4WDing across the Hajar Mountains via Hatt

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
9
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
10
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
10
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
1
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
8
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
92 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
5th/453
Top 1%
continent
Middle East
country
Oman
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$90 ($50-$100 in 2022 prices)
Time of year visited
November
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
4WD Adventure Mountains
All Tags
Adrenaline rush Canyons Castles / Fortresses Cliffs Driving Hilltop towns Islamic site Isolation Local villages UNESCO world heritage site
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

The Hajar Mountains, with their spectacular peaks, hidden hill towns, mini luscious oases and dramatic canyons are some of the most striking mountains in the world and by far the highlight of Oman.  Most people visit the forts of Bahla, the Wadi Ghul canyon and drive up to the plateau of Jebel Shams, Oman’s highest mountain – and these really worth doing.

 

But for a truly world-class experience, rent a 4WD and drive the mountain road from Bahla to Rustaq via Hatt.  The number of fellow tourists drop off dramatically, the valleys and peaks become more dramatic, the hill towns and oases are significantly more remote and untouched, and above all you’ve got the adventure vibe.

 

It’s not for the faint hearted though – the road is challenging, with the majority of your time spent on dirt roads, the drops off the side can be a little terrifying, and at times you will feel a bit isolated with no other drivers around you.  But, considering the ease at which you can experience this (Hajar Mountains can easily be done in a day from Muscat and 4WD rentals are simple to rent), this should be right at the top of your list for Oman.  Sensational – maximum Wow-factor score.

 

4WDing across the Hajar Mountains via Hatt #1 Reaching the hidden gem of Bilad Sayt and taking just a moment to appreciate its beauty crammed into the mountains

Table of Contents

Highlights

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#1 Reaching the hidden gem of Bilad Sayt and taking just a moment to appreciate its beauty crammed into the mountains

Hajar Mountains - #2 The driving challenge of the tight snaking roads that need your full concentration to avoid tumbling over the side

#2 The driving challenge of the tight snaking roads that need your full concentration to avoid tumbling over the side

Hajar Mounatins - #3 The wonderfully named Snake Gorge, that carves its way through these mountains and gives a great option for hiking

#3 The wonderfully named Snake Gorge, that carves its way through these mountains and gives a great option for hiking

Hajar Mountains - #4 Hitting the start of the paved road at Tikhah and that satisfied feeling looking back at some of the mountains you've just crossed

#4 Hitting the start of the paved road at Tikhah and that satisfied feeling looking back at some of the mountains you've just crossed

Hajar Mountains #5 Having a bit of company from the mountain goats that seem to be on just about every corner

#5 Having a bit of company from the mountain goats that seem to be on just about every corner

Hajar Mountains - #6 The views across the mountains as you make your way through in the 4WD

#6 The views across the mountains as you make your way through in the 4WD

Hajar Mountains - #7 That first moment when you've passed the Sharfat Al Alamyn viewpoint and look on at the dirt road that winds you down to the next valley floor . . . with no guard rails

#7 That first moment when you've passed the Sharfat Al Alamyn viewpoint and look on at the dirt road that winds you down to the next valley floor . . . with no guard rails

Hajar Mountains - #8 The underrated paved road that meanders its way through the steep valleys between Tikhah and the final destination of Rustaq

#8 The underrated paved road that meanders its way through the steep valleys between Tikhah and the final destination of Rustaq

Hajar Mountains - #9 Some of the super random things you see along the way . . . like this football pitch just outside of Bilad Sayt

#9 Some of the super random things you see along the way . . . like this football pitch just outside of Bilad Sayt

The Hajar Mountains Route

Whether you start the Hajar Mountains drive from Bahla or Rustaq depends on your preference for driving.  The southern half of the route from Bahla up to the Sharfat Al Alamyn viewpoint is a good paved road.  The northern half from Rustaq to the viewpoint is not.  So, it depends on if you want to drive up the jaggedy dirt road or down it.  I preferred driving down it, so started in Bahla:

 

Route for 4WD across the Hajar Mountains from Bahla to Rustaq, via Hatt

 

