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

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.

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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:

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:

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.

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

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:

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

There are various plantations. Many grow bananas.

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.

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.

Here are the ruins of a tower:

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. 

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!

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.

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!

I arrived back at the guesthouse just in time for sunset

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!

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

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...

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.

Want to see more of Oman's beauty?