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Misfat Al Abriyeen (Oman): tips + hikes + Misfah Old House

Last updated on July 27, 2022 By Claire, the Travel Planning Geek

Considered the "most beautiful village in Oman", Misfat Al Abriyeen is a great stop during the day or for an overnight stay.
Traditional mud houses, lots of stairs, mountains and plantation in terraces... A great place for a relaxing break.
Below is my guide to visiting Misfah Oman with tips, map, photos and the famous Guesthouse Misfah Old House.

Misfat Al Abriyeen old village Hike - Oman - Travel Guide

Table Of Contents
Why visit the village of Misfat Al Abriyeen in Oman?
Planning tips & Map - Misfah, Oman
View of Misfat Al Abriyeen and plantations
Exploring the Misfat village
Hiking at Misfat Al Abriyeen - Map
Hiking along the wadi - W9
Guesthouse: Misfah Old House

In this article, no ads, no sponsored posts. Just some affiliate links.
If you purchase through them, I get a commission at no extra cost to you (Disclosure).


Why visit the village of Misfat Al Abriyeen in Oman?

Misfat Al Abriyeen is a stunning 500-year-old village on the slope of mountains.
It has become a destination for tourists as it is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Oman.
And it has, indeed, a lot of charm:

  • Old houses of mud and palm frond roofs,
  • Agricultural terraces still being used by locals,
  • A beautiful wadi,
  • Several hiking options,
  • And the peace and quiet of being away from main cities.
Misfat al Abriyeen, Oman

Misfat al Abriyeen, Oman

Misfah facts & info

  • The village rises around 1000 meters above sea level
  • It is named after the original inhabitants, the Al Abri family.
  • The village's name has different spellings: Misfat al Abriyeen, Misfat Al abriyeen, Misfah al Abriyeen, Misfah... They all mean the same village.

Many more photos after the practical information.


Planning tips & Map - Misfah, Oman

Map to Misfat Al Abriyeen - Location

  • Not far from Al Hamra, the village is well indicated.
  • Al Hamra is a 2 hour drive from Muscat
  • Nizwa to Misfat Al Abriyeen = 40 min drive
  • Below is a map to help you locate the village:
Map Misfat al Abriyeen location

Map - Misfat al Abriyeen location

This location is included (with GPS coordinates, map of region and planning info) in my travel guide eBook that helps you easily plan your Oman road trip:

Be overwhelmed by the beauty, not the planning!

Oman Travel Guide eBook
  • 8 exclusive easy-to-plan maps
  • 90+ amazing locations
  • Tips to make the most of your time
  • 100+ large photos to decide 
  • GPS coordinates direct to the carparks

LEARN MORE

How to get to Misfah, Oman - do you need a 4WD?

  • The road is paved all the way to the village
  • It is steep but can be done in a normal car 
  • Carpark at the top of the village - not big

Need to rent a car in Oman?

Renting a car Oman tips reviews

See my 36 practical tips
to choose the best car to rent
from Muscat or Salalah
for the roads in Oman
and find the best deals

+ read more

or directly see the best deals on my favorite platform

Visiting Tips

  • It can be visited during the day or for an overnight stay
  • Do not enter with your car! Park on the parking at the entrance - streets are soooo narrow
  • Don't take a large luggage, the village is only made of old paths and stairs 
  • Toilets at the top of the village
  • Wear good shoes - again lots of stair and tracks
  • It is at a higher elevation, bring warmer clothes
  • See the entrance sign below: be respectful, cover yourself, arms and legs (men and women) 
  • And always ask before taking photos of local people!
  • Now a few coffee shops have opened for the tourists.
Misfat Al Abriyeen village - Oman - stairs 2

Accommodations in Misfat Al Abriyeen

  • Book accommodation in advance. The village is small.
  • The famous guesthouse if the Misfah Guesthouses (details at end of the article) - see photos and availability
  • But a few more have opened as the village became more famous - see options in the old village and in modern Misfah

Where to stay in Oman?

Where to stay in Oman best areas

See my selection of the 12 best areas to enjoy the best Oman has to offer...
+ my selection of accommodations

+ see more

Misfat village rules

At the entrance of the village, you can read the rules on behaving in the village so as to be respectful of the locals.
They include:

  • Do not enter private property
  • Cover your upper arms and knees
  • Greet people
  • Accept hospitality
Misfat al Abriyeen rules sign 1
Misfat al Abriyeen rules sign 2

View of Misfat Al Abriyeen and plantations

I recommend a first stop in Modern Misfah.
From the road above, you have a nice view of the old village lost in the plantations:

View of Misfat Al Abriyeen and plantations

Exploring the Misfat village

I first explored the alleys of the village. The place is so peaceful. I was lucky that almost no tourists were there at the same time as me.
It was like traveling through time.
Have a look at how the houses have been built with stones and mud.

Misfat Al Abriyeen village - Oman corridor  1
Misfat Al Abriyeen village - Oman corridor  2
Misfat Al Abriyeen village - Oman - stairs 1

Then I started getting down and following the falaj system (traditional irrigation):

Misfat Al Abriyeen village - Oman - falaj

There are various plantations. Many grow bananas.

Misfat Al Abriyeen village - Oman - plantations

Hiking at Misfat Al Abriyeen - Map

At the entrance of the village there is a map of the village, the points of interests and the walking trails.

