many occasions where we were dizzyingly high up, with vertigo-inducing drops on our right. A stark reminder, if you needed one, to keep your eyes firmly on the narrow track in front of you.
Human nature is a crazy thing though, and I remember the irresistible urge that kept pulling my gaze from the road to take in this landscape of incredible proportions.
It’s hard to fathom that despite being in the arid Al Hajar mountains of Oman, you’re actually driving through terrain that once made up an ocean floor, in a region dramatically sculpted over millions of years by the ever shifting Arabian and Asian continental plates.
And while we’d read plenty of reports of people attempting the Al Hajar mountain pass in a conventional two-wheel drive, having driven it, I’m relieved we arranged a 4×4 rental car for this trip.
I know Dan felt the same – once she stopped yelling instructions at me!
If you want to get a taste of what this incredible off road Oman adventure is really like, check out our video below.
Crossing the Al Hajar Mountains – Snapshot
Start: Jebel Shams, Oman
Finish: Mussanah or Muscat, Oman
Distance: appx. 170km (105 miles) to Mussanah, or 250km (155 miles) to Muscat
How long do I need? If you want to fully appreciate the scenery along the way, you’ll need a full day to drive across the Al Hajar mountains from Jebel Shams to the coast. The total driving time depends on your end point. It takes around 6 hours (without stops) to get to Mussanah, and around 7 hours to Muscat.
What’s in this post?
The Al Hajar Mountains of Oman
What’s the Route?
– Leg 1: Jebel Shams to Snake Canyon (over the mountain pass)
– Leg 2: Snake Canyon to Rustaq Fort
– Leg 3: Rustaq Fort to the Coast
Planning an Off Road Oman Adventure Across the Al Hajar Mountains
– Best time to cross the Al Hajar mountains
– Road conditions
– What to pack for an Oman off road trip
– Where to stay in the mountains
– 4×4 rental Oman
Other Great Off Road Oman Adventures
– The desert camps of Sharqiya Sands
– The beehive tombs of Bat and Al-Ayn
– Exploring Oman’s wadis
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The Al Hajar Mountains of Oman
Separating the lowland coastal planes that fringe the Gulf of Oman, and Rub ʿal-Khali, Oman’s stark ‘empty quarter’, the Al Hajar mountains quite literally form the backbone of the country’s north.
Stretching for hundreds of kilometres from the Musandam Peninsula to Sur, the mountains draw people from all over, keen to wander through date farms, visit ancient mudbrick villages, hike dizzying canyons, and explore the lush wadis.
The mountains can be visited on a day trip from Muscat, although we recommend spending time in the ranges to enjoy the cooler climate, spectacular scenery, and excellent hiking.
Having initially travelled around the mountains via the coast-and-desert route from Muscat to Sur to Nizwa, we decided to loop back to the coast and Muscat by passing over this dramatic range.
So it was that our epic four-wheel drive trip across the Al Hajar mountains, arguably Oman’s best off road trip, started in Jebel Shams. This is Oman’s highest peak and a spectacular base for a couple of days taking in the panoramas, and hiking the canyon rim of Wadi Ghul, the country’s own ‘Grand Canyon’.
What’s the Route?
The drive across the Al Hajar mountains is one of the most scenic and adventurous drives in Oman, offering a real, up-close-and-personal sense of the country’s rugged interior.
The route we took starts near Jebel Shams and follows the paved road past Al Hoota Caves and Al Hamra, before climbing into the mountains where the narrow, unsealed mountain pass winds its way down to dramatic Snake Canyon.
From Snake Canyon, you’ll pass through a breathtaking landscape of limestone cliffs, acacia trees and traditional villages, and past Wadi Bani Awf, before rejoining the paved road at Al Tikhah and continuing to Mussanah via Rustaq Fort (or heading directly to Muscat).
While a few people have suggested to us the route can be completed in a conventional two-wheel drive vehicle, we didn’t see anyone attempting it during our trip.
