Hiking the stunning paths of Al Hoota Cave

When Riyadh Al Hinai was trekking inside Al Hoota Cave, little did he know that a surprise was awaiting him beyond the third pool of the cave. Being a hardcore adventurer, he had chosen an alternative path to trek instead of the one meant for tourists.

Reminiscing his experiences, he said he was mesmerised to find blind fish, as well as plants that survived in the pitch black of the cave.

“Years of running water have formed beautiful rock formations in the cave. The 5km-walled cave is absolutely wondrous and filled with chambers, as well as odd pathways. Because of this, you need to take a guide with you,” said Al Hinai.

Though the cave is vast and difficult to traverse without lights or ropes, Al Hinai was eager to know what was beyond the first pool.

“Most people are afraid to go past the first pool because the area is extremely dark. You normally need ropes and lights. As I walked inside, beyond the point where others do not dare to go, I found an old footprint in the mud. It was from someone who went in barefoot. I believe the footprint was old because a plant had grown in the middle of it,” said Al Hinai.

Talking about the cave which is open to tourists, Al Hinai felt that it’s only a small portion of the full cave that people get to see.

“I’d say the tourist area is some 10 per cent of the cave. We go in from the back of the cave,” said Al Hinai.

For the first part, they freeclimbed for some 50 metres towards the entrance. After that, they scaled down into the cave using ropes.

“Once there, you need to hike through mountainous terrain, all through the rock formations. At some point, you need to use the ropes again for a three-metre descent. There are three water reservoirs, the last of which is muddy,” remembered Al Hinai.

Al Hinai stressed on the importance of fitness and patience for those who prefer to go on adventurous trips. “Going through the entire course and returning can take around nine hours, so it is very important to keep calm and be fit,” said the avid adventurer.

“Thankfully, this is around the fourth time that I’ve been in the cave. Each time, we attempt to explore a new stretch of the place. The place makes you fall in love with it,” said Al Hinai, who intends to visit Al Hoota Cave yet again.

“Our goal was to go from the back and all the way to the front of the cave. So far, we have not reached that goal, but hopefully, it will happen. We hope to resolve the problems that we faced and improve. This time, we ran out of lights and rope. Next time, we will make it all the way to the tourist area,” said Al Hinai.

“The thing that stuns me is to know how far humans are willing to go in their quest for water. We’re not talking about hundreds of metres. We found a water pipe that was used to transfer water to surrounding areas. Seeing that pipe gave us hope. If they could go there, then so could we,” he concluded.

The adventurer also provides less intense services for casual tourists. He can be found @riyadh_alhinai on Instagram.