A'Sabban Daba to Sidaqah village (Smugglers route) hike. Musandam, Oman.

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A’Sabban Daba to Sidaqah village (Smugglers route) hike. Musandam, Oman.

Trail Stats:

Distance:	18 kms
Difficulty:	Moderate
Elevation gain:	950 m
Elevation loss:	950 m
Max elevation:	650 m
Min elevation:	70 m
Trail type:	Out and Back
Moving time:	5 hour 50 minutes

A’Sabban Daba to Sidaqah village (Smugglers route) hike. Musandam, Oman.

Located in the northernmost part of Oman, Musandam is renowned for its fjord-like inlets and dramatic cliffs, making it a haven for nature enthusiasts and adventure seekers alike. Jebel Qihwi, with its towering heights, provides an ideal vantage point to soak in the awe-inspiring views of the turquoise waters of the Strait of Hormuz and the craggy coastline.

We visited Daba Musandam peninsula belonging to Oman.
For this hike, we referred 2 other trails recorded by Ben Robbins and Nitesh.
Generally this route is known as Smugglers route.
We stayed within Oman as we started and ended our hike at Musandam village of As Sabban.
Our summit point of return was Sidaqah village which is located very close to the borderline between Oman and UAE at Wadi Taween.
The village is quite big and has many farms and houses, most of the houses are broken and ruins.
We didnt come across any people around although there were enough livestock moving around.

We started our hike from As Sabban village and most of the time, we were on a faint route path. It was obvious that the path is presently not being used. We missed the way a few times and then recovered and connected to the path again.
Basically you need to scout around and look out for the path, there are some markers here and there.
You can get confused between multiple paths, but it is all directional route.

Most of the path was stable, but there were some loose rock areas.

Also you will come across a stretch of coloured mountain with lots of multi coloured rocky terrain similar to Ain Alsheriya trail in Fujairah UAE.
Almost at the midpoint of the hike, we came across a ruins of the village.

This was a new area for us and we had a good hike with good unspoilt views.

Parking Location:

25.671188, 56.220511

https://maps.app.goo.gl/aoH4ANg7TK7aTVWa6

Grade: Moderate

Base Village: Daba

Range: Musandam

Download:

GPX

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File2

jebel qihwi oman musandam rainbow hiker patrick

Trail

Sidaqa village

Trail

Views

Trail

Village ruins

Geology

Trail.

2 responses to “A’Sabban Daba to Sidaqah village (Smugglers route) hike. Musandam, Oman.”

Anonymous

March 6, 2025

This hike was done in the correct way starting inside Oman and coming to the first village in Oman – Sidaqah (towards UAE).
It’s a comparatively easier route to hike given the fact there is not too much of elevation gain but a long walk on the blurry trail which one tends to get away from quite easily. Staying on the trail makes it much more easy for the overall hike.
It was a nice one time experience to do this hike, I suggest not to do this from UAE due to border violations and easily being monitored by the border forces.

Vikram Kamath

March 3, 2025

Hello everyone, I had a great opportunity to hike this trail with Patrick and Team. Honestly, I was not too sure if I was up for this challenge as I was not very active for the past few weeks, but surprisingly the trail was pleasant, and the weather was very accommodating. The views are very beautiful, and we got the opportunity to go around the village without trespassing or disturbing anyone in the vicinity. The best part of the hike was after hike refreshments and dinner. Patrick shares a lot of experience and wisdom during the hike which makes the hike more enjoyable. The hike was followed by camping high up in the mountains. Overall, it was a great experience and fun to hike the trail.