This is a most wonderful trip; the scenery is breathtaking. Behind every curve, something new is waiting to be discovered. There is a variety of terrain and sightseeing: boulders, deep canyons, impressive views, steep mountain slopes, fossils, great pools, an ancient village and a date palm plantation
Distance: 13 km
Duration: 8 hours
Elevation 1073m
Breathtaking scenery, canyons with vertical walls, impressive gorges, fossils, ancient settlements, Shihuh architecture, great hiking, petroglyphs .... all in Wadi Shah
The first option is maybe more adventurous because of larger boulders, more scrambling and, if there has been some rain, refreshing pools. The advantage of this option also is that you will not lose the right track: just follow the wadi, nothing easier than that. And whenever the wadi splits, stick to the left side.
You will just follow the winding wadi, which gradually ascends. At the very beginning it is almost flat, an easy-to-walk terrain with small gravel.
The boulders will become larger until you reach the XXL ones, so a bit of scrambling skills are required.
These stairways make your life easier so use them. It is obvious that they show you the most convenient way around huge boulders.
You will soon experience that the gorge becomes rougher and narrower.
At a certain point, you have the option to: Either follow your way up through the gorge, or follow the path (a bit higher up) which will lead you to the top of the canyon.
When you have reached the old date palm plantation, it means the village is right above it, on the plateau.
Another short climb and... there you are....
Long and high dry walls have been constructed to form terraced fields. Small houses are made with huge, heavy blocks of stone and blend into the existing rocks of the landscape
This is an ideal spot to have a break and to spend at least an hour in order to inhale the mysterious beauty of this mountain village.
This village is quite extended and vast; it covers various hills and plateaus and has many terraced fields and stone houses.
The location is simply stunning, with the almost vertical mountain slopes on one side and the deep canyon on the other. Most of the houses are old and abandoned but others have been renovated recently and are obviously inhabited intermittently.
Traverse this settlement until you have reached the far end and start your way down via the trail which leads over the ridge to some fields in the distance.
From these fields, a perfect mountain path will bring you down smoothly, zigzagging over the slope until you arrive in the wadi.
From there the trail will obviously lead you to the tarred road, the end of the hike, and your car.
Credits:
Text: Dubaihiking.org