I would like to tell you where I was with 2 friends of mine on February 10, 2021, 2 days before my birthday. It was a unique and beautiful experience it was a challenge for me, as well as a mental relaxation, as well as a good physical exercise for my health.
In fact, 3 days before; my friend Raheema offered me to with them on a new exploration of the territory I had never been to. She told me we would go 10 km and climb the mountain. I liked this wonderful idea. I wanted to explore this new location. And it was a good exercise for my physique. I encouraged myself with positive motivation and a lot of adrenaline.
I agreed with Raheema that she would come to me 11 o'clock, that at 13 o'clock we should see our friend Marion.
I voluntarily equipped myself with clothes and shoes suitable for such and exploration of the new territory. This place was new to me. Maybe I have seen it many times but I have never been up there.
It was a beautiful and cool day, I was glad because I went out.
We arrived at the pre- arranged place at Al Riyam Park we had to get to Old Muscat, there was our destination.
And now I will tell you something about this wonderful area as well as about the historical west of Old Muscat.
Now, I want to share with you part of the history about this places. The Riyam to Muttrah hike is a great way to spend an early morning or later afternoon if you don't have too much time to devote to hiking in Oman. Embarking on this hike is like going back in time, about 40 years, when times were simpler.
Overview: Fun hike in the capital area with great views of the sea and Mina Sultan Qaboos. Time for hike is 2 hrs. Length is 3.49 km. Difficulty is easy. Distance from Muscat 0 km.
At the top of the climb, as you catch your breath, you will get some great views of Riyam Park and the Sea of Oman. Mornings and afternoons are better for photography.
Further along the Riyam to Muttrah( old Muscat) trail a peek-a-boo view of Mina Sultan Qaboos comes into focus as the diesel pipe veers of to the right.
I like this view a lot. It is not great for photography but it gives you feeling of looking into the future from a 1976 viewpoint. In 1976 there was no commercial port, no road, no giant yacht, just a bay with some fishing boats.
Today Oman is prosperous with roads, education, electricity, healthcare, etc. There is no more need for carving foot steps into rocks to get from A to B in the hills, and the trail your standing on, once used as a main path, is now abandoned.
I like to start off at Riyam Park hike towards Muttrah so I can have a juice in Muttrah when I finish, but you can certainly travel in reverse. The track is formed as a loop to help you find your way back to your vehicle once you hit the streets again in Muttrah.
The first obstacole on the Riyam and Muttrah hike is a staircase, and it instantly transports you back to 1976, to a time when there was no road between Muttrah and Muscat. Imagine yourself climbing these steps along your goats that you intend to sell at Muttrah Souq. This would be a common sight along this path.
Another feature to the stair climb is a rusty pipe that was once used to transport diesel from Muttrah to Riyam to supply a since removed electricity generation station.
The trail now descends into a wadi where an abandoned village remains, but some hikers find it difficult to find their way at this point. Be on the lookout for the national trail markers painted along the way or better yet, load the Riyam- Muttrah hike track provided below in to your GPS or smart phone to correlate if you are on the right track or not. I personally find my way heat no problem, but understand not everybody is an experienced hiker.
There isn't a whole lot to see at the abandoned village, just some fallen down walls, but there is a nice shady tree located here. A great place to stop and cool off, of even eat your picnic lunch in the middle of nature. The bonus of this village being inaccessible by car is that it is devoid of large amounts of trash. So, please be sure to take your trash with you back.
The last stretch of Riyam -Muttrah hike runs thought a tight, rocky wadi. My last trip was just after some rain and there was a lot more standing water than I was expecting, so I definitely was glad I decided to wear my waterproof boots. The Wadi sweeps left and right with high walls think twice before you enter this wadi if rain is a possibility.
The Riyam-Muttrah hike finishes at cemetery where all the hikers who couldn't find their way are buried. I kind, but I do feel a bit strange directly being directly at cemetery, like I am going to offend my Omani hosts. But on the other had, the Riyami to Muttrah hike is maintained by the Ministry of Tourism, and if they didn't want to folks walking at cemetery they would have done something different to the trail. So, charge on I guess.
