Hebs village (Habs) hike of a 1,000 stone steps - 15 km loop/ 1100m elevation gain
near Ra’s, Raʼs al Khaymah (Yunaayitid Arab Imireetis)
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Itinerary description
Notes:
A perfect mid-intensity hike to do during the cooler months. If you start early (<7:00 am), then the ascend is extremely pleasant with no overhead sun. Please carry at least 2 ltrs+ water. This is not a marked hiking trail, rather a stone-laid path through the mountains, for the original residents - Al Hebsi of the Hebs village. You may be lucky to meet some wonderful local residents and enjoy a warm cup of kava (coffee) - as we did.
I believe that this village can be reached through a donkey trail, from Wadi Bih as well, but it may require one to cross in to Oman.
One can drive a sedan/SUV up to the starting point of this hike. To reach the starting point, you need to take a diversion from the road to Jebel Jais, into a gravel road.
The village is divided into lower Hebs and upper Hebs. This hike was up to the lower Hebs part of the village. For some reasons, the GPS hasn't accurately captured the trail length and elevation gain - however, there is little chance for anyone to miss the well-laid out trail to the village.
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We started the hike at 6:30am. The trail begins with an immediate ascend, with no opportunity for a warm-up. You will climb around 950-1000 stone steps, that crisscross through the steep mountain walls. This takes you to wide ground with a couple of stone houses. Here, we met one of the locals, Abdullah Hebsi, who was kind to invite us for a much needed cup of Arabic coffee. After a bit of a chit chat, we continued further to the Hebs village, while consistently gaining elevation.
The trail continues along the mountain ridges and eventually, you will reach the lower Hebs village. This village has ongoing construction of some new houses and we got another chance to experience the hospitality of some of the Pathans, who were working there. A cup of kadak chai, brewed over wood fire, freshened us up.
We decided to descend along the same route, as the trail is devoid of shade, along most of its length. Note that there are no boulders and you do not need to use your hands while ascending or descending, however, hiking poles are recommended during the descend.
The hike can be completed within a span of 6 hours, with minimum breaks.
A perfect mid-intensity hike to do during the cooler months. If you start early (<7:00 am), then the ascend is extremely pleasant with no overhead sun. Please carry at least 2 ltrs+ water. This is not a marked hiking trail, rather a stone-laid path through the mountains, for the original residents - Al Hebsi of the Hebs village. You may be lucky to meet some wonderful local residents and enjoy a warm cup of kava (coffee) - as we did.
I believe that this village can be reached through a donkey trail, from Wadi Bih as well, but it may require one to cross in to Oman.
One can drive a sedan/SUV up to the starting point of this hike. To reach the starting point, you need to take a diversion from the road to Jebel Jais, into a gravel road.
The village is divided into lower Hebs and upper Hebs. This hike was up to the lower Hebs part of the village. For some reasons, the GPS hasn't accurately captured the trail length and elevation gain - however, there is little chance for anyone to miss the well-laid out trail to the village.
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We started the hike at 6:30am. The trail begins with an immediate ascend, with no opportunity for a warm-up. You will climb around 950-1000 stone steps, that crisscross through the steep mountain walls. This takes you to wide ground with a couple of stone houses. Here, we met one of the locals, Abdullah Hebsi, who was kind to invite us for a much needed cup of Arabic coffee. After a bit of a chit chat, we continued further to the Hebs village, while consistently gaining elevation.
The trail continues along the mountain ridges and eventually, you will reach the lower Hebs village. This village has ongoing construction of some new houses and we got another chance to experience the hospitality of some of the Pathans, who were working there. A cup of kadak chai, brewed over wood fire, freshened us up.
We decided to descend along the same route, as the trail is devoid of shade, along most of its length. Note that there are no boulders and you do not need to use your hands while ascending or descending, however, hiking poles are recommended during the descend.
The hike can be completed within a span of 6 hours, with minimum breaks.
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