(Photos included below)
There’s a lot to write about Jabal Akhdar. It’s literally one of the most popular tourist destinations when you type “things to do in Oman”. The mountain does turn green during the winter, with all the greenery taking control until summer hits again, but of course, I always seem to go to places in Oman during the hottest times of the year. I have no clue why.
Around a 2 hour drive from Muscat, and a 45 minute drive from Nizwa, Jabal Akhdar is around 2,980 meters above sea level which makes it one of the highest points in Oman (Jabal shams being the second I think). The temperature drops quite considerably when you’re up there. You get orchids, pomegranate, walnuts, grapes and roses growing here during the right seasons, and dude, people actually live here. Like, there are homes and stuff. It blows my mind till this day that people actually live in mountains. No wifi, no uber eats, no Mcdonalds. Futhermore, the mountain is famous for it’s rose water extraction. Rose water is quite popular here in Oman.
Of course, you have the Ananatara and Alila hotels which are like, extremely luxurious hotels. We went to the Alila hotel to soak up the view and have a little bite to eat before venturing to one of the villages which I mistook for Wakkan village (an infamous village which will be on my site soon if it isn’t already published). Once we reached the village, my friend Gaz realised this was in fact, not Wakkan village (he told us all it was wakkan village until he realised his mistake). Nevertheless, we explored. We found lots of goats but no people.
Here’s a cool fact, this mountain is mostly Limestone. I also found out recently that Oman has a LOT of limestone, I mean, if you have an entire huge mountain mostly made out of Limestone, well, yeah, then it’s a lot obviously.
Another fact, you MUST have a 4x4 if you want to visit this mountain and be sure to know how to use a low gear. Unlike Jabal Shams, the road is paved, but there is a checkpoint just before you start your ascent. You must have your ID/passport on you as there is a military base on the mountain so, please take your ID with you. To be honest, if you’re visiting Oman, just rent a 4x4, You’ll be doing yourself a favour. Take a little jumper with you too incase you get cold quickly.
Also, you have to visit the Diana viewpoint which is where princess Diana had some coffee while vibing the gorgeous view when she visited the mountain. The view is honestly incredible (see my last two photos).
