Hadash to Wakan Ridge Hike (W25)

The Hadash to Wakan Ridge Hike, route W25, is a one-way mountain hike in the Al Hajar Mountains above Wadi Mistal in Al Batinah South, Oman. It runs from the village of Hadash over the Hadash Pass and the Wakan Pass to the village of Wakan, and takes 6 to 7 hours including breaks. The route is marked with green, yellow and white flags. The coordinates on this listing are for the finish village, Wakan.

The logistics need planning. The trailhead is at Hadash, reached by a turn about 5 km before Wakan, and the road is narrow and steep, so a 4x4 is required. Because the hike is one-way, it needs two vehicles or a driver waiting at the end; the road between the two villages takes 20 to 30 minutes. From Muscat the drive is about 150 km, just over 1.5 hours via Nakhal and the Al Rustaq highway. No permit is known to be required.

The distance is not published here. Elevation is significant: the start has steep climbs, the descent toward Wakan is very steep, and a longer Wakan loop listed on Komoot shows 1,780 m cumulative gain over 17.1 km, which gives a sense of the terrain scale. The surface is rock and rough mountain path, with exposed sections where a wooden bridge now crosses the most exposed part. The plateau between passes has little shade and can be windy and cold in winter. Because of the steep descent, a walking pole is useful.

Key landmarks are the Hadash Pass, the Wakan Pass, the high plateau and the final descent into the terraced village of Wakan. There is no water on the route and no refuge hut, so at least 3 litres of water and food for a full day should be carried, along with sun protection and a warm layer. Offline maps of routes W25 and W24a from the Ministry of Tourism trekking map are helpful. Walkers who tire early can turn back before the first pass, because the exposed and very steep sections come later, and the descent is not a good place to abandon the route. Starting early leaves time for the 6 to 7 hours and avoids hiking in the dark.