First stop on the Omani road trip outside of Muscat was the Bimmah Sinkhole, also known as Hawiyat Najm Park. This sinkhole is around 30 metres deep, and a popular stop off the highway on the way to Wadi Shab.
We decided to join many other visitors there for a quick dip, after all... how often can you say that you've gone swimming in a sinkhole?
After that, we made our way to the famous Wadi Shab. A wadi is a valley with an intermittent stream, or a dry riverbed that only contains water after it rains. When you arrive, you pay 1 Rial to the boat guy to sail you across to the other side of the sand, where you can begin walking through the valley. After around one hour walking through sand and climbing over boulders, you reach some streams which you must wade through if you want to continue on.
The last pool of water looks like nothing until you reach the end, where you find a path between some rocks. If you swim through the narrow passageway, you will reach a secret cave. We made the mistake of not having a waterproof bag with us, but luckily our stuff didn't get too wet. Wadi Shab is a place I'd recommend for nature lovers to visit, but if you're not keen on climbing over large rocks or swimming, then I would skip it. Definitely an interesting place to spend a few hours!
We decided to join many other visitors there for a quick dip, after all... how often can you say that you've gone swimming in a sinkhole?
After that, we made our way to the famous Wadi Shab. A wadi is a valley with an intermittent stream, or a dry riverbed that only contains water after it rains. When you arrive, you pay 1 Rial to the boat guy to sail you across to the other side of the sand, where you can begin walking through the valley. After around one hour walking through sand and climbing over boulders, you reach some streams which you must wade through if you want to continue on.
The last pool of water looks like nothing until you reach the end, where you find a path between some rocks. If you swim through the narrow passageway, you will reach a secret cave. We made the mistake of not having a waterproof bag with us, but luckily our stuff didn't get too wet. Wadi Shab is a place I'd recommend for nature lovers to visit, but if you're not keen on climbing over large rocks or swimming, then I would skip it. Definitely an interesting place to spend a few hours!
Swimming in a sink hole!! That would be an eerie feeling. The water does look inviting.
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