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Wakan Village: The perfect place to experience spring in the Gulf

February and March are the best times to visit Wakan and witness the apricot blossoming season.

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By Sekka Team and Adnan Al Baloch

Wakan is a small mountain village located in the south of Al Batinah Region. Image: Adnan Al Baloch.

In spring, before the COVID-19 crisis, thousands of tourists flocked to South Korea and Japan to witness the cherry blossoms bloom. But if you’re looking for a more understated location and COVID-19 friendly location in the heart of Arabia, particularly if you live in Oman, then look no further than Wakan Village in Nakhal Governorate, Oman as it witnesses the apricot blossoms season.

Wakan is a small mountain village located in the south of Al Batinah Region, sitting at an altitude of about 2000 meters above sea level. The location is an approximate 90-minute or 150 kilometers drive from Muscat, the capital, and can only be accessed via four-wheel vehicles as the roads leading up there can be a bit rough.

But once you’re up there, and get to gaze at the pink, delicious fragrant blooms set against the traditional houses, towering palm trees, and mighty mountains in the background, it will definitely be worth the drive, and your social media feed!

Scenes from Wakan Village. Images: Adnan Al Baloch. Click on each image to enlarge it.

February and March are the best times to visit the village and witness the blossoming. In addition to apricots, the locals grow pomegranate, grapes and date palms.

This village has a trekking path that links it to Al Jabal Al Akhdar. Image: Adnan Al Baloch.

If you love hiking and trekking then the good news is that this village has a trekking path that links it to Al Jabal Al Akhdar, a mountain that is part of Oman’s famous Al Hajer Mountain Range in Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate, a popular tourist destination, and a favorite location amongst hikers and mountain climbers.

Wakan’s natives are welcoming of visitors. Image: Adnan Al Baloch.

Most of Wakan’s natives have migrated to Muscat, but still own their farms in the village. The ones who permanently reside there, however, are only two families of farmers, who are very welcoming to visitors.

This article was originally published in March 1, 2018, as part of the Gulf Women Issue, but was updated on March 16, 2021 at 11:11 PM.


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