We would personally only drive this route in a 4×4 vehicle, and even then, we would avoid it in bad weather due to the impact on the road surface and risk of flash flooding.
Leg 1: Jebel Shams to Snake Canyon (over the mountain pass)
Following a quick breakfast at our lovely mountain stay on Jebel Shams, we reluctantly made our way back down the mountain towards Al Hoota Cave. This impressive cave system, the only one you can officially visit in Oman, is a must-see for glimpsing what lies beneath the rocky rise of Jebel Shams.
Either head to the caves for a guided tour or, if you’ve already visited them, head past the ancient town of Al Hamra on your way from Jebel Shams and take the left turn a couple of kilometres before Al Hoota caves. From there, the paved road will take you to the top of the range.
By this stage, having driven the well-maintained paved road, you’d be forgiven for wondering what all the 4WD fuss is about. Don’t worry, you’re about to find out!
From here on, the track turns to dirt, gravel and, in places, a pillowy sand drift: in short, Oman off road driving at its best. The next long stretch is a steep, winding single track, which makes for some hair-raising moments, especially when cars are coming the other way.
While this is the most challenging leg of the journey from a driving perspective, it’s also the most rewarding: the scenery is without compare. Just don’t look down.
It’s almost 80km to Snake Canyon, but this part of the drive actually took us around 3 hours, with a couple of brief stops along the way and some slow, tricky manoeuvring when we encountered cars coming the other way.
Thankfully the other drivers we met – mostly locals – were courteous, helpful and patient with our obvious inexperience driving in these conditions.
While the mountains do see some sudden, heavy downpours, it was dry, parched and hazy when we made the drive over the range in October-time. Which made sights like the vivid green football pitch we passed in the middle of nowhere even more profound. We figured it must be astro turf.
Snake Canyon
Like us, you’ll probably feel a sense of relief when you finally arrive at Snake Canyon, despite the incredible stretch you’ve just completed.
Snake Canyon is famous in Oman for its beautiful pools, hiking, climbing and abseiling opportunities. Be aware though, it can be treacherous in wet weather as it’s subject to flash flooding, with reports of hikers trapped and drowned in previous years.
With two branches, and a 5+ hour, one-way trek through the canyon, it’s not really practical to attempt a thorough exploration as part of this road trip.
It’s still a great place to stretch the legs though (and calm the nerves after the long drive over the mountain pass).
We recommend taking a short hike over and around the boulders at the entrance to the narrow gorge, and enjoying a spot of lunch beneath the trees, before you continue the journey.
If you have more time and are feeling adventurous (and energetic), you can explore Snake Canyon on a guided day trip where you’ll scramble, climb, swim and abseil your way through this incredible natural wonder with an expert local guide.
Leg 2: Snake Canyon To Rustaq Fort
The next leg of our journey, which takes around two hours, is through the breathtaking landscapes of Wadi Bani Awf, starting with a dramatic climb that offers a birds-eye view of narrow Snake Canyon twisting its way into the distance.
Despite being one of the hottest, driest countries on the planet, Oman is also famous for its many ‘wadis’, an Arabic word for ‘valley’.
Wadis are often found in arid, desert areas, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find not only stunning geological formations, but in some wadis, welcome relief from the heat in the form of inviting emerald pools of cool water.
After the nerve jangling mountain crossing, the next leg of the journey is an easier 40km dirt road drive dominated by soaring limestone peaks, past date palms and traditional falaj irrigation channels.
This is a fantastic stretch of driving through an ancient, dusty landscape that feels completely untouched by the modern world beyond.
At one stage, the high walls of the mountains close right in to create a tight, winding path through the wadi.
The road eventually spits us out into a wide open valley where the sun-baked earth is punctuated here and there by the bright green canopies of hardy acacia trees.
At the village of Al Tikhah, the road becomes paved, and from there, it’s a cruisy ride to the turn-off at Route 13, with stunning mountain scenery along the way.
When you reach Route 13, there are a couple of options to get back to the coast. You can turn left towards Mussanah, past Rustaq Fort, via Route 13 and Route 11. Or go right towards Muscat, passing Nakhl Fort, via Route 13 and the Muscat Expressway or Route 1.
