Zafraniya Trek (مـمـر الـزعـÙـرانـيـة ) is a trekking path in the neighborhood of Zafraniya in old Muscat which leads up to a mountain overlooking Sidab village. The trek doesn’t actually have a name, but naming it after the neighborhood sounds about right. You can do this hike on a weekend if you’re looking to do something outdoors on a nice day.
The Zafraniya trek is unmarked with lots of shrubs and rocks to climb over, which might make it a bit more difficult compared to other treks in Muscat (e.g. Muttrah GeoTrek). You should definitely wear shoes fully covering your feet and long trousers to protect your legs from the shrubs you will have to pass through here. The view from the mountain is quite nice as you get to see Sidab and what seems to be a port under construction there, especially so if you happen to get there early as the sunrise at the top of the mountain offers a spectacular view! It took us an hour to get to the top of the mountain and back, but we stopped to snap lots of pictures and spent a bit of time just enjoying the view at the top. You can continue down the mountain to the village of Sidab, in which case you should allow more time for your trip.
How to get there
The Zafraniya neighborhood is very close to the Lord Shiva Temple in Old Muscat, just follow the road until it stops, then park your car there and pass by a field. The mountain you see in front of you is what you will need to climb.
View Zafraniya Hike – OmanTripper in a larger map