Saturday 16 / November / 2024
Muscat: Al Hoota Cave will start receiving visitors from September 5, according to a tweet by a senior official at Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran).
“Al Hoota Cave will be open for visitors from September 5,” Salah Al Ghazali, Chief Investment Officer of Omran, tweeted on his official twitter handle.
The cave, located in the wilayat of Al Hamra, is believed to be over 2 million years old.
Al Hoota caves ensconced in a mountain in the vicinity of the Tanuf Valley in Al Hamra district at the foothills of Central Al Hajar mountains offers a fascinating insight into what lies beneath Oman's plateaus and ruggedly enchanting peaks. A stunning scenery beckons you just before you reach the place.
The cave has an extraordinary dimension and features an electrical train that starts from the visitor centre reaching the mouth of the tunnel arriving to the cave's main entrance.
Speleothems (stalactites and stalagmites) are formed when rainwater enters the cave after passing through plant debris and carbonate bedrock (limestone).
Stalactites grow from the roof downward, whereas stalagmites grow from the floor upwards.
From these formations it is possible to study past tropical storms and monsoons.
The 120-metre short-span main chamber of the cave encompassing an area the size of the Al Bustan Palace Hotel's ballroom is amazing.
There is the stalactite called lion stalactite and when you go near it roars! The punctures on the roof called 'krastic cavity' look like a work of art.
Another outstanding feature of this amazing cave is the presence of a subterranean lake system which is home to unusual species of aquatic, pink-coloured blind fish which sense their way around the lake with feelers.
