As soon as we heard about the wadis in Oman we wanted to go there. The choice to visit Oman seemed like the ultimate balance between off-the-beaten track travel, fascinating traditional culture but with the conveniences of the modern Middle East.
Oman is comparatively smaller than its Arab neighbours. The country is renowned as being clean and safe and Omani people respectful, gentle and polite. And with landscapes described to align with fairytale oases. We couldn’t wait to get there!
We had one week for our roadtrip around the wadis in Oman. But this could be done in a few days if you were short of time – or more determined (or not travelling in Oman with the kids!). But for us, one week was the perfect amount of time.
Our route took us to four wadis in Oman and all within a days drive of Muscat.
So in case you are wondering how you will choose which of Omans wadis are worth your time? Read on for our Oman itinerary and all about wadi-jumping in the best wadis in Oman…
Visiting the best wadis in Oman
- Best wadis in Oman
- Wadi Bani Khalid
– Know before you go - Wadi Al Shab
- Bimah Sinkhole
- Wadi Tiwi
- Getting around – how to visit the wadis in Oman
- Where we stayed in Oman
- Don’t forget…
Just quickly, about Oman
Capital: Muscat
Population: 4,992,364
Languages: Arabic
Religion: Islam
Land size: 309,500 km2 (119,500 sq mi)
Currency: Omani Rial (OMR)
Beautiful wadis in Oman we recommend
So which wadis in Oman are worth the visit?
Oman has many different Wadi’s and they are spread out across the country. But we found an itinerary for Oman that allowed a few nights in Muscat (it’s also stunning to visit the old city and the ports of Oman) as well as three nights out exploring the country – and finding the best and beautiful wadis.
- Wadi Bani Khalid
- Wadi Al Shab
- Wadi Tiwi
- Bimmah Sinkhole (not technically a wadi)
Making a road-trip from Muscat to find the wadis in Oman meant that we ended up booking one nights accommodation in Ibra and one nights accommodation in Sur.
Wadi Bani Khalid – Best Wadis in Oman
The first of the wadis of Oman on our itinerary was Wadi Bani Khalid not far from the village of Ibra.
We stayed the night at Ibra and woke up early the next day to set out and find our first wadi. We were not disappointed!
Wadi Bani Khalid was like nothing we’ve ever seen. [Quite possibly agreeable as one of the most beautiful places we have visited!]. The water is clear, fresh and deep.
We swam for a couple of hours enjoying different areas of the wadi.
Wadi Bani Khalid – know before you go
We entered upstream in the shallow after the main lagoon of the wadi. Moving further up the river path the water is so deep you have to swim in or out. Because the rocks are so smooth, apart from the odd chain there is nowhere to hold on to.
This was one thing we had noted in our attempts at planning for travel in Oman. We had one swimming float for the kids that we had been carrying since the Philippines, but didn’t know if that would be enough.
We ventured out on our first day in Muscat to find swimming floats for both kids.
- Tip: Float devices were easy to find at the big Carrefour in Muscat. The tiny shop in Bani Khalid has a small selection of arm-rings for kids.
This is a popular wadi with the locals and holiday makers so it actually has public toilets, shelters and a basic restaurant with a buffet style lunch on site.
How to find Wadi Bani Khalid
Ibra itself is about two and a half hours from Muscat and we loved the drive to get there.
It is an incredible landscape to drive. Humungous highways that were the smoothest we had driven in months. The highways pass small villages of iconic white houses tucked up into the barren rock and valleys.
From Ibra it is about another hour to the village of Bani Khalid.
The first time we visited Oman we stayed the night in Ibra. The second time we visited we stayed in the village of Bani Khalid.
This is probably our favourite wadi in Oman. And the best bit is that its easily accessible by car.
There is plenty of parking just a 3-5 minute walk from Wadi Bani Khalid.
