Jabal Shams

Jabal Shams (جبل شمس) (sometimes also spelled as Jebel Shams) is the highest mountain in Oman, right in the heart of the Western Hajar Mountain chain in Al Dakhiliyah region, which also host Jabal Akhdar. Jabal Shams is one of the must-see attractions for any visitor to Oman, with views of the Al Nakhur Canyon so spectacular to be labelled as “The Grand Canyon” of Arabia, as well as its mild climate, exciting trekking paths and off-road adventures it offers.

Jabal Shams literally means the “Sun Mountain” in Arabic, and it is so called because it is the first place to receive sunrise in Oman due to having the highest peak. The temperatures up in the mountain are mild and are usually 10-15°C cooler at Al Hamra, pleasant in the summer and cold in the winter (with the occasional snow!!). Jabal Shams offers various activities for all people, whether you are interested in night photography, demanding hike to the peak, exploring abandoned villages, camping under the stars or just a bit of off-roading. I have been to Jabal Shams on numerous occasions for one or a combination of all reasons above.

Jabal Shams for Camping

For many, the main reason to go to Jabal Shams is to camp by the edge of the Canyon, which offers a good escape from the heat in the summer and can be quite cold in the winter months (even below zero degrees Celsius, believe it or not!). Depending on who you ask, this is the best place to stay at Jabal Shams and I can’t disagree with that! The most popular location to camp is right by the edge of the canyon, a short drive after the paved road stops immediately following Jabal Shams Resort. Keep in mind that there are only a few suitable camping spots and they could get crowded on public holidays or weekends during the winter months so you may have to settle elsewhere if all the spots are taken. Alternative options are to camp on the opposite side of the road across the edge, where you could get a more private spot, but be careful while driving there as there are many sharp rocks (packing a thick blanket or mattress is highly recommended). Wherever you choose to camp, a beautifully illuminated night sky and an amazing sunrise is likely in store for you!

Jabal Shams for Star Gazing / Night Photography

Jabal Shams is a great place to escape the city lights and gaze at the starlit night sky, and experiment a bit with night photography if you’re into that. The conditions have to be right, as you will need a clear moonless sky, and you could get lucky with a view of the milky way as well. Even though the ‘accessible’ areas are still reasonably fine for this, there is still a bit of light pollution from the nearby hotels, and from Al Hamra village in the bottom; therefore, for best results try stargazing closer to the peak, away from light pollution sources, which you will reach if you take the W4 route (more on this later).

Hiking in Jabal Shams:

There are three marked hiking routes at Jabal Shams (at least that I am aware of, let me know if there are others I don’t know): Al Nakhur Rim Hike / Saab Bani Khamis (W6 Route), also known as The Balcony Walk, Al Khitaym To Wadi Ghul Hike (W6a Route), and the Jabal Shams Sumit Hike (W4 Route).

1) Al Nakhur Rim Hike / Saab Bani Khamis (W6 Route) AKA The Balcony Walk

The Jabal Shams Balcony Walk is the most recommended route for casual hikes as it is an easy hike through the rim of the ‘Grand Canyon’ starting from Al Khitaym village(الخطيم) . This is the village at the end of the road at Jabal Shams, right at the edge of the canyon. As you get in the village and past the ‘stalls’ set up by the villagers, you will notice the white, red and yellow flags indicating the start of routes W6 & W6a.

The route takes you from Al Khitaym village through the rim of Al Nakhur Canyon (وادي النخر), with spectacular views of the canyon and villages in the bottom. The route is well paved with gentle slopes, taking you past a couple of corners that are worth a stop to take in the view, all the way to an abandoned village called “Sab Bani Khamis (ساب بني خميس)” where you can see traces of terraced gardens, towers and houses. Try to keep an eye out for these if you are also looking into the canyon from the main paved road above, as if you look carefully you could clearly see the terraced gardens.

There is a hidden water pool accessible with a bit of scrambling from the abandoned village, but it is not immediately obvious how to get there as you need to zig-zag as you climb up beyond the village – this offers some spectacular scenery if you like photography. In addition, there is a ‘Via Ferrata’ climbing route up to the Jabal Shams plateau from here, which is an extremely, adrenaline pumping adventure that could take anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on your fitness and fear (or lack of fear) of heights! Overall, the roundtrip Balcony Walk hike from Al Khitaym village to the abandoned village of Sab Bani Khamis shouldn’t take you more than 2.5 hours on way, and is an easy hike suitable for all levels (even for the younger ones).

Al Khitaym village on its own is a worth visiting, as it is call-back and reminder of how these traditional villagers continue to live up on these tough mountain. You will villagers offering various fossils, trinkets and woven keychains (cool for souvenirs) for sale on benches, as well as some fruits and mountain berries from the mountain. The villagers of Al Khitaym also keep numerous goats and fowls – keep in mind that there are no wild goats in Oman and all the goats you encounter encounter up at Jabal Shams are owned by villagers whether from this village or other ones.

