Oman – An Emerald Desert

Since moving to Saudi Arabia, so many people had told me how beautiful Oman is, how lush and green and unlike any other part of the middle east it is. So, fast forward to a long weekend in March and guess where I end up…

Wanting to explore the Wadi’s but knowing nothing about the area, we booked our weekend with a tour company, Wadi Shab Adventures. Our guide Juma, had organized an extremely active few days for us that both filled me with excitement and dread.

The first Wadi on our list was Wadi Bani Khalid. Now there are 2 parts to this Wadi, the tourist part, which is pretty enough and takes about 20 minutes to walk through before getting to a relaxing spot…and the part that we trekked through! What was described as a 7km hike that would take us 3 hours, turned out to be a 12km expedition that took us 6 hours!

Tip – Watch your step, all but one of us either slipped tripped or fell at some point along the way, with me being especially clumsy, I of course did all 3, multiple times.  

Despite the moans and groans along the way, when I look back I would do it again in a heart beat. The route is not for the faint hearted. There is a lot of climbing, maneuvering through tight spaces, navigating along thin ledges and swimming in the freezing but refreshing pools. You’ll want light sports clothing, comfortable and enclosed walking shoes and plenty of water and snacks. Even though it was only March, being directly in the sun as it was trapped in the valley made it extremely hot.

Our accommodation for the night was to be a Bedouin camp. After sitting, drinking tea and coffee with a wonderful old lady and her daughters we headed out on a little desert walk to watch the sunset. Now I know I am always banging on about how beautiful sunsets are and in the desert it is no different, the colors are magical and make for a wonderfully dramatic backdrop.

Tip – Rolling down the sand dunes will result in you finding sand in places you never imagined for weeks to come!

Back in the camp, our home made (meaning in a tent in the middle of the desert) traditional Omani meal of, chicken, rice, beef and veggies with hummus and bread awaited us. Sitting round the camp fire (after collecting our own fire wood of course), we reflected on an awesome first day and with excited anticipation got a few hours sleep before our sunrise wake up call.

The second Wadi we visited was Wadi Shab, this is the one featured on a lot of tourist information due to its beautiful waterfalls and scenic trek.

Tip – Make sure you check with your guide which time is best to visit Wadi Shab. It is best to do so when the sun is not directly over the canyon.

After more climbing, sliding, jumping and swimming we reached the cave with the much talked about waterfall. Unfortunately we had arrived later than we hoped which meant the cave was busy and none of us felt comfortable jumping from the top, however Juma treated us to  little display of his bravery, jumping from dizzying heights like he were merely stepping into a puddle.

Another must visit place was the sinkhole. A natural opening in the ground, no one knows quite how deep it is (they have so far explored to 100m down) but at some point it connects to the sea so has salt rather than fresh water. After letting our imaginations run wild at the creatures that could be found deeper in this natural wonder, we decided to have a little swim but avoid the aerial acrobatics of jumping from one of the ledges.

Having heard that dolphins are a regular sighting in the Gulf of Oman, the next item on the itinerary was a boat trip to see if we could find these intelligently playful creatures. The water was eerily flat, it looked more like we were on a large lake than in the sea, then suddenly in the distance we could see a pod of dolphins going about their day. Unfortunately this was a purely sightseeing trip with no guide, so no information was given about the dolphins here, however still a worthwhile endeavor if you are happy just to appreciate being in their company.

Before heading back to shore we stopped off in a little cove for a spot of snorkeling. Surrounded by coral and fish I was extremely happy to have brought my underwater camera with me…cue all of us pretending to be mermaids with our best underwater poses.

Tip – Mind the tiny jelly fish. There are very small and not at all harmful but are still a little stingy.

A quick drive around to see the Palace, Royal Opera House, Royal Cruise ship, and Riyam Park Monument and our time in Oman had come to an end.

After seeing for myself what everyone had told me about Oman, I completely agree that it is a true gem in the desert. Before leaving, we had already discussed when we would return to see more of this amazing country, from the mountains of Nizwa to the 5 species of turtles that can be found along the coast, we will certainly be back to see it all.