Misfat al Abriyeen things to see
Hiking map Misfat Al Abriyeen

Map of Misfat al Abriyeen village and Hiking trails

The hiking trails are all indicated with painted flags orange, white, red:

  • W9 through the historic part to the beginning of the falaj (main entrance, old alleys, pool, staircase, mosque, viewpoint for the star towers)
  • W9a, the staircase walk - be careful steep and narrow staircase
  • W9c, the garden and wadi walk

You can also:

  •  hike up to the Rogan Castle / Rogan fort - steep and unmarked
  •  or complete longer hikes joining other wadis.

Hiking along the wadi - W9

I continued on the path along the wadi.
The Falaj spreads through the slopes of the valley to reach all terraces.

W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 1
W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 2
W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 3

Here are the ruins of a tower:

W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 4

Rogan Castle

Further in the wadi

The path continued so I decided to walk a bit further. I think W9 is a longer trail between wadis and you can do a small portion in the village. 

W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 5

I crossed path with sheep which were on the path getting back to the village. We all stopped and looked at each other. They did not know what to do. I moved forward and they turned around, but stayed on the path. I walked further and they finally scattered except for their leader. After a while, it also moved to the side and I was able to pass them.

I then turned around and saw all of them back on the path and following their leader back to the village. What a strange encounter!

W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 6
W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 7

I walked all the way to some large rocks before deciding to turn around in order to be back before sunset.
But if you keep walking, you can reach an oasis with some small pools.

W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 8
W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 9

Hiking back

I really enjoyed my walk back with some great views of the mountains.
The views were incredible with the sun getting down and the strange-looking mountains at the back.

Have a look!

W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 11
W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 12
W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 13
W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 14

I arrived back at the guesthouse just in time for sunset

W9 hike - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman 15

Guesthouse: Misfah Old House

If you are wandering where to stay in Misfat Al Abriyeen, the main guesthouse is Misfah Old House. I recommend staying there and enjoy the peace and quiet of the village.

I was lucky we were only 2 guests that night when all the other nights had been full. This way, one of the owners sat with us for dinner and told us old stories from the valley. What a great night!

Entrance - Misfah old house - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman

The Misfah old house has rooms in several buildings with shared commodities. My room was in the main one next to the breakfast terrace. The inside is simple but sufficient. It is a great place to sleep. The area is very quiet. I liked the windows surrounded by trees.

(note: I paid entirely for my stay)

Check out availability and book room

Room - Misfah old house - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman

The Misfah old house has a great terrace for dinners on the roof and a more cosy one for breakfast. In the evening I came back from my hike and enjoyed sunset from the roof.

They have a little Internet in the evening from 7PM. But you don't come here to be connected...

Roof terrace - Misfah old house - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman
Breakfast terrace - Misfah old house - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman

The food at the Misfah Old House was excellent: Soup, fish, vegetables, hummus and a really good cake. One of the best meals I had in Oman. One of the owner told us his mother had cooked it and he even phoned her to confirm for another guest what fish it was. And of course no alcohol allowed.

Meal 1 - Misfah old house - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman
Meal 2 - Misfah old house - Misfat Al Abriyeen - Oman

Want to see more of Oman?

  • Best things to do in Oman - read article
  • Where to stay in Oman - read article
  • Best days trips from Muscat - read article
  • Planning a road trip in Oman - read article
  • Driving in Oman - read article
  • The impressive Wadi Shab - read article
  • The Bimmah Sinkhole - read article
  • The desert of Wahiba Sands - read article
  • The Ras Al Jinz turtle reserves - read article

Planning a trip to Oman?

Check out my travel guide to help you plan:

Be overwhelmed by the beauty, not the planning!

Oman Travel Guide eBook
  • 8 exclusive easy-to-plan maps
  • 90+ amazing locations
  • Tips to make the most of your time
  • 100+ large photos to decide 
  • GPS coordinates direct to the carparks

LEARN MORE

And keep track of your own trip!

Oman road trip journal

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Daanish Akram says

    December 28, 2016 at 6:34 PM

    Hi Claire! We are planning to do this hike tomorrow, could you please specify the number of hours you took to complete this hike and what is the best time of the day to go?
    Thanks!

    • Claire Robinson says

      December 28, 2016 at 6:40 PM

      Hi Daanish
      I did not go all the way on the hiking trail.
      I just walked on the path from the village and turned around when it was getting too late. I walked altogether something like 1h30.
      It was great before sunset with the light disappearing from the canyon but be careful to be back before it becomes too dark!
      Have a great time!

      • Daanish Akram says

        December 28, 2016 at 6:58 PM

        Thank You for the reply! Looking forward to the hike!

  2. Roxi Lim says

    April 22, 2019 at 9:42 AM

    Hi! We were trying to look for the view at modern Misfah but couldn’t find it o google. Where is it? Thanks in advance and great blog 🙂

  3. Camille says

    May 5, 2019 at 5:11 PM

    Hello,

    Thank you so much for this amazing blog. I was wondering whether the road from Nizwa to Misfah required a 4×4 or if. a regular car is fine – is it a tarmac road or not ?

    Thanks!

    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      May 5, 2019 at 5:58 PM

      Hi Camille
      A normal car is fine. Tarmac road.
      Have a great trip!

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