As we were booked to stay in the coastal resort town of Mussanah, we turned left and made our way to Rustaq Fort, one of the oldest and largest forts in the country.
Unfortunately, Rustaq Fort is currently closed for restoration works following the partial collapse of a tower due to heavy rains in the area.
Despite this, it’s still an impressive sight and worth swinging by for a quick look from the outside on your way to the coast.
Leg 3: Rustaq Fort to the Coast
From Rustaq Fort, we made for the coast via Route 11. If you still have some energy and aren’t castled out, you also have the option of exploring Al Hazm Castle on the way.
You can visit Rustaq Fort, Al Hazm Castle and a third fortress at Nakhl, on a self-drive day trip from Muscat. This is sometimes referred to as the Rustaq Loop.
Our hotel for the night was in Mussanah, just beyond where Route 11 meets coastal Route 1. If you’re staying in Seeb or Muscat, turn right on to Route 1 and follow it all the way to your destination.
You’ve made it! While the most thrilling section of the drive over the Al Hajar mountains may be the first hair-raising leg in the morning, we guarantee the vast, dramatic landscapes that follow will have you catching your breath for the rest of the day.
Planning an Off Road Oman Adventure Across the Al Hajar Mountains
Best time to cross the Al Hajar mountains
The best time to drive across the Al Hajar mountains is during the cooler months from October to April, when the temperatures are more bearable.
Driving Oman’s mountain passes, particularly the rugged, unsealed road route across the Al Hajar mountains, is no small undertaking, and good weather makes all the difference.
While rain is rare, it is possible in winter and early spring, and when it does fall, it can make the route across the mountains more hazardous, and some areas may be prone to flash flooding.
Even though the higher elevations can be slightly cooler than the lowlands in summer (between June and August), the heat can still be intense, and poor visibility from dust or haze can impact the experience. If you do decide to travel in summer, it’s also a good idea to start early in the day and avoid driving during the hottest hours.
Whatever season you visit, be sure to check the local weather forecast and road conditions before setting out.
Road conditions
The journey starts with 65km of well-maintained, paved roads down from Jebel Shams and past Al Hamra before climbing back up into the Al Hajar mountain range.
You then pass a small parking area and viewpoint called Jebel Hatt Mountain View before cresting the hill and crossing over to the unpaved section of the route.
From here, it’s a 12 kilometre descent to Snake Canyon through the most spectacular and challenging section of the drive.
While the road for the most part is pretty well maintained, the surface is quite uneven, ranging from compacted dirt to loose gravel and pillowy sand. It’s also single track for much of the way, with limited passing points, so you need be prepared to reverse or wait in tight spots to allow other cars to pass.
Frequent gradient changes and plenty of sharp switchbacks with no guardrails along the edge of high cliffs add to the challenge (and drama).
The climb out of Snake Canyon is initially along a similarly challenging, narrow road before it flattens out to a wider, more manageable dirt road for another 10 kilometres until you hit the bitumen again near the village of Al Tikhah.
What to pack for an Oman off road trip
Off road Oman adventures, including the drive across the Al Hajar Mountains, involve driving through remote and rugged terrain, so it’s important to be well prepared.
Be sure to take plenty of water and snacks for the journey, and pack some warmer layers, even in the hotter months, as the high-altitude sections can get cold, especially early or late in the day.
Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat are also a good idea, and consider bringing some cash, just in case card payments aren’t accepted in places you stop.
Mobile coverage can be limited in the mountains, so it’s advisable to download an offline map of the area in advance.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, make sure you have a full tank of fuel before setting out, and check that your hire car has a spare tyre and jack at the very minimum.
Where to stay in the mountains
There’s a reasonable range of accommodation spread out across the Al Hajar Mountains, spanning simple, traditional guesthouses to more modern hotels, and high-end mountain resorts with infinity pools and panoramic views.
