DRMumbai: The season of roses has begun in Jabal Akhdar, also known as the green mountain in Oman, where buds are blooming into flowers. Every year, from the end of March until mid-May, the rugged mountain landscape of Jabal Akhdar oozes sweet perfume and transforms into a spectacular shade of dusty pink Damask roses that covers the mountain range.
There has been a significant increase in tourist arrivals during this period. According to the 2017 statistics, during March, April and May, 34,559 tourists visited Jabal Akhdar. With 2,33,012 tourists visiting by the end of 2017, there was a qualitative leap of 43.4 per cent over 1,62,499 during 2016. The surge in occupancy since the beginning of March till mid-April this year was between 80 per cent and 100 per cent and during the past two weeks it ranged between 90 per cent and 100 per cent.
Jabal Akhdar is famous for its exceptional climate, where the temperature is moderate during summer and falls below zero on some days in winter. This also helps in making the environment suitable for multiple agricultural products. As Jabal Akhdar roses are of superior quality and available in abundance, the rose water industry has become a profession for the locals as they see a huge demand for Omani rose water. Therefore, the season of harvesting roses in Jabal Akhdar has become a major tourist attraction.
Visitors can take a stroll through of the agricultural areas, watch the locals pluck roses and explore the blooming rose terraces. Tourists can also visit some of the traditional factories to see the age-old method of manufacturing rose water. Along with this, adventure, enthusiasts can trek the mountains and relax with a special rose petals bath at Anantara Jabal Akhdar Resort and Alila Jabal Akhdar Resort.
