Al Hajar, Oman

Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Arabic for the Green Mountain, is part of the Al Hajar Mountains range. It is said that this is one of Oman’s most spectacular areas. The highest point, Jebel Shams, Arabic for Mountain of the Sun, is around 3km high. It is also the highest point of eastern Arabia. The range is mostly desert, but at higher altitudes the earth is moist enough to allow the growth of trees and roses, where the area is very famous for.

The range is perfect for hiking and swimming in secret lakes. Visiting small deserted villages and also for cycling. Since 2011 the mountain climb is part of the Tour of Oman.

The gorge in the Al Hajar mountain range is said to be the Grand Canyon of the Middle East. And indeed it is breathtaking. A must do when travelling through Oman.

Here are some awesome things to do while visiting the Al Hajar mountain range with kids. Use it as a check-list. It works really well.

  • Go hiking;
  • Visit Nizwa;
  • Just relax and enjoy the breathtaking views.

Alila Jabal Akhdar

Al Roose, Jabal Al Akhdar,
621, Oman 
+(968) 25 344200
www.alilahotels.com
Price range

$$$$$

Location

Perched 2,000 meters above sea level in the Al Hajar Mountains.

Accommodation

There are of course several rooms to choose from. As we always like to have rooms close to each other we booked two times the Jabal Terrace rooms. When you like to be close to your children request to have two first floor rooms next to each other as the doors of the lower rooms are not very close together. The rooms are very spacious and the bathroom incredible, with a bath that has a view on one of the gorges. The terrace outside of the room is fantastic. Definitely the best for sunsets and stargazing.

Dining

The hotel has only one restaurant. And it is such an amazing restaurant. The food is incredibly good. You can either select the Omani menu or a la carte western cuisine.          

Services and amenities for kids

The Alila Jabal Akhdar has the “Travel in Style with Kids” label.
For an overview of the services and amenities for kids at this hotel click hereAmenities provided by the hotel in green.

Extra info

The Alila Jabal Akhdar in Oman was called, the most stunning new hotel in the Middle East by Forbes, in 2016. But that’s not all, in many other travel magazines has this hotel been acclaimed as most beautiful hotel in different categories. And rightly so!

And rightly so! It is a long way to reach, but worth the travel. For children the resort is just wonderful. My kids thought the hotel had the best kids club they’d ever been. And believe me they’ve been in quite a few. At check-in each child gets an Alila passport. During their stay they can collect stamps by doing several activities in and around the hotel. With each 4th stamp they receive a small gift. Making it fun to do as many activities as possible. They get a stamp for arrival (easy one), breakfast, lunch, dinner, activities such as hiking, walking, playing a video game and so on. The hotel’s activities list has some tracks especially for the younger ones. We did one leading us to a secret lake and a deserted mountain village. The children found it quite exciting.

If you don’t feel like doing anything, the children can enjoy the cliffside pool with you. During our stay (early January) it was only pleasant from noon – 3pm as high in the mountains it does get a bit cold early morning and late afternoon. But there is a heated indoor pool with Jacuzzi. No punishment either, to sit there and enjoy the sunset.

In the morning there is yoga in this incredible spot, right on the verge of a massive gorge. The spa with Balinese therapists is out of this world. And the good thing is, you can leave the children at the kids club without having to worry about them and enjoy your therapy in the meantime.

secret lakes

Avoid the summer months. It gets extremely hot. Although the temperature in the mountains is always better than in the desert or rest of the country during the summer months.

Best time to visit is October – April.

Below is the current temperature and forecast for the next days in the Al Hajar mountains, decide for yourself if it’s tempting or not.