Jebel Shams and Jebel Akhdar are the most popular bases for exploring the area, with easy access to panoramic viewpoints and epic hiking trails. That’s why we opted to stay at Sama Heights Resort in Jebel Shams, where we had a nice clean room close to spectacular views, and the bonus of an on-site restaurant.
Misfat al Abriyeen and historic Al Hamra are also popular, offering a more local experience where traditional architecture adds to the experience. In Al Hamra, you can see mudbrick houses dating back hundreds of years.
It’s also possible to stay further afield in Nizwa or Bahla if you don’t mind a bit more driving to access a wider range of stays, however neither would be great options if you want to experience sunrise or sunset in the mountains.
To help you plan your trip, we’ve outlined a few options below for each place that get consistently decent reviews.
Jebel Shams
- Mid-range: Jebel Shams Resort – great location next to Oman’s Grand Canyon | variety of clean, comfy rooms, including chalets with sunset views | restaurant with outdoor terrace | free on-site parking | breakfast and dinner included
- Mid-range: Sama Heights Resort – central, Jebel Shams location | choice of different style rooms | beautiful setting | nice restaurant serving tasty food | friendly staff | free on-site parking.
Jebel Akhdar
- Good value: Green View Hotel – spacious, modern rooms | comfy beds | close to 3 village walk | breakfast and dinner included | free on-site parking | stunning views
- Mid-range: Dusit Naseem Resort – modern rooms with views | attentive staff | resort facilities, including pool, spa and fitness centre | choice of on-site restaurants | free private parking
- Spend a bit more: Hotel indigo – large, nicely appointed rooms | wonderful canyon views | excellent breakfast | infinity pool | spa facilities | on-site parking.
Misfat al Abriyeen
- Mid-range: Misfah Old House – large comfy rooms | lovely location in old town overlooking the valley | rooftop terrace | decent food | parking 5 mins away
- Mid-range: Al Misfah Hospitality Inn – historic house | centre of town | traditionally decorated rooms | breakfast and dinner included | rooftop terrace with views | parking a few minutes away
- Spend a bit more: Roghan Hospitality Inn – modern hotel with spacious rooms | lovely mountain views | friendly staff | free onsite parking | located above Misfat Al Abriyeen which is short walk away.
Al Hamra
- Good value: Bait Salam Inn – peaceful location near Al Hamra | cosy, traditional rooms | relaxing communal areas | friendly staff | free parking | attached restaurant
- Good value: Al Hamra Mountain View – modern amenities in a traditional house | nicely appointed rooms | rooftop terrace | mountain views | friendly, helpful hosts | small pool
- Mid-range: Bait Al Aali Guesthouse – lovely restored historic building | old town location | clean comfy rooms | tasty breakfast and dinner included | free parking | roof terrace.
4×4 rental Oman
We usually opt for small, compact hire cars when we travel so we struggled with our Oman car rental decision for many weeks while planning our trip – go with a small car or spend more and rent a 4WD? The choice you make will ultimately depend on what you want to do and where you want to go.
Check out our post on planning a trip to Oman for more information about car hire choices, and our self drive Oman itinerary to find out what driving in Oman is really like.
If you’re keen to visit the Al Hajar mountains though, as well as exploring Oman’s many wadis and desert areas, we feel a 4WD vehicle is a must.
Since we wanted to get off the beaten path in Oman, we opted to hire a Toyota Landcruiser Prado. It wasn’t long before we felt justified in the decision and we were definitely extra grateful for it on our drive across the Al Hajar mountains.
We’ve always found the best deals at DiscoverCars and they’re our go-to car hire provider these days, with great rates and free cancellation should your plans need to change.
Booking your Oman 4×4 rental car in advance will get you the best rates and widest choice of vehicle.
Other Great Off Road Oman Adventures
The desert camps of Sharqiya Sands
While many of Oman’s famed desert camps will collect guests from nearby towns, there’s nothing quite like heading into the great sandy wilderness in your own oman 4×4 rental.
