More details can also be found on wikiloc link below.
https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/oman-w6-jebel-shams-balcony-hike-to-as-sab-village-ruins-101755302
My Non Commercial and Non Profit Hiking Community friendly personal FB Page dedicated to UAE Hiking information and Trails.
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W6. Jebel Shams Balcony Hike to As Sab village ruins.
Trail Stats:
| Distance: | 9 kms |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Elevation gain: | 380 m |
| Elevation loss: | 380 m |
| Max elevation: | 1540 m |
| Min elevation: | 1980 m |
| Trail type: | Out and back |
| Moving time: | 3 hours 45 minutes |
W6. Jebel Shams Balcony Hike to As Sab village ruins.
This Easy Walk is on Jebel shams Plataeu , along the Ridge.
It offers excellent View of the Grand Canyon of Oman.
Wadi Nakhr and the Balcony Walk
(roughguides.com)
Beyond Ghul, the road begins to climb steadily upwards towards the summit of Jebel Shams, surfaced for about the first half of the journey, though nearer the top the tarmac gives out and the track becomes quite steep and rocky in places, meaning that 4WD is essential.
The landscape hereabouts is very similar to that on the road up to the Saiq Plateau, with huge sedimentary limestone formations, their colours ranging from chalky greys and greens through to sandstone oranges and reds.
En route you’ll notice the distinctive outline of Jebel Misht standing in proud isolation away to the west. The final few kilometres (past the Jabal Shams Base Camp) are particularly spectacular, with grand views down into the great chasm of Wadi Nakhr (also sometimes referred to as Wadi Ghul, to which it’s joined), and popularly known as the “Grand Canyon” of Oman.
The main road up the mountain finishes at the Jabal Shams Resort, from where a side track runs a couple of kilometres to the windswept hamlet of KHATEEM (also spelt Khatayam, but pronounced something like “Hootm”, with throaty h), just a handful of tiny houses clinging to the edge of the canyon. Getting out of your vehicle you’ll probably be greeted by local children trying to sell you some of the area’s traditional black-and-red rugs, or smaller woven trinkets made from the fleece of the long-haired goats which browse the mountains hereabouts.
Khateem / Khityam is also the starting point for the spectacular Balcony Walk (part of hiking route W6 and clearly waymarked with the usual red, white and yellow painted flags). This is probably the most famous hike in the country, winding around the cliffs halfway up the rim of Wadi Nakhr to the abandoned village of As Sab. The scenery here is some of the most dramatic anywhere in Oman: a kind of huge natural amphitheatre, with kilometre-high cliffs, the tiny village of Nakhr way below in the shadowy depths of the canyon and birds of prey – such as the Egyptian vulture, with its distinctive black-and-white-striped wings – hovering silently on the thermals overhead. Count on around three hours for the return journey from Khateem to As Sab, although even a ten-minute walk from Khateem offers memorable views and a good taste of the scenery hereabouts.
You can Park here. 23.193840, 57.201214
https://goo.gl/maps/1dU1LXy5EJGP3qsKA
The Easy walk starts at the end of the graded route of “Al Khitaym” village, easy to look up on Google maps. You will have to drive till the end of the offroad to reach this point.
On the Trail, Clear signs are given by hiking code paints on rocks.
We did full train up (To and Fro) at Leisure and took 3 hours with 2 short breaks
Great view of the Grand Canyon and the deep deep Wadi Nakur.
Be careful at few points as a slip can be fatal as the vertical drop is into the canyon.
Keep concentrating on the trail and loose rocks.
Even young children have succeeded in hiking this route with caution.
At the end of the trail, you will find an abandoned village, some terrace farming fields and a water pool above the village to store the rain water.
Parking Location:
Grade: Easy plus
Base Village: Shams Plateau
Range: Jabal Shams.
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