- Muscat to Ibra: 1 hr 26 min (149.3 km)
- Sur to Ibra: 1 hr 38 min (150.5 km)
- Ibra to Wadi Bani Khalid: 1 hr 7 min (86.8 km)
Wadi Al Shab – Best Wadis in Oman
Wadi Shab is located in the Al Sharqiyah region of Oman, less than 2 hours drive from Muscat.
- Tip: It’s easy to combine Wadi Al Shab with Wadi Tiwi and Bimmah Sinkhole which are all in the same area.
Distance-wise from the main road however, Wadi Al Shab is a bit more of a trek to get to. It even includes a short boat ride to get to the start of the walk.
We stayed in Sur the night before and once again set out early in the morning to find the wadi.
From the carpark you get a boat across to the start of the trail. From there, it is about an hours walk (3km) through the canyons to the start of the swimming wadi.
It is an awesome walk to get there (as awesome as walking in 38°C can be!) through a combination of lush valleys and canyons.
The boat across will cost you 1 OMR and you don’t have to pay for the return crossing. There will be boats waiting on the return side to make the crossing back too. The trip across is only a few minutes.
The lush valleys the path winds up through are the old river bed. For more than half of the way there is a path; but for the other half, in parts you need to climb over boulders and hang on to the side of the rock shelves.
From the wadi itself we stashed our bags and swam the rest of the way up to the most magnificent caves. It is a long way for little legs but the kids did really well. Plus, the wadi itself makes it well worth the walk!
Wadi Al Shab – know before you go
Note especially if travelling in Oman with kids, that getting further up into the third and deepest pool of Wadi Al Shab is significantly more challenging. I would not recommend taking kids upstream without floating aids.
As you reach the entrance to the main cavern of Wadi Shab – where they have held the famous Red Bull Cliff Diving World Championships – the rocks narrow right down.
- Note: To enter the final cave of Wadi Al Shab there is a narrow slot in the rocks that you have to swim through to access the cave.
The width of the entrance at swimming head height it not much wider than a person, and you will need to be a confident swimmer and able to tread water for a while to keep yourself afloat.
There are rocks to rest on before entering the cave but do your research before making the decision to enter the third pool.
Find Wadi Al Shab
The entrance to the parking lot for Wadi Al Shab is very close to the town of Tiwi. We stopped here first to buy a cold drink for the kids and have coffee at one of the small local cafes. There is also a basic food cart selling cold water, drinks and snacks at the Wadi Shab carpark by the little jetty.
Bimmah Sinkhole – Best Wadis in Oman
Hayyat Najm (or Bimmah Sinkhole) is not technically a wadi; but structurally a sinkhole.
The Omani name Hawyat Najm translates as falling star, explaining the legend of a meteorite that hit the ground causing the giant hole. Scientifically however, the sinkhole has been formed naturally by the underground water source carving away at the rocks over time and caving in the sides.
In parts, the sinkhole is up to 20m deep so looks are definitely deceiving.
There are steps down to a big ledge and shallow parts to enter from making it ideal for swimming.
- Tip: There are no shops at the sinkhole so be prepared with food and drinking water.
There are some shady tables set up for picnic spots in the park surrounding the sinkhole. Near the entrance to the park there are toilets and changing rooms.
How to find Bimmah Sinkhole
It is easy to find just off the highway from Sur and it is literally right next to the carpark (no hiking required for this one!).
- Muscat to Bimmah Sinkhole: 1 hr 21 min (127.7 km) via Route 17
- Sur to Bimmah Sinkhole: 56 min (77.5 km) via Route 17
Wadi Tiwi – Best Wadis in Oman
Wadi Tiwi is not far from either Wadi Al Shab or the sinkhole and is another awesome drive through traditional Omani villages. However, in theory you really need a 4WD vehicle to get all the way up to Mibam Village for the closest access to the beginning of Wadi Tiwi.
