Bikepacking the Al Hajar Mountains in Oman

For the love of riding and adventure.

I set off to find some of the best gravel and experience the Al Hajar Mountains in a four-day bikepacking adventure. Because I didn't have masses of time to do a big ride, I instead focused on the high areas and seeing the best this wonderful place has got. The climbs here are incredibly steep, and some of the gravel wonderfully challenging.

I bivvied a couple of nights on high lookouts, and stayed in lovely hotels a couple of other nights. Aside from the climbs themselves, the biggest challenge of this ride is enough water and avoiding the heat without any shade during the day. The temperatures were close to 40c and very dry/windy when I did this ride, and I really struggled!

Luckily Omanis are incredibly kind and show so much hospitality, so I was always able to ask for water, either at local village dispensaries or the many small mosques that might appear out of nowhere. It's possible to do this route either camping the whole way or staying in upscale hotels every night. It was the heat and promise of a shower after long dusty days that mostly lured me into the hotels.

As a solo female I felt very safe, even if I never saw another cyclist the whole time. Oman is such a welcoming and stunning country - can't wait to go back!