Dune bashing is a popular pastime here, and if you’re an experienced off-roader, there’s plenty of fun to be had on the off road tracks that traverse the sands.
As we’re fairly inexperienced in the off road department, especially driving on sand, and not totally convinced of Google maps reliability in the desert, we opted to meet our hosts in nearby Al Wasil and follow them to our nomadic desert camp for an overnight stay.
Travel tip: Always check the T&Cs for your car rental so you’re clear on where you can and can’t take your hire vehicle.
The beehive tombs of Bat and Al-Ayn
Mysteriously strewn across a surreal rocky landscape, these extraordinary structures of unknown origin and purpose date back more than 4,000 years.
It’s a long, bone jarring drive to the Bat Necropolis on a reasonably well maintained rubbly track, but take it from us, you’ll appreciate having a 4WD rental for the trip.
There are more than a hundred stone structures across a fairly large area here, and while most are in a state of disarray, the site has an eerie, quite ambient feel to it.
You’ll find the Al-Ayn Necropolis, back towards Nizwa, better preserved and spectacularly positioned on a rocky outcrop with a mountain backdrop set aflame by the afternoon sun. This was one of our favourite sites in Oman.
Exploring Oman’s wadis
While many of Oman’s famous wadis can be reached by a conventional car, a 4×4 vehicle will give you the freedom to explore some of Oman’s hidden gems.
One such gem lies between Muscat and Sur, where a turnoff from the highway snakes through mountains to the emerald waters of Wadi Al Arbeieen.
Not only will you most likely get Wadi Al Arbeieen to yourself, but the stunning drive through the valley to get there is a great way to cut your teeth on Oman’s off road tracks.
Sound like your kind of off road Oman adventure? If you’ve got any questions about the Al Hajar mountain pass or driving in Oman, ask us in the comments below.
If you’re visiting Oman as part of a longer trip, check out our Oman page for planning tips and travel inspiration, or our suggested Oman road trip itinerary.
Hi Danielle and John..
We will be doing this same trip starting Mar.24th. I am just wondering what you used for GPS to find your way around? Waze or Google maps or ???
Although we have lots of experience with off road driving, I think we will rent a 4×4 just to make sure we are able to get to all the places we want to see..
Thanks for posting your itinerary, looks perfect for us!
Thanks Neil and Shawn
Hi there Neil and Shawn, we’re glad you found this post helpful.
If you haven’t seen them, we’ve also got posts on Planning a Trip to Oman, and a suggested self-drive Itinerary which you may find useful.
We’ve tried both Waze and Google maps in Oman and to be honest, we had fairly mixed results with both, even with a local SIM card.
I think the general consensus from what we’ve read about other peoples experiences, is that Waze works slightly better.
We’ve also seen people suggest printing out daily maps and driving directions as a backup which seems like a sensible fallback.
We didn’t get lost that often thankfully, so hopefully you’ll be fine too.
Have a great trip, and please feel free to drop us a comment afterwards if you had success with any particular navigation app.
Hi,
I took the right turn when coming from Al Haloot when going towards Rustac since Waze suggested it was the best option. And I did have “only paved roads” (or something like that) set in the app, but still got up to the turning point where 4×4, gravel, unpaved, magnificent track starts. Ofc, I was not suitably equipped with a vehicle capable for much off-road activity, namely a small rented Nissan Sunny, front-wheel drive, no clue what engine. Since there were few other cars waiting at the end of paved track, I rushed myself past the BIG RED WARNING sign without bothering to read it.
Next few hours were most beautiful and breath-taking both from driving as well as landscape perspective. After some time I began not to worry about getting up the climbs (mostly it seemed possible to back up and pick up some speed to retry, although I did not need it), but rather descending since it was a rental, not made for hills, and I did not trust the brakes that much.
With a small car it was easier to pass cars coming from front as it would’ve been with an offroader, only one them waved me nuts (which I already had noticed myself) from his window. Near the football field, or wherever there are few houses in the middle of (your) LEG1 and I spotted a local who told me to turn back straightaway since what was about to was much more horrific (for the car and me) than what was behind. Well, I was still hoping to find the paved road that Waze had promised and thought that after the village it will start so I continued. And it didn’t.