  • From Bahla – aim for the Al Hoota Cave (which was closed at time of writing).  On the way you will see brown signs for Bald Sayt – follow them and quickly you will exit the towns / villages and start ascending.
  • Drive up to the Sharfat Al Alamyn viewpoint (Jabal Hatt Mountains View  on google maps) – this is the highest point in the road with clear views down onto both sides.  It is also the point where you lose the paved road and move to dirt.
  • Drive down to Hatt – this is probably the most nerve wracking section because the drops are the steepest, but amazing views.
  • Hatt to Bilad Sayt – this is the most winding section.  Be sure not to skip Bilad Sayt – it is a 2km / 1.2mile detour off the main road, but totally worth it.
  • Bilad Sayt past Snake Gorge – you pass a sensational canyon and the road starts to get a little easier.  Be sure to follow the signs for Wadi Bani Awf rather than a fork in the road for Wadi Sahten (this is probably the only part of the drive you could get lost).
  • Just after Snake Gorge (no point in english on the map for reference) – you move into a river bed which still isn’t paved, but is flat and wide so very simple to drive.
  • Tikhah – you move onto a paved road and it is simple driving to Rustaq.

5 Tips for the Hajar Mountains Drive

1. Route is easy to follow.  I’ve seen plenty of Hajar Mountains blogs that make it seem easy to get lost.  It really isn’t.  The route is above to demonstrate some of the things you can expect to see, but you can just plug it into google maps and you’ll have no problems.  Even without google maps, its basically a direct road except for 2 forks that are clearly signposted.

 

2. You absolutely need a 4×4.  Contrary to many things written about the Jebel Shams ascent, I think you can easily get up Jebel Shams without a 4WD.  But you absolutely cannot do this Hajar Mountains route without a 4WD – that would be daft dangerous.

 

4WDing across the Hajar Mountains via Hatt - 4WD dirt road descending from Hatt into the Hajar Mountains

 

3. Is this Hajar Mountains route dangerous?  As long as you (i) have a 4WD; (ii) don’t drive in the rain or when the road is very wet; (iii) don’t be reckless and use a bit of common sense when other cars are passing, this is not dangerous.  That being said, it is challenging and at times nerve wracking just because of the steep sides.

 

4. How much time does it take?  It took me 3 hours for the drive, including stopping just about every 10mins for photos.  I think if you wanted to stop in some of the villages, add on an extra hour on.  If you are driving from Muscat, it’s around 1.5hours to Rustaq and around 2hours to Bahla.  So, all in from Muscat you’re looking at a 6.5-7.5 hour day.  But better to just stay overnight in the main section of the mountains around Bahla.  See the entry for 5 days for Oman for some tips and what you should focus on, including Walking Jebel Sham’s Wadi Ghul canyon and Driving up to Jebel Akhdar.

 

4WD dirt road descending from Hatt into the Hajar Mountains

 

5. The obvious stuff – your chances of something going wrong are low, but it always makes sense to prep correctly – reduce the pressure in your tires by around 20% for the offroading; make sure you have enough fuel (there are no petrol stations); make sure you have a spare tire and know roughly how to replace it; bring water in case for whatever reason you do get stuck.  Whilst it is quite isolated at times, I saw around 30 other vehicles on my trip (locals and tourists) so you will have support if you run into problems (in fact it will be in their interest to help you if you are blocking the road!).

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Safari in the Okavango Delta and Kaziinkini Game Reserve
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Score Detail

The scores you see above are really the point of this whole site, rather than just the individual travel review you're seeing above.  They fit into a much bigger summary of 20 years of travel, across 100+ countries, from dirt-poor backpacking to the luxury end, rushed weekends to months on the road.  Every one of the 500+ experiences have a "wow factor" score and a few other scores that add up to a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score.  For more info, have a look at the About page for the travel philosophy that drives them.

But, more importantly, have a play with the map above and on the Home page to see which of these experiences rank as really Maximum Wow-factor all the way down to the proper "Gash".

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