Oman: W8: Bald Sayt to Jebel Haat Summit Hike.

Bald Sayt is a mountain village in Oman.

This trail W8 is a short distance, high elevation gain, Stone stairs and partially exposed trail so it is a challenging trail for people without fear of heights and with sure footing.

Important Point to note is the trail and terrain is facing East, which also means that you will be always under sunshine from the morning till late afternoon. Please prepare accordingly.

My personal FB Page dedicated to UAE Hiking activities.
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The Bald Sayt village is located on the NE slope of the Al Hajar Mountains near the highest peak in the Sultanate of Oman, Jebel Shams. Bald Sayt can be reached through Wadi Al Sahtan and Wadi Bani Awf from NE or via Al Hamra and Jebel Haat from the SW and is only accessible by 4-wheel-drive vehicles.

Balad Sayt is a mountain village tucked between the Western Hajar mountains bordering the Dakhiliyah and Batinah regions of Oman, and is part of wilayat Al Rustaq in the South Batinah Governorate. Balad Sayt is located almost half-way through the mountain path connecting Al Hamra to Nakhal/Al Rustaq through Wadi Bani Awf, and is adjacent to “Snake Canyon”.

Balad Sayat is a stunning village in picturesque surroundings that should be part of anyone’s check-list of places to visit when coming to Oman. The village is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Bilad Sayt which is a different village under wilayat Bahla in the Dakhiliyah Governorate, about 50 kilometers away.

The official trail of W8 starts at the village school and goes all the way up till the jebel Haat plateau summit.
At the summit plateau W8 merges with 2 trails. W9 trail that goes all the way till Misfat al Abriyyin village and W10h that goes towards the view point of Shorfet al Alameen.

There are mainly 3 options to hike from Bald Sayt village.

1. W8 trail up and down, starting and ending in the village.
2. W8 & W10h, that starts from Bald Sayt and ends at Shorfet al Alameen viewpoint. You need to plan vehicles at both points.
3. W8 & W9 that starts from Bald Sayt till Misfat Abriyyin. The driving distance between these points will be almost 46 Kms through offroad although the hiking distance could be just below 25 Kms.

We were in Oman on a long roadtrip holiday and decided to hike in Bald Sayt. We had only 1 car, so had to plan loop hikes.
We hiked Shorfet al Alameen to W8 summit trail first, which is recorded separately on this profile.

https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/oman-w10h-shorfet-al-alameen-till-w8-bald-sayt-summit-101978726

For the W8 hike, we camped the Bald Sayt village, near the hotel under construction. I have started the trail on wikiloc from this site.

The actual marked trail starts from the village school.
23.189637, 57.387565
https://goo.gl/maps/AEUseUZe95yXocQ86
There is very limited car parking available here. This is a fully functional village, please be discreet in your car parking or behaviour in this village.

The trail is full marked with the standard Oman hiking flag (Yellow, White, Orange) and in few places with green spray paint marks.

The trail immediately gains height, steep elevation on stable stony trail with sort of stairs.
At some places the path is narrow and exposed and needs stability while hiking. Sure footing is necessary.

There are few trees on the mountain for resting, the trail will always be gaining elevation.

The views of Bald Sayt village, Wadi Bani Awf and Haat village are impressive from various elevations.

The summit plateau is very scenic, cool with breeze and views.


Care is needed with sure footing int his area as the descent is steep down and stability is needed.

Be safe, prepare well, Do not over estimate and enjoy your moments in the middle of nowhere. Take back all your rubbish with you.

Do Not Try Any Mountain Hikes If You Do Not Understand The Mountain Terrains, Dangers From Wildlife, First Aid, Hydration And Snacks, Your Own Fitness, Remote Activity Preparations, Communication Tools, Mountain Geography, Topography, Risk Factors, HSE Requirements, Hiking Risks, Fitness Level Of The Group Members.
Study All Above Matters Well Before Following Any Trails That You Find Online. Please Do Not Over Estimate Yourself.
Better Be Safe Than Put Yourself / Group In Danger And Regret Later.
Lately We Have Seen A Lot Of Unwanted Hiking Incidents That Could Have Been Avoided With Better Preparation.
Wish You All The Best.
Wikiloc, Only For Reference. There Can Be Errors On The GPS Recording Due To GPS Jumping In The Wadi Sections or Erroneous Recording.