But 2nd part was much easier since there seemed to be more descents than climbs. Views continued to be as great as before so it was becoming even enjoyable to certain level. At the riverbed where the last part of this track is, I met an elderly couple of tourists who wished to use the same route in a Toyota Corolla (or whatever midsize Toyota they had) and told them to find another route.
Probably my Nissan managed to take this challenge since I only had a bottle of water in car with me and no luggage nor extra people. With an offroad capable car this track would seem as piece of cake, even when descending so that you only see sky from the front window. But still views are so awesome, only that takes the breath away
Hi there pkr,
Thanks for sharing your experience, we’re glad you enjoyed the drive and managed to get through the route safely.
Your drive sounds pretty hair raising to be honest and makes us glad we opted for a 4×4 vehicle!
Hi! Thanks for sharing your story! We’re planning on an almost identical trip with our two daughters (age 3 and 10 months).
What kind of 4×4 do you recommend? Is a Suzuki Vitara 4×4 suitable, or would we require a more capable car like a Toyota Fortuner or Nissan Pajero?
Also, how dangerous would you rate this road? Is it similar to for instance the infamous Bolivian Death Road?
Thanks!
Michael
Hi Michael! Thanks for reaching out, we’re really glad you found this post helpful.
We hired a Toyota LandCruiser Prado for our trip and it certainly met our needs, not only for this stretch across the mountains, but also for heading across the dunes to Sharqiya Sands, and driving the gravel tracks to some of the wadis and sites like Bat and Al-Ayn. From our observation, Toyotas seemed to be one of the more common 4x4s in Oman.
As we only tend to hire and drive 4x4s when the need arises, we can’t really speak to the suitability of specific makes or models sorry. If in doubt, it may be worth sending your chosen car hire company your rough itinerary or checking out some online forums to see what they suggest?
In terms of the track across the mountains, while it was a little challenging for us in places, mainly on the steep and sandy sections or when we encountered oncoming vehicles on narrow stretches, we don’t think it’s on the scale of the Bolivian road from what we’ve read about that! We just took it slow, drove with care and geeked out over the spectacular landscape.
Safe travels, we hope you and your family have a fantastic trip and enjoy Oman as much as we did.
All the best
John and Danielle
I am sorry, but in your video there is nothing that warrants a 4×4. Did you even engage the 4×4? Yes, maybe you need a high clearance vehicle, and a Chelsea Tractor will do, but there is little in your video excerpt that requires 4×4 in my opinion. A standard 2WD with high clearance such as a Hyundai Tucson should do.
My opinion is that there is so much misinfromation about Oman and the need for 4×4, mostly conveyed by many Europeans not accustomed to dirt road. I would even suggest that a Subaru Sedan could even take up the well graveled dirt road you recorded.
Yes you need 4×4 in some places. Soft sands, compltely off road… but on a graded road in good weather??
Hi there C,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this drive, it’s always good to hear different viewpoints.
As you may appreciate, it’s hard to capture every aspect of a drive like this in a short video. It’s intended as a snapshot and part of a post providing a fuller description of our experience driving this route.
While we take your point that in good weather, the drive may well be possible in a standard 2WD with high clearance, we based our choice on the extensive research that we did in advance and personally felt more comfortable with a 4WD.
As we note in the post, while parts of the end-to-end drive are paved, the track over the pass itself is dirt, gravel and sand. While much of this is packed dirt, there were certainly some steep, narrow, sandy sections where we did engage the 4WD and we’re glad we had the option.
We also opted for the car we did (a Toyota Landcruiser Prado) to ensure we didn’t risk voiding our car hire insurance if we travelled on what the hire car operator deemed “off road”, which essentially was anything other than bitumen.