2) Al Khitaym To Wadi Ghul Hike (W6a Route)

The hike from Al Khitaym Village to Wadi Ghul (W6a route) can be done in either direction, or as a one-way trek as long as you leave a car at the other end or arrange transport back to your starting point. I have done the trek starting from Wadi Ghul up to Al Khitaym village, and it is a steep and tough trek but with great views of Al Nakhur and Ghul canyons, as well as lots of ancient stone-built pseudo-towers that were probably used at some point by the inhabitants of the area as look-out points. If you do the trek as looped trek, then I recommend starting from the bottom side as you will do the hardest bit first. The ascent requires over a 1,000m elevation gain, and ends at about 1,900m elevation – you can continue from there onto W6 Route to do the Balcony Walk. I personally did the trek only once, and it took us over 5 hrs to ascend up, due to many stops and someone in our group getting ill, but if you’re reasonably fit you can expect to be able to finish the ascent in 3-3.5 hrs.

You may download the map of my hike from Wadi Ghul to Al Khitaym village (W6a) using the links below, as recorded using my Garmin Fenix 5 Watch. Please note that these files are for the trek going in only (you need to loop back the same way to return), and include the many stops we did along the way:

• Wadi Ghul to Al Khitaym Route W6a.kml file (compatible with Google Earth)
• Wadi Ghul to Al Khitaym Route W6a as .gpx file (to use directly in Garmin devices) just keep in mind to avoid repeating my mistake of climbing up the steep edge at the start

3) Jabal Shams Summit Hike (W4 Route)

This is ‘the hike to do‘ in Jabal Shams, and is a steep climb up the plateau all the way to the ‘summit’. To start the hike, you need to take the turn off at the Sama Heights Resort from the main road (which has been re-branded from ‘Jabal Shams Heights Resort‘ which used to cause confusion due to having Jabal Shams Resort further up), and follow the graded road to a wadi with an open space suitable for parking and a sign indicating the start of the W4 route.

The hike is quite steep and can be demanding especially if you’re a casual hiker. A roundtrip should take anywhere from 10-12 hours, with the ascent taking 5-7 hours depending on how many stops you take (and 1,000m elevation gain). Many people split the hike over two days by camping up near the peak, to make the most of the visit and enjoy the hike instead of rushing to do it in a single day. The disadvantage is that during the winter months the weather can get extremely cold, and it is hard to find a suitable flat ground for camping. In addition, carrying the extra load needed (food, water, tent and sleeping bag) on the ascent makes it much more challenging. I personally prefer doing the hike on a single day, starting very early and timing it so I am back to camp site before it gets day.

About an hour into the hike, you’ll reach the edge of the canyon with some more great views that are worth stopping at for some photos, and this is a place worth going even if you don’t intend to do the full hike. Keep in mind that the ‘summit’ reached in the hike is not the actual summit, instead it is ~2,997 m high while the highest summit (~3,009 m high) is a restricted area due to a military outpost location.

How to get to Jabal Shams:

Jabal Shams is a about 250 kms from Muscat, and is accessible from Al Hamra village which is ~2 hour drive from Muscat. The drive from Al Hamra up to Jabal Shams shouldn’t take more than an hour, and is partially paved with large sections that are graded and steep. Even though smaller cars can be occasionally seen up on Jabal Shams, 4WD cars are definitely recommended especially since the steep mountain road get occasionally washed out due to rain, becoming impassable for smaller cars. The following map shows all the attractions and Jabal Shams hiking routes I have written about:

Places to Stay at Jabal Shams (besides camping)

If you’d like something more than camping, there are a few places up in Jabal Shams. As you drive up you will pass first by Sama Heights Resort and then by Jabal Shams Resort a bit of a drive further up. There is a also a third place called Jabal Shams Sunrise Resort, which is located quite a bit of drive away on the other side of the mountain. I have personally stayed only at ‘Jabal Shams Sunrise Resort’, which is decent enough if you want to running water and a bed to sleep on, but really quite basic so don’t expect anything fancy or overly luxurious. I tend to think it is a bit of the same with the other two (Perhaps! Please share your thoughts in the comments if you have stayed there).

Another option is to stay overnight at Misfat Al Abriyeen in Al Hamra, either after or before going up Jabal Shams. Of course the only place there is the Misfat Old House. There are now quite a number of guesthouse and small hotels in Misfat and Al Hamra that you could chose from, so take your pick. This may not be ideal if you’re planning to watch sunrise or star gaze, but worth keeping in mind if you’re not sure where to sleep around in Jabal Shams.

Jabal Shams Photo Gallery