Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Birkat Al-Mawz
25 / POP 10,000
The name of this village roughly translates as 'Banana Pool' - a suitable name, as a quick
drive through the village plantation will reveal.
Although there is a fort,
Bait al-Radidah
(admission 500 baisa; 8am-4pm Sat-Thu, to 11am Fri)
, and
some interesting old buildings, most people only venture into Birkat al-Mawz to begin the
drive (or strenuous day hike) up Wadi Muaydin to the Saiq Plateau on Jebel Akhdar. It's a
good place to buy provisions as these are not readily available from Jebel Akhdar.
To hire a 4WD for the ascent to Jebel Akhdar, visit
Al-Mousel Rent-a-Car
( 92 311173, 25
443767; almouseltourism@hotmail.com; 7.30am-8pm)
. It charges OR35 for a vehicle that can be
hired between 7.30am and 8pm. Staff can arrange camping trips for a minimum group of
four to Jebel Akhdar from OR19 per person.
Birkat al-Mawz lies on the old Muscat-Nizwa Rd, 111km from the Rusayl roundabout
in Muscat and 24km from the
khanjar
roundabout in Nizwa.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Jebel Akhdar
25
Without a guide or some inside information, Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain) may seem
something of a misnomer to the first-time visitor. Firstly, Jebel Akhdar refers not to a
mountain as such, but to an area that encompasses the great
Saiq Plateau
, at 2000m above
sea level. Secondly, the jebel keeps its fecundity well hidden in a labyrinth of wadis and
terraces where the cooler mountain air (temperatures during December to March can drop
to -5°C) and greater rainfall (hailstones even) encourage prize pomegranates, apricots and
other fruit. With a day or two to explore this 'top of the beanstalk', the determined visitor
will soon stumble across the gardens and
orchards
that make this region so justly prized.
Ask your hotel for a hand-drawn map picking out some of the highlights of the area.
Sights & Activities
It helps to think of Jebel Akhdar as two separate areas - an upper plateau, and a lower
plateau on which the main town of
Saiq
is located. In a weekend, you can spend one day
exploring each. On the edge of the lower plateau, in a south-facing crescent high above
Wadi al-Muaydin, are spectacularly arranged terraced villages, where most of the market-