So for us, wanting to drive over this mountain pass safely and comfortably, and also visit places like Sharqiya Sands, the World Heritage sites of Bat and Al-Ayn and some of the wadis which are not accessible via paved roads, meant a 4WD was a better choice for us overall, and gave us the opportunity to see more of this amazing country while abiding by the restrictions imposed on us by our car hire operator at the time.
Again, all of these decisions come down to personal choice based on where you want to go, how experienced you are driving in off-road conditions, and what your car hire arrangements might be.
This post and video are a reflection of our personal perspective on this drive.
If you’ve done this drive in other types of vehicles, please do feel welcome to share more about your experience here. It’s always great for our readers to hear a variety of experiences as this can only help people in making more informed decisions about how they want to travel.
All the best
John and Danielle
Hi Dan, hi John, we made the same trip 2010 with a rented 4×4 Landcruiser driving in opposite direction from the coast to Nizwa. it was no problem for us. We would like to made the same trip with our own 4×4 motorhome on daily 4×4 chassis. The vehicle is 7 x 2,1 x 3,2 (m) and 5.5t. Ist is feasible to make the trip with our beast because of vehicle’s dimension? We are somehow experienced off-road drivers but I don’t remember if the track can be driven with larger vehicles than a SUV. You opinion?
Thanks Paul from Germany
Hi Paul, thanks for reaching out and sorry for the delay in responding. Awesome that you’ve had the chance to travel this route before – you know how spectacular it is! To be honest, we found parts of the mountain pass track hair-raising in a regular 4WD wagon. As you probably remember, there are sections of the pass that are very narrow, sandy and steep. There are also some tight cliff-side stretches and curves that we found challenging, especially when other vehicles were oncoming and we had to reverse until we could find a space wide enough for both vehicles to pass. We don’t recall seeing any vehicles larger than a typical 4WD wagon on our trip. Not sure if you had a chance to watch the video on our post but it shows some of the sections along the way as we travelled over the pass towards the coast – https://youtu.be/VmqMIKowkEI. As we don’t have experience driving larger vehicles like what you’re talking about, we’d definitely suggest seeing if there are any off-roading/4×4 or Oman-specific forums where others may have more experience and insights that can help. Travel safe and enjoy Oman!
Good afternoon,
We are Gerard and Maria Weisscher from the Netherlands, both 73 years old. You made a very nice trip in Oman, passing many off road roads. We will rent a Mitshubishi Pajero with a rooftent. and will travel for 4 weeks in October/November this year. We like very much to discover the Hajar Mountains. Some roads you drove are too challenging for me. We are looking for easy to drive offroad routes . I have little experience with off road driving. May be you can give us some beautiful roads in the Hajar mountains. Please not too challenging.
May be you can also suggest some wadi’s for a beginning offroad driver. We would be very pleased.
Thanks in advance
Greetings from the Netherlands.
Gerard and Maria Weisscher
Hi Gerard and Maria, thanks for your message. Your trip to Oman sounds great – we’re very excited for you! To be honest, with the time we had, and having not done a lot of off-road driving before, we tended to stick to the well-travelled routes for our trip, and most of the ‘off roading’ we did was on clearly laid out packed earth/rubble routes. We were also very mindful of the weather throughout and the fact that wadis can flood unexpectedly.
The crossing over the Al Hajar mountain pass was definitely the most challenging drive we did, but you could still drive through the beautiful scenery on either side of the mountains without having to take on the tricky mountain pass itself.
We really only had time to experience the mountains proper at Jebel Shams, and the drive up there is relatively easy and paved for a good part of the way. Spending time on Jebel Shams was an absolute highlight for us, along with the Wadi Ghul rim hike there.
We recommend checking out some YouTube videos on driving wadis in Oman and in the mountains, so you can see what some of the off-road options are like before you go and what you would be comfortable with – we did this and it definitely helped us decide what routes we would take. As you may have seen in our video of the Al Hajar pass, once we’d made it over the pass to the northern side, the journey to the coast was absolutely spectacular, and a mix of packed dirt and paved road. Honestly, all of the driving in this region is magic.
All the best for a wonderful trip, and happy travels!