Sayq Plateau, Oman

The Sayq Plateau is an undulating highland plain, located in the central Jebel Akhdar mountains of Oman. At an altitude of around 2000 metres, and surrounded by even higher peaks, it provides a great escape from the summer heat. The area provides fantastic trekking opportunities, through green slopes and remote areas. It is this remoteness, together with its impregnability, that give the area an irresistible romantic appeal.

The plateau is within easy reach of Muscat (the journey takes around 2 ½ hours). To get there, just take the dual carriageway to Nizwa, and follow the sign at the Birkat Al Mawz – Jebel Akhdar Hotel exit. From Birkat Al Mawz, the road enters one of the largest wadis in Oman (Wadi Al Mueydin). You have to stop at a military check point, for the cursory identification; this is because the plateau is still the place for a military installation. Only 4WD vehicles are allowed to drive up to the plateau even though the road is blacktop. This is a safety measure, as once you start climbing you encounter steep inclines. The drive up to the plateau is very scenic. The road makes up its way to the top through a series of hairpin curves. Periodically there are rest areas where you can stop and admire the view.

Once you are at the top and the road levels up, you can get a first glimpse of the plateau’s morphology. It is a depressed area, surrounded by mountains. As you drive down to the plateau from its rim, you will pass by the Jebel Akhdar Hotel on your left. You can stop there and ask for a map that features the main attractions, with clear indications on how to reach them. Two of the most popular spots are the so-called “Sunset Point”, and “Diana’s Point”. The former is a good vantage point, from which you can admire the landscape as the sun sets; whereas the latter owes its name to a visit made by the late Princess of Wales to the area, in the mid-1980’s.

Our first stop was the village of Al Ayn, where you can walk along one of the indicated trekking paths. This walk is a few kilometres long, and passes through some beautiful villages, like Ash Shurayjah, before reaching Sayq. The combination of high altitude and perennial water support from the several falaj channel systems, has led the people to transform the slopes into fantastic green terraces, where many plants and trees are cultivated including: alfalfa, garlic, maize, barley, peaches, apricots, pomegranates. Figs, limes, and rose gardens, provide a stark contrast to the rugged mountainsides. One of the best times to visit is in March, when the fruit trees blossom, punctuating the landscape with soft pink-white hues. In the summer, this is replaced by lots of green and the perfume of the exquisite fruits.

Between Al Ayn and Ash Shurayjah, the path first hugs the cliff face, and the views to the South, towards Wadi Mueydin are worth capturing with your camera. Then, you will start descending into the green terraces of Ash Shurayjah, under the shade of the trees. There is even a small lake where you can go for a quick swim, or a picnic. In the village, women were doing the laundry in communal water tanks; the clothes (white dishdashas and colourful caps) were then left to dry in poles. This was a good photo opportunity. After Ash Shurayjah, the trek follows the road for a while, until it re-enters the rocky plain. The terrain becomes level, all the way to Sayq. This village is famous for its rose water distilleries, and if you are lucky they will be open. In our case, they were closed, because it was the weekend. Perhaps next time?

Further on from Sayq, lies the abandoned village of Bani Habib. This is also worth visiting, as a walk through the mud brick houses will leave you with an eerie feeling. The houses may be abandoned, but the fields are still being cultivated, with prolific fruit trees and roses. It seems to have been a very pretty village, in the shade of the valley, but I suppose people have moved into more modern houses.

After the end of the trek, we drove back towards the hotel, to follow the road to Ru’us. Our goal was to reach the above mentioned sunset point, because the afternoon was ending. On the way there, we drove through a few more villages, some abandoned, some still inhabited. The sunset was indeed very colourful, and it provided a perfect closure to an eventful day.

That night we set up camp in the juniper tree forest, an area of low hills halfway between the hotel and sunset point. It is a very pretty place, with plenty of plants, shrubs, juniper trees, wild olive trees, and thorn trees. Some of these trees are centuries old, and feature dry and twisted trunks. Silhouetted against the sun, they sometimes acquire fantastic shapes. They are also excellent subjects for photography, and I spent a long time trying to capture their character. So much so that, by the time I was getting back to the camp, the moon was rising above the plateau. The light was low, and I did not have my tripod with me. Fortunately, image stabilization came to the rescue, and I still managed to grab this magic moment.

There are a series of tracks that criss-cross the forest, so you can do a bit of exploration too. If you keep going North, eventually you will reach the northern edge of the plateau. It is a dramatic change in the landscape, because the gentle plateau gives way to the beginning of some of Jebel Akhdar’s biggest wadis, like Wadi Bani Kharous. It is difficult to believe that the morphology can change so quickly. Surrounded only by the twisted trunks of the junipers, and the quiet flight of a few birds of prey, this is indeed one of the highlights of the trip. Try to be there at sunrise, to admire the stark silhouette of the jagged mountains to the North.

After spending a quiet night camped in the juniper forest, we headed back in the direction of the hotel, to check out the famous “Diana’s Point”. This is located a few minutes away from the hotel, as you drive towards Al Ayn. You can park your car, and walk a bit until you reach the head of the cliff that faces the villages where we trekked through the day before. Early morning offers the best view, as the houses and the green terraces are lit by the first rays of the sun. In the summer this means a very early wake up call, but it is worth the effort, and I am confident that I will have some very good photos.

A visit to the Sayq Plateau is a must if you come to Oman. The place offers fantastic opportunities for trekking and camping, and for experiencing the genuine way of mountain life. I always think that these mountains are like guardians of the ancient soul of Oman.

About the Author

Paulo Bizarro has been taking photographs since 1987. More of his work can be seen on www.paulobizarro.com . He can also be contacted at: pbizarro35@yahoo.co.uk