The darkness broken by the light from head torches and the silence interrupted by the murmuring of the water are just two of the things one will experience inside the Al Hoota Cave.
The caving experience has recently opened in Hoota, thanks to Ahmed Mohammed Al-Abri and Sights Tours. They have gone inside to prepare the route to get it ready for visitors.
Ahmed is from Nizwa and is a guide who will take you anywhere. He always brings a great team with him too. When he and his friend talked about the chance to go hike inside Al Hoota Cave, this was an opportunity to experience a new challenge.
When meeting the group at the starting location, the team will assist with assembling harnesses and helmets and will make sure a head torch is strapped onto the helmet. The journey begins with about a ten-minute walk along some small and medium-sized rocks until the first abseil, which is less than a 10-meter drop. When looking across the mountain, a small crater-like hole appears, which is the entrance to the cave. After this abseil, the access is less than fifteen minutes away. Upon reaching, it is now time to turn on the head torches to get ready to climb down inside the cave. This first one requires stepping down five metal pegs placed on the rocks with the help of the leaders if needed.
The caving continues, which requires walking or jumping around boulders, abseiling, jumping into the water, and short swims. Some parts of the hike require placing your legs on both sides of narrowing boulder rocks to get down. Of course, when help is needed, ask someone, and they will gladly assist. They will even let you place your feet on their shoulders to get you down. The team is always eager and willing to support in any way they can.
Most importantly, make sure to keep stopping now and again to look at the beauty inside the cave. The shapes and formations are unique, with small and large-shaped rock circles with holes inside and oddly shaped tall triangles. At one point, there is a slate-coloured rock resembling a turtle. The crevasses along the way in slate and light brown colours have shapes reminding me of large, sharp incisor teeth. The stones will appear to have golden yellow and faded purple streaks running alongside them with the right camera.
After the last abseil, there is a short walk until reaching the trip’s final leg, which is an 800-meter swim to the end. There are times where walking is possible; however, the mud at the bottom of the water causes your shoes to get stuck, so personally, swimming is more manageable! The water sounds like the beating of a drum against the rocks. Make sure to keep looking up at these crater-like circles to admire the formations. The end brings you to the tourist part of Al Hoota at the stairs, where one can view those small fish. The hardest part is now over. The last part is a breeze, simply walking up the stairs and walking through the tunnel, taking around ten minutes until reaching the car park.
If there is ever a time to face your fears, this is a good one to try. I was so grateful to Ahmed and his team for keeping us safe while making sure we had a great time. The key is always to trust the guides.
Details: This cave is considered a challenging hike and not recommended for those who are claustrophobic. The length is 4.5km, including four abseil drops of ten to fifteen meters, with the longest pool being 800 meters. The water is about 20 degrees, but it is tolerable. For more details, check out Instagram @sightstour or @ahmed_nizwa.
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