W9a: Descent to Misfat al Abriyyin via Birkat Sharaf
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 8.02 mi
- Elevation gain
- 942 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 4,409 ft
- Max elevation
- 7,081 ft
- TrailRank
- 43
- Min elevation
- 3,034 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Time
- 7 hours 46 minutes
- Coordinates
- 2687
- Uploaded
- March 22, 2017
- Recorded
- March 2017
near Waqīf az Zabrah, Ad Dakhiliyah (Sultanate of Oman)
Viewed 2061 times, downloaded 73 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
This is part 5 of my 5-day hike in westerm Hajar mountains from February 28th to March 04th, 2017.
The preceding part can be found here.
Since I was not able to find the route to approach Jabal Shams from the east, I decided to return to Misfat al Abriyyin via the routes W9a and W9 as recommended by the ministry of tourism of the Sultanate of Oman. See their official website. This trail is also described in the book “Adventure Trekking in OMAN” by Anne dale and Jerry Hadwin (out of print) as part of walk 9.
Descending to the north would have been unpractical, since I had to return to Nizwa. Moreover, I knew there is good accomodation in Misfah.
The route W9a is not marked, but easy to find, since there is a clearly visible path due to frequent usage by men and mules. Some sections over fields of rock slabs are less clear, but large cairns give the general direction. As soon as you see the hamlet of Aqabat Al Hamra, head for it. From there, the is a comfortable path over rock beddings eventually joining with the W9 route from Misfah.
In Aqabat Al Hamra I was invited to coffee and dates by three honorable men sitting under a tree on a carpet. A nice demonstration of Omani hospitality, and a chance for me to exercice my memorized Arabic phrases. Less than an hour later, the oasis of Misfah welcomed me with its opulent palm trees. Back to civilization.
The preceding part can be found here.
Since I was not able to find the route to approach Jabal Shams from the east, I decided to return to Misfat al Abriyyin via the routes W9a and W9 as recommended by the ministry of tourism of the Sultanate of Oman. See their official website. This trail is also described in the book “Adventure Trekking in OMAN” by Anne dale and Jerry Hadwin (out of print) as part of walk 9.
Descending to the north would have been unpractical, since I had to return to Nizwa. Moreover, I knew there is good accomodation in Misfah.
The route W9a is not marked, but easy to find, since there is a clearly visible path due to frequent usage by men and mules. Some sections over fields of rock slabs are less clear, but large cairns give the general direction. As soon as you see the hamlet of Aqabat Al Hamra, head for it. From there, the is a comfortable path over rock beddings eventually joining with the W9 route from Misfah.
In Aqabat Al Hamra I was invited to coffee and dates by three honorable men sitting under a tree on a carpet. A nice demonstration of Omani hospitality, and a chance for me to exercice my memorized Arabic phrases. Less than an hour later, the oasis of Misfah welcomed me with its opulent palm trees. Back to civilization.
Waypoints
Fountain
6,435 ft
Water source
Monument
7,072 ft
Birkat Sharaf
Waypoint
6,928 ft
Junction W9a-W10
Waypoint
4,267 ft
Junction W9-W9a
Comments (3)
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Hi! Thanks for the trace!
It helped us a lot, during our last hike. Sadly, there is NO WATER ANYMORE, the place you've marked on the trail. Just wanted to leave this information here, in case someone will assume the water source, and get into troubles ;).
Hi, I’m new on Wikiloc. Is there a way to reverse this trail? As in start from Misfat Al Abriyiin and end at Birkat Sharaf?
Why not? I see no general problem. You have to find the branch to Aqabat Al Hamra from the W9 route. The path up-hill from Aqabat Al Hamra might be a problem, but you could ask one of the villagers for help.
Best regards,
Erik