We left the car near the mosque where we prayed and climbed the mountain stairs. It was a very good exercise for me, both physically and mentally. A challenge for both physical and psychological strength.
Climbing the mountain was difficult for me at first, but then the ascent and descent were very easy and interesting. I took so many beautiful photos, for memory and for a positive energy charge to share this beautiful experience with you.
When we climbed the mountain stairs, the city looked very nice from above. Only the ascent was very tiring and then the descent was very easy. New beautiful images of the landscapes opened up in front of us. As we walked forward, a beautiful view of the mountains and mountain valleys opened up.
We came to a turn where we had to turn left towards Old Muscat, but on the right we could see Old Souq, the view was indescribable. Below was a Wadi made up of rocks and rocky mountains that leave unseen shapes.
My friends had the crazy idea to explore more to take another path that is more human -footed. But I told them it was too late to explore anything new. In the end, I was convinced of them and climbed a harder route that eventually left us damaged leaving another time, motivating that it was not the time in our favor.
We didn't want to be in the mountains at night because it's dangerous.
You have to do such an adventure in the morning so as not to get caught in the mountains at night, it's dangerous not to get injured. And then we took the route marked by hikers like no other. In front of us opened new horizons, new indescribable images, descended through rocky ditches to then climb a high mountain.
But most of all, I was fascinated by the quietness of the place and the chirping of the birds.
We descend through some paths that are difficult to descend after climbing upwards. But beautiful and provocative images were opening up in front of us.
I was coping with this interesting experience. I reached a high point I had lunch right in the middle of nature. I forgot to say that I took a bottle of drinking water with me, some fruit and the hearty lunch I had there. Then I climbed a high mountain and the descended to a Wadi of rocks and stones. The descent was much easier.
I came across a path that led to a valley full of mountain stones. The girls had the idea to drink coffee, but the time did not allow us, because they wanted us to go high. We decided to follow our path. In front of us was the old village of Muscat. On the right you can see old uninhabitable houses, which have long been demolished by nature and man.
I charged myself with positive energy seeing those indescribable places. I was glad I had an unforgettable experience. I didn't feel tired at all. We still want to have a coffee and something energizing.
We entered the old village, we wandered through the old village until we reached the old cemetery.
I liked the history of that place. The natural landscape of the place and the village fascinated me, hard to describe. But I kept my emotions to expose them on the blog. There were three cemeteries in the village, one old and one newer.
But it was big. Due to the cemetery size you can realize how old the village is. We took something energized to have the strength and energy to continue our journey.
We got lost a bit in the village, it was already close to evening, and we took a wrong Wadi where it leads into middle of the mountains. We passed a very old cemetery, which had the place where you washed the dead. That valley was made of rainwater. Deep and rocky and dangerous.
We were advancing in the heat of the wadi and we kept going and we didn't actually reach the exit. It was slowly getting dark outside, I had entered and indescribable uneasiness, something I felt we had to get out of that dangerous place urgently. We didn't have the light with us, only with mobile phones, it didn't provide us with a strong light so we could get out of there.
At the exit of that Valley, my friend Raheema spoke with 2 locals, telling her that the place has negative energy. There are supernatural beings (Jinni) and I have felt something that is inexplicable.
And I was very happy to get out of that place. It was evening outside. We went to the center of village to take taxi and from there to our car where we left it.
The girls on the way to the taxi realized that they went to another Wadi, not the one they were planning to go to.
But I'm glad I came out the Troubled Valley. And We arrived at our car tired but happy. Marion left us and the two of us continued our prayer time, and then we went each one to our homes. It was a day full of positive energy but also full of adventure exploring indescribable places.
It was a day I will never forget. Thank God for that wonderful day of my life!!
I will give you one of my advice you, if you will go to such beautiful place with friends or family. For this such trip you need to go early to avoid the heat.
You need to have with you a 1.5 liter of water per person should be enough, and snacks, fruits like banana, apple or mandarins, easy to care.
To wear boots or sport shoes which are good for the rocks and sharp. And don't forget to use a hat and sunscreen. And last thing to bring money with you for a juice or tea, coffee or something else. This advice I want to share with you.
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