If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life, says Marc Anthony. Nabhan Alyazidi made it true by finding a way not only to pursue his love for hiking but do it professionally by choosing to be an adventure tour guide in Oman.
Nabhan was employed as an Electrical Engineer when he first went hiking with his friend to Jebel Shams, the highest mountain in Oman. “My friend told me stories about going for mountain hikes and discovering new places. I was curious and thought I will join him and see what it is like.”
He was excited to hike for 5 to 6 hours for almost 12 kilometres. It was a bit hard then as they were not prepared with ropes for abseiling and struggled a bit to descend the steep rocks. But he realised he felt happy and at peace when surrounded by nature.
And so began his passion for adventure tours around Oman and he decided to begin a tour company Oman Routes, later renamed Epic Trails, as soon as he quit his work after a three-year contract. At first, his family tried to dissuade him as they were wary after hearing various accidents during trips. But now, his family encourages and supports him. Now a popular tour operator in Oman, Epic Trails offers Hiking, Abseiling, Via Ferrata, Camping and Cycling tours.
Nabhan has a few remote places he loves to show around. He mostly chooses the mountains and wadis. His hiking trips include Saal caves in the Village of Saal, which is a 4-metre hike, Snake Canyon in Rustaq, Bandar Khairan, camping in Bidiyah sands, and trips to Wadi Al Hoqain, Wadi Tiwi, Wadi Hawer, Wadi Mibam, and Wadi Mosairah are a few of them. “Wadi Mibam is a very beautiful place to go and it has a route that leads to the mountain and has waterfall and lake. A four-wheel-drive vehicle is essential to reach there,” he says.
And the trails of Jebel Shams and Jebel Akhdar are his favourite ones. In Jebel Akhdar, you can go to the Wakan village, view the blooming season, visit Wadi Bani Habib and the 200-year-old abandoned houses. “I love more of Jebel Akhdar. There are a variety of things to do, such as Via Ferrata and the climate is very good.”
Nabhan feels that in Oman, there is low interest in abseiling due to the lack of knowledge regarding it. “Everyone can try it actually. The equipment ensures safety. We provide a harness and helmet and there is a descender, which makes sure they can go free without fear.”
In abseiling, a rope is used for controlled descent of a rock face. Abseiling requires a rope, a climbing harness and a belay device to cause friction. The belay device acts as a brake and a fail-safe lock, in case someone lets themselves go. Further gloves can be used to protect their palms.
Via Ferrata or ‘Iron Way’ is a mountain route with fixed wire cables, metal rungs, and ladders. These allow adventurous walkers to ascend steep rock faces safely. For Via Ferrata, users have to be equipped with a helmet, appropriate shoes, climbing harness, and a special tether is used for attaching the climber onto the cable to protect against falling.
Epic Trails get lots of international tourists, mostly from Germany, France and neighbouring nations such as the UAE and Yemen. “Before the pandemic, there were lots of foreigners who came for the adventure hikes in Oman. Right now, it’s picking up again as the travel restrictions are eased, and hopefully, by December we hope to see more travellers. Next week, we are having tourists from Poland, and they are very excited to visit Oman,” he confides.
As a leader of the group, Nabhan oversees everything and he has friends who volunteer to help him. Nabhan knows the trails quite well and he decides where to have a break and when they need to stop and return before sunset.
A lot of preparation goes in before the actual hiking begins. A meeting point will be decided first and the hikers need to bring, water, snacks, a head torch and wear hiking shoes and comfortable clothes.
“We also bring extra water and a first aid kit. Sometimes the hikers would forget to bring water or sometimes it’d be less. So, we have to be ready in any case.”
He offers one-day trips where everyone has to start early morning, reach the place, hike for two to three hours, and have a break for lunch and return to Muscat by 5 pm. For camping trips, he takes along tents, food, stuff for barbeque, sleeping bag foam pads, and prepares the ropes, life jackets, harnesses, and helmets. Currently, guests are asked to bring their own sleeping bags as the situation demands them.
“I prepare the schedule for every month and post them on the social media every first week. My guests are very excited after they complete the trips and they are happy with the service. Sometimes they return for more trips in a new location.”
Nabhan suggests checking certain criteria before undertaking such adventure activities in Oman. Some trails may not be not safe, so it is always advisable to go with a person who is familiar with the route. The tour company and the tour guide should be properly verified: whether they are certified and have a proper license. The safety equipment has to be checked, whether the harness, ropes, and a helmet used are in proper condition.
“Safety is first. Choose a professional tour company. Even if you are going to a wadi you need to ensure that they have life jackets with them,” he warns.
Epic Trails also offers cycling and training for cycling every Tuesday and Wednesday in Muscat. Adults and kids sign up for it and make use of empty roads with less traffic. For cycling, they offer bikes, helmets, reflective belts, snacks and even water.
The advent of the winter season sees plenty of people, especially ladies and kids, gearing up for good exercise. They cycle as a group and have a break in between for snacks and then return.
Nabhan has a few plans up his sleeve for the future. He thinks of collaborating with foreign tour operators to do more trips outside Oman. He also has plans to get a license in scuba diving and do snorkelling trips in Dimaniyat Islands.
Nabhan calls on visitors to Oman “to try new things. Oman is a beautiful country with a variety of adventure sports, scuba diving, snorkelling, paragliding, helicopter city tours and plenty of stunning spots. Come and try them.”
