Travel Dairies: Wadi Shab

Wadi Shab is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Oman.

Beyond the breathtaking entrance, the wadi takes you to magnificent pools, waterfalls and colorful scenery. You can jump in and swim in these refreshing pools !

Its a number one spot with the tourists.

We went to Wadi Shab on 24th of October. It was a usual Friday here in Muscat, hot and humid.

A friend of ours has already been there once, and he specially instructed us to wear hiking shoes for this and carry as less stuff as we can.

   

We left home around 9 am (We live in Wadi Kabir), met our friends at Wadi Adai and bought water and drinks from the Shell petrol pump there. 

It took about 1 and a half hour to reach there. 

Its just on the right side of Tiwi Beach.

There's a big car park and public toilets there. We reached there at 10:45 am.

A small boat will take you from the car park to the hiking trail which is just across. The water here is not that deep, I did see a few guys walking across, the water was up till their chest (from what i heard, the water level varies from time to time)

Once you reach the other side, you'll start walking. At first the path is not difficult (As you'll see in the pictures below). There are big black pipes that run side by side to the walking path. After about 30 minutes of walking, you'd see the first pool of water and this is where you'll start walking on uneven rocks on the side of the mountain. 

We saw a few guys jumping off a cliff in the deepest part of the pool on the way, this was where Redbull cliff diving competition took place. There was no other way to go down than to jump, so we walked further. After about 1 hour and 2.8 km (according to husband's phone) of walking, we came across this beautiful pond and decided to stop. 

There is a partially submerged cave if you walk further, but you can only excess the cave by swimming and going through a small space in between 2 huge rocks. We didnt go there, as i was the only swimmer in the group.

We started the walk back at 4 pm, we were at our car by 5:15.

The Specifics:

Distance (from Muscat to Wadi Shab): about 155 km

The Route We Took: From Wadi Kabir, we took a left from Wadi Adai, crossed Amirat and took the road leading to Sur. You will cross the Hawiyat Najam Park (sink hole). After about 1.5 hours of driving, you'd see signs to turn towards Wadi Shab on the right. Follow the signs.

Things to do: Hiking to get to the pools of water. Reward yourself after a long hike by jumping in the water and swimming in these clear, refreshing pools. You can take snacks, food or stuff to barbecue. (We made bbq pit with rocks and made chicken tikkas!)

Pros: Breathtaking views of the wadi. Beautiful and refreshing pools to swim in.

Cons: A long hike up to the pools. Other than that, i didnt find any other negative aspect of the place,

Things to remember: Carry a lot of water, you dont want to be dehydrated during the hike. Avoid going with small children. Wear appropriate shoes and clothing

Keep to the right when you see this sign.

Take an exit after this sign.

Tiwi Beach right across the Wadi.

Mouth of the Wadi

This boat would take you across, to the hiking trail.

He took 1 Rial for round trip.

Walking in. 

Stopping for a break.

I am ashamed to say that we had to stop a lot, and this was on even ground, we are so unfit :(

First pool of water, this is where the difficult hike starts.

On the way.

This is where Redbull Cliffdiving competition took place.

This is where we stopped!

How beautiful is this!

Us swimming in the pool.

So gorgeous !

It is such a serene feeling to be standing under these enormous mountains.

Us :)

Pristine!

If you've been to Wadi Shab, I'd love to hear about your experience. 

Take care.