(Photos included below)
I’ve said this once and I’ll say it a billion times. Fanja has got to be one of my favourite spots to visit. Why? well for starters, it’s literally like, a 30 minute drive from Muscat (depending on where you are of course). Secondly, you have the sandy ruins part of the village, and then you have the green trees and grass part of the village, within walking distance of each other. Thirdly, the view. The view, the view, the view. I think I’ve been here at least 7 times and I have never gotten sick of the view.
So, we get to the village, and all of a sudden, a local Omani man by the name of towfique says “hey, what’s up, my mother lives here, lemme show you around”. He takes us around the entire village and tells us all about it. I won’t lie, I kinda forgot most of the story as this was around 4 years ago and I haven’t bumped into him since to get the story off of him. And then, he invites us to have some coffee and fruits with him and his mother. But basically, there are canons (not usable anymore of course) when you start walking up to the peak, which is an easy walk, I’ve done it in my slippers many times, I wouldn’t recommend it though.
The village, aside from the ruins, also includes the bit where people actually live in, which is the green but with the trees and the grass etc. I quite like this bit cause you’re shaded from the sun, it’s cooler and, well, green. You can hear the falaj (water stream) run through the village which adds a nice serene feel to your little walking tour. Sometimes you can also smell the delicious food being cooked in someones home. It’s a vibe honestly. The green part also contains a female and male hot springs. The hot water from the hot springs flows through into the little section and you can just chill in it. Sort of like a jacuzzi type set up. There’s a private section for men and women.
Ok so, the tricky bit is getting there. I was fortunate to be taken there by a friend the first time as I wouldn’t have found my way on my own unless I asked someone (which I actually did the second time). So, once you get to fanja, you’re gonna see a market with clay pots on your right, keep going straight until you see a wadi on your left, once you see that wadi, look to your right and you’ll see a little fort type of thing, take a right and follow the road, soon enough, you will come across the ruins and there you go, your adventure begins. I do recommend asking a local if you get lost though, but my directions I think are good enough, don’t quote me though. FYI, you can see the ruins when you are approaching fanja, just look out for palm trees and ruins.
