Aint Mountain Trek

Recently I went on another hike with my group of ladies to Aint Mountain.  Yes, every device will either say that is spelled wrong or try to autocorrect it by adding an apostrophe.

This is another Omantripper hike.  It is a really fun hike that is not too hard.  It is near Muttrah, and from the peaks you can look out over the port of Muttrah at the Sultan's yachts.

A panoramic view from the top.

The hike starts in a little fishing village called Aint.  In fact, it's not even labeled in English on Google.  When you get to the village from the highway, you come up on the beach where the boats are lined up waiting to head out.  As it is a small village, it is important to dress conservatively.  We wore pants and long sleeves with tanks underneath.  To get there, you take Madinat Sultan Qaboos towards Muttrah.  You exit at Darsait, take the U-turn under the highway and stay in the left lane to loop back under the highway.  You then stay to the right to head under the highway again.  Yes, that is 3 times under the highway.  I've mentioned streets are not laid out in a grid, right?  Anyways, that road, Darsait St., takes you toward the ocean.  Follow the road to the right until it ends in Aint then take a right (your only option).  Head straight until the end of the road, take a left and park.  The path starts straight ahead of your car.


The trek starts as a dirt road blocked off by some concrete blocks.  The road curves around to the right then you head into and follow the wadi valley through the mountains.  It does open up to a big area right at the beginning, but keep to the left so that you would be headed back toward the water.  Sticking to the valley means it's a pretty easy hike, and you don't have to worry about loose rocks while trying to scramble up.  You will travel through some grassy areas depending upon how recently it rained.  Watch out for anything that might live in grasses.

The dirt road that starts the trek.  This is looking back at the road when you leave it.

This cave is across the road from the start of the wadi portion of the trek.

The wide open area near the beginning.  See that little bitty shrub tree all alone?

An example of a spider to avoid.

While you walk, enjoy the caves you find.  Climb in if that's your thing.  Enjoy the shade cast on you by the surrounding mountains (if you do this hike in the morning).  Enjoy the crazy striations found in the rocks.  Enjoy the couple of spots where you get to climb steeper parts.  The rocks are very sticky, so these are easy spots to navigate.  Look out for an occasional arrow spray painted on rocks to let you know you're headed in the right direction.  Enjoy climbing up now and then for a view.  Enjoy the beach awaiting you at the end.

These white, straight lines are found all over the mountains here.

One of the steeper parts.  It's fun to feel like a serious mountain climber here, but there is really nothing to worry about.

One of the arrows you may find if you look closely.  We only saw 2 on this hike.

A view of the port.  There was a cruise ship and both yachts docked this day.

Looking back over a couple of villages and mountains as far as the eye can see.  Also, this concrete slab in the lower right corner was the basis for all sorts of "What could that be?" scenarios.  My favorite was it being the bunker for the Sultan's dooms day prepper supplies.

Ahhh... the beach.  It was so nice to end with salty air and crashing waves.

The beach at the end will be a rocky beach.  You could actually end up at a number of different shore lines depending on where you exit the wadi.  All the beaches are rocky.  All have debris that has washed up.  Take trash bags with you and do some clean up.  All the beaches can be accessed by following the rocky coastline.  Just keep heading left to end up at the sandy beach of Aint.  On your way, look for a painting of the Sultan someone has painted on the rocks facing the ocean.  Well done!  Walk back down the main road of town to your car, and you are done!

A sample of what gets washed up:  wood, bottles, and dead coral

A sad, dead starfish

Look closely to see the sea urchin in this tide pool.

A painting of His Majesty, the Sultan.

This hike was 3.5 miles with 310 feet of elevation gain according to one fitness watch.  It took us right around 2 hours of taking our time and enjoying some views.  It was also fun to make up stories of things that we saw or things that could happen (see the above example about the hidden bunker).