Bithna Fort, Nature Trail and Hiking

Bithna Fort and hiking trail

Bithna Fort

Bithna Fort is an 18th-century fort which had a very strategic location on one of the main trade routes. The area was much fought over not only by local tribes but also by Omanis.

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As you enter the fort itself, you’ll notice the wall is more than three metres thick! There is a small room upstairs with stairs taking you up to the courtyards and the rooms in the towers.

There are a few benches to sit in the walled area around Fort and it’s permitted to have a picnic there.

The fort is open all day and the friendly caretaker Nasr will open the door of the fort if it’s locked and show you around. (You may want to leave a small tip for him.)

Bithna Hiking Trail and Nature Trail

The hiking trail is a few minutes walking distance from the fort, has a clear path starting at Bithna Watchtower, and is a small loop at the bottom bringing you back to the fort.

If you’re only doing the short loop, it’s quite short, although it was hard to tell at one point whether to continue straight or turn right back to the fort so we may have missed part.

To do the short loop, look for the trail turning off to the right. If you want a longer hike, continue straight and the path takes you up the ‘mountain’. The first part is a leisurely walk along a nice path but soon it becomes an incline and a rougher path. It winds back and forth with a few steep parts.

The higher you go, the looser the rock on the path so footwear with a good grip is recommended, especially for the downward journey. Work is still being done on the Bithna hiking trail at the moment.

You can see our trail on Wikiloc– (Bithna) but we stopped short of the top so you can just continue if you wish.

The Bithna Nature Trail has now been completed. (Feb 2023)

Take me to the map.

What to combine it with?

If you liked this, you might also like Al Hayl Fort. To see other hiking trails, visit Hiking in the UAE


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