Muscat – Wadi Dayqah loop

Route overview

A long day for fit riders comfortable with 139.6 km and 1,457 m of climbing in one outing.

A 139.6 km loop from Muscat with 1,457 m of climbing, running out through desert villages to a high point of 382 m and back past Jabal Akhbar.

The loop leaves Muscat through a string of villages – Fuad al Hadu, Saadi, Muhaydith and Jahlut in the first 2 km, then Madam, Shukayli and Dīm by 9.7 km – with a café and drinking water at 1.7 km, the last listed supplies for some distance. From ‘Arqī at 20 km the road begins to lift in two gentle steps, 1.9 km at 2.4% and then 2.3 km at 2.7%, reaching the highest point of the ride at 382 m by 25.1 km. Past Mazra‘ Sumayr at 32.3 km two more short rises follow, 2.2 km at 2.3% and 2.2 km at 3.1% to 264 m, before a fuel stop at 53.3 km. The route passes al Mazari at 69.5 km and runs beneath Jabal Akhbar at 77.8 km, then drops to the lowest point of the day, 42 m at 89.6 km, where a restaurant and a second fuel station sit. The steepest climbing comes straight afterwards: 3.9 km at 5.2% with a maximum of 9.2%, topping out at 245 m. From there the road threads Makhādah, Sawāqim, Mazra‘at al Hātih, Fiyāḑ, Hamah and Salil at 127.5 km before the final run back to Muscat.

Highlights

• High point of 382 m at 25.1 km
• Jabal Akhbar seen from the road at 77.8 km
• The day's hardest climb: 3.9 km at 5.2%, max 9.2%
• Chain of villages from Fuad al Hadu to Salil

Practical information

Surface

Paved

Route shape

Loop

Riding time

5–7 hours riding

Season

January, when both recordings showed 24°C.

Know before you go

• No café or water listed between 1.7 km and the fuel station at 53.3 km
• Climb from 89.6 km reaches 9.2% at its steepest
• January recordings show 24°C; heat is a factor outside winter

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.