Rock climbing in Oman in the Middle East

Oman is a unique and exotic location for a rock climbing holiday, and it is also the best place to rock climbing and sport climbing in the Middle East. There is a great variety of rock climbing to found in Oman with over 25 different areas to choose from. This ranges from big wall routes at places such as Jabel Misht with routes up to 1,000m long, extensive sport climbing areas such as Wadi Daykah and even some deep water soling (DWS) near Muscat.

Jabel Misht is an imposing peak and is one of the largest mountains in the Arabian Peninsula at 2,090m high. The south face of this mountain rises vertically for almost 1,000m and is 4km long, with the east face being 3km long. Hence the rock climbing at Jabel Misht offers some of the most sustained and demanding on the Arabian Peninsula on sharp limestone rock. 

The most famous route on Kabel Misht is called the French Pillar and is 1,500m long that follows the central arête of the south face. However there are plenty of other routes on Jabel Misht that are shorter between 500m and 700m long.

Jabal Kawr is another massive mountain range that offers big wall routes between 200m and 500m long. However at both of these areas the routes are serious. They demand a mountaineering approach with plenty of experience, and there is very little if any fixed equipment on the routes.

The largest sport climbing area in Oman is at Wadi Daykah, which is situated along the coast between the cities of Muscat and Sur. There are many other rock climbing areas in this area including some long trad routes at Wadi Tiwi. Just outside of Muscat is a rugged coastline and small islands with steep sea cliffs. These limestone cliffs, called Bandar Jissah, provide many opportunities for Deep Water Soling (DWS).

Rock climbing guidebooks for Oman. The only comprehensive guidebook covering the rock climbing, sport climbing and deep water soling is called “Rock Climbing in Oman”. This guidebook also covers the long multi-pitch routes at places such as Jabel Misht and Jabel Kawr, and some via ferrata routes in the mountains. Buy this Rock Climbing in Oman Guidebook from our shop.

Best time to rock climb in Oman. Oman is a very hot and dry country, so climbing is only feasible from mid-November through to mid-March when the weather is ideal. The daytime high temperature is around 20 degree C, with low humidity and little rain.