Kumzar to Ghubb Ali village 2 days, Jabal Nahar and Jabal Midah, Musandam, Oman / كُمْزَار , مُسَنْدَم

Amazing 2-day hike in Musandam. We left the port of Khasab (خصب) by speed boat early morning and arrived to Kumzar village. The hike starts in a wadi next to the village.

Musandam Peninsula
The mountains of Musandam are known as Ruus Al Jibal. They are the northernmost extension of the Hajar mountain range. The governorate of Musandam consists of two distinct mountain landscapes namely mainland Musandam and the Musandam peninsular. The Musandam Peninsula juts out into the Strait of Hormuz, the key point of the global oil trade at the eastern end of the Persian Gulf between Iran and Oman. It divides the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman. The peninsula is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus and has a deeply dissected fjord-like coastline. The entire area presents a desert mountain landscape with a rapid transition from sea to high-altitude limestone summits. The surroundings look like Norwegian fjords (khawr), but with no green. It is probably the best place to see Al Hajar Mountains swept to the horizon.
Natural vegetation is sparse and crop cultivation is reliant upon rainfall and can be found primarily on mid-elevation plateaux. While following this route you will see many abandoned villages with green fields.
This area is very isolated and we did not see any other hikes there only a few locals in villages. I assume people from Kumzar do not go to that area as it is far away and there is no transportation and roads.

Kumzar
Kumzar is one of the most northerly inhabited villages in Oman. The village is only accessible by boat. The population migrates seasonally between fishing villages and oasis farms. The area is very remote and people speak their own language, known as Kumzari.

Segments
P-01 - P-05. Kumzar and Wadi climb.
You will walk throughout Kumzar village and turn left to the wadi. We saw many dead goats at the beginning of the wadi. After some time you will start climbing a steep ascent. Beware of a dangerous point at P-04. After that, the ascent will become even steeper and more exposed. P-04 - P-05 part of the trail is quite dangerous.

P-05 - P-17. Villages
Here you will pass many abandoned villages. It is a relatively flat walk after the P-07 point. At P-07 you will enjoy an amazing view of Kumzar and Khawr Kumzar.

P-17 - P-18. Balcony walk.
Soon after a village at P-17, you will walk on the mountain edge. Not for people who are afraid of heights.

P-18 - P-24. Ridge walk and descent.
You will walk on the ridge till you reach Jabal Midah Peak at P-21. It offers one of the best views that I ever seen in Arabia. You can see Jazirat Sibi, Jabal Ghubb Ali, Khawr Midh, Khawr al'Ayn, etc. After that, you will start descending toward a beach near Ghubb Ali village (غب علي). It is a steep slope with many loose rocks. You will pass an old Omany cemetery and a couple of abandoned pickup trucks near the beach.

Difficulty
I mark it as "intermediate+" (better to keep "difficult" on Wikiloc than "moderate") for the following reasons:
- Even though the distance of 24 km and the elevation gain of 1200 m is covered within 2 days you will have to carry a heavy backpack 12+ kg with camping gear, food, and water.
- There are dangerous places while you are climbing the wadi like P-04 and some other exposed parts during the climb.
- The balcony walk is exposed

Overall, it requires very good stamina, some climbing skills, and orientation skills in the canyon. We did it without ropes and technical climbing. Do not attempt it alone, in summer, without hiking experience in the UAE/Oman, or if you are afraid of heights.

Timeline
Day 1.
- 7:30 AM left the port of Khasab by speed boat
- 8:30 AM arrived to Kumzar and started hiking
- 3:00 PM reached our camping spot
Day 2.
- 8:00 AM left camping spot
- 12:00 PM arrived to a beach
- 2:00 PM the boat picked us up
- 2:30 PM arrived to Khasab

Transportation
We came from Dubai by car. While leaving to Kumzar we parked our cars next to LuLu supermarket 26.198738, 56.252530
Your speedboat should be prearranged.

Must-have gear
1) High-cut hiking shoes
2) 6 liters of water, electrolytes, and food for 2 days.
3) Sun-protective clothing or sunblock
4) Gloves
5) Headlamp
6) Your camping gear (sleeping bag, sleeping pad etc). We did not have tents. It can be cold in the mountains at night. So make sure that your sleeping bag is for 0-5C, not for +15C, or get extra layers.
7) power bank

Organized by Abdeslam (Adventure Extreme). Huge thank you for this.

How I grade hikes
I grade all routes based on technical difficulty only. The stamina requirement is inferred from distance and elevation gain/loss information. Do not be surprised if you see a 25 km easy hike in my profile.
- "Easy". There is a well-defined trail. You know where to go.
- "Moderate". No trail. Lack of obvious path. You have to hike via rough rocky terrain. Expect boulder hopping and scrambling (use of hands), steep slopes, and scree. There are some exposed locations, but safe.
- "Difficult". There are exposed locations, really exposed.
- "Very difficult". Exposed and you need a rope. No abseiling. If abseiling is involved, I mark it as canyoneering, not hiking.
- "Experts only". I hope I will never do this kind of hike.