Caving in Oman

The caves of Oman lie beneath the Hajar Mountains. The caves have taken hundreds of thousand of years to form. Caving in Oman is a grueling and challenging sport.

When one goes caving in Oman , one heads for the Hajar mountains.

Majlis Al Jinn is the world's second largest underground chamber in the world. “ Majlis Al Jinn” means meeting room of the spirits. This is an extremely difficult cave to negotiate, and expeditions are undertaken only with professional guidance. Only Sarawak Chamber in Malaysia is larger than the Majlis Al Jinn.

While caving in Oman , there are other options too. These are the Al Hota cave, Oman's second largest cave, located in central Hajar mountains. The cave has been illuminated with lights and a walkway with iron railings. Stairs have been built for easy access. The rocks date back to the Cretaceous era. The main chamber has many beautiful cave formations, including stalagmites and stalactites. Another cave which is not as difficult as Majlis Al Jinn or the Al Hota is Hoti Cave. This cave is again located in the Hajar mountains. The main chamber of Hoti Cave is about the size of the ballroom in the Al Bustan Palace Hotel, and contains beautiful cave formations.

Many caves in Oman are underground wadis (dry riverbeds that contains water during times of heavy rain). Cave exploration should not be attempted if it may rain, or if there have been recent rains. Flash floods can be fatal. Caving is a grueling example of fantastic Adventure and recreation in Oman and should not be undertaken without professional guidance.

One should also be very careful in one's equipment choice while caving at Oman. One should have two heavy-duty flashlights, with new batteries and in perfect working order. As well as extra batteries and bulbs. Not to be forgotten are plenty of water and high carbohydrate ready to eat food. Good hiking boots and light weight climbing clothes are also a must.