Middle of nowhere, Oman

Before coming to Oman, I read a lot about the stunning mountain landscape of the country.  When I found a traditional Omani village in the mountains called Misfat Al Abreyeen, I knew we had to stay there.  Misfat is a few hours away from Muscat, not too far from the former capital of Oman, Nizwa.  The road there is mostly flat except at the end where you have to drive up the paved mountain road that snakes several kilometres up to the village.  Parking was a bit of a nightmare because only locals can drive their cars into the village.  You must park your car on the side of the mountain road before entering the town gate.  Luckily the road was wide enough and had a barricade on the side.  I'm glad I wasn't the one parallel parking on the side of a mountain... John did a good job!

We stayed in a place called Misfah Old House, a small guest house that is a traditional Omani mud brick home.  Upon arriving at the car park, we called one of the owners who met us and walked us up through winding passageways of crumbling mud brick buildings and through a grove of palm trees to the guest house.  We were served dates and coffee on arrival, and then decided to explore more of the village on our own.  We came across abandoned watch towers, date palms, villagers swimming in the falaj (water channel) that flows around the mountain, and kids playing drums in celebration of the Eid holiday.

Snack on arrival

Accommodation at Misfah Old House is basic, but comfortable.  We slept on mats and had a shared bathroom, but amazingly the place had air conditioning and wifi.  The place includes half board, so you get dinner and breakfast included in the price of your accommodation.  Dinner was served up on the roof, buffet style.  We had rice, cooked vegetables, falafel, hummus, chicken kebabs, salad, pita bread, and cake for dessert. 

Simple but comfortable

Exploring the village

Abandoned watch tower

Walking along the falaj

Mountain view from the roof

It was nice to spend some time in a quiet place, far from the big cities of Muscat and Dubai.  While enjoying the view of the mountains from the rooftop of the guest house, I thought to myself how crazy it was that I was sitting in a mud brick house in the middle of nowhere in Oman, a place that was nowhere on my radar until very recently.  It's funny how life takes you to places you've never imagined you would go...