Wilderness Trekking Oman

Book excerpt: The Hajar Mountains rise up from the great central deserts of the Arabian plateau - the so-called Empty Quarter - and then look down to the coastal plain that runs into the waters of the Gulf of Oman. Beautiful and remote, often almost entirely inaccessible, these harsh rocky slopes with their breathtaking views of Oman are largely unexplored. Wilderness Trekking in Oman is a practical guide for hiking in the Western Hajar, following some 200km of mountain trails. Meticulously researched and presented with detailed original cartography, this comprehensive guide is the key to discovering a remarkable landscape. The mountain traverse follows the spine of the mountains in a point-to-point walk taking sixteen days which can be broken down into eight one-day walks, two two-day walks, and one four-day walk. There is a road intersection with a village or hotel between each of these eleven sections. The traverse climbs to the highest accessible peak in the country at 2999m and finishes in remote dry valleys, called wadis, where impregnable cliffs have precluded road construction and electricity transmission. This has preserved the Arabian mountain lifestyle that has existed for centuries. ? This book describes where to go, what to carry, where to sleep, and, most importantly, where to find drinking water. Some hikers may choose to be supported by friends meeting them in a 4WD vehicle at road intersections marking the end of each section. For their benefit, this book includes excursions at eight of these ten rendezvous points. There are other possibilities for resupply at all ten road intersections. Digital data for download comprises GPS tracks, waypoints, kmz map files, and PDF files of each chapter. A folded 1:50,000 map covering 607km of side tracks and the traverse can be purchased separately. Hikers who have completed part or all of this traverse are invited to post reviews on social media accessible from www.hajarhiking. com, where there are historical photographs and video recorded on parts of this traverse in 1992 when there was only one road in the entire mountain range.