The Sultanate of Oman’s caves is attracting tourists and speleologists from all over the world with the onset of winter season. Al Hoota, Al Tahiri, Abu Habban, Al Marnif, and Majlis al Jinn are some of the prominent caves that beckon regular hikers and trekkers.
Recently a team of six adventure enthusiasts from Muscat explored Al Tahiri Cave, part of the Salma Plateau located in the Hajar mountains near the Wilayat of Quriyat.
E-31, as it is officially called, is a well-marked trail, falling under a moderate difficulty level hike.
"We left our vehicles behind and followed the trail, meandering through tolerable levels of ascends, descends, circumventing hills and plains to reach the cave entrance. Thanks to the weather, though the trail was sun baked with very little shaded areas, the walk up to the cave entrance was not very tiring," said Riaz Kader, an avid hiker who led the team.
For the team, walking along the gorges and canyons of the magnificent and picturesque portions of the Hajar, was a refreshing experience.
Roughly two hours into the trek and covering a distance of over 5 km they reached the cave where one instantly gets overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the dome shaped entrance in golden hues.
Venturing further into the cave one would come across a kind of eerie darkness. Wearing headlamps and buckles, carrying torches and ropes, the team started to make sense of the hidden and magical world of the caves.
Going further in, the headlamps would reveal stagnant pools of water from the rains through the famous “7th hole” and finding its way out from the Tahiri through a maze of underground tunnels.
"We went no further than a mile in exploring, before returning back as we knew that the sun now would be shining bright and warm. With a few breaks on our way back we finally reached the vehicles in less than 2 hours."
Cave tourism is not any lesser than a journey of introspection, a passage to learn about the immaculate creations of the Almighty, and a journey to break the mundane chores of the city life.
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