You can jump in with passing locals (as we did) and head up the beautiful valley to the beginning of Wadi Tiwi. The valley entrance is spectacular alone and makes for a very off-the-beaten track Oman experience doing it the local-way!
Wadi Tiwi has a totally different look to the other wadis in Oman that we visited.
- Note: The full walk in to Wadi Tiwi takes around 4-5 hours.
How to get to Wadi Tiwi
To get to here you need to take the same exit off the highway for Wadi Shab and the village of Tiwi.
You will actually cross over the mouth of the wadi driving over a small bridge near the beach before turning to head upstream.
The distance to Mibam village is geographically short; it’s less than 10km from Tiwi. But the road becomes extremely narrow and is deceptive with blind corners.
There are many ford crossings where the paved roading is slippery with water and seaweed so drive cautiously. The locals drive very fast in larger 4WD vehicles which put us off as we worried about getting stuck in the narrow streets of Harat Bidah village…
A friendly truckload of local young men stopped and waved us to follow them out which was more relaxing without being the car in front around the blind corners! We also stopped to join the locals and wash our rental car at the first ford crossing on our way back!
I would recommend Tiwi village itself for a stop to explore. It is worth a short visit and to check out the start of the wadi even if you don’t make the full trek further up to Wadi Tiwi swimming hole.
- Muscat to Wadi Tiwi (village): 1 hr 36 min (156.9 km) via Route 17
- Sur to Wadi Tiwi (village): 39 min (46.0 km) via Route 17 and Route 17
What about accommodation in Oman?
Muscat is a great starting place for arriving in Oman. It’s easy to rent a car from the airport and head straight to your hotel. Or, if you are coming from Dubai across the border from UAE to Oman you can read our border crossing guide here.
The first time we did this road-trip we stayed one night in the small town (more of a village) of Ibra close to Wadi Bani Khalid. There are a few accommodation options in the village of Bani Khalid itself but the choices are limited.
We then drove from Wadi Bani Khalid to Sur which was a nice drive and relaxing way to see a bit more of Oman outside of the capital. Sur is a much larger coastal town and there are more options for booking accommodation online.
Here is where we stayed in Oman…
- Muscat: Ramee Guestline Hotel [modern hotel, easy to find; parking; well set up room with 2 double beds; tea and coffee; huge breakfast included; swimming pool; in-house restaurant (convenient and delicious, though very expensive!).
- Ibra: Oriental Nights Rest House [handy location to arrive early to Wadi Bani Khalid; good distance from Muscat. No town or restaurant nearby, only one petrol station/store so bring basic dinner to make].
- Sur: Leading Wings Beach Apartments [amazing views; basic but spacious rooms with own kitchen and bathroom. Very friendly staff; free parking].
We hadn’t booked ahead and turned up and drove around to find a hotel for two nights. We ended up at Leading Wings Beach Apartments which was a spacious two bedroom apartment, overlooking the impressive Gulf of Oman. The Egyptian owner was very welcoming and happy to see us exploring Oman with the kids.
Getting to the wadis in Oman
We rented a car through rentalcars.com and picked it up at the airport in Muscat on arrival.
The airport pickup and check in process for the car rental was smooth and really easy.
Getting a SIM card for Oman
We grabbed a SIM card at the arrivals terminal in Muscat and hopped into our rental car.
We found Oman really easy to navigate with the help of online maps and clear signposting in English along the major highways.
One challenge aside from the beautiful wadis in Oman
Ok, so this isn’t really very much of a challenge to write home about…
But we didn’t realise how hard it would be to find a suitable shady spot for a picnic road tripping in Oman!
With the high price of restaurant food in Oman and the lack of choice in small village stores, we set out each day with a picnic. We envisaged this as a great way to travel in Oman: we could make the most of the wadi’s and the surrounding countryside… It sounded like a great plan to us.
Albeit we were picturing shady trees to stop under like we have back home, when in reality that was not quite so straightforward!
Some days turned in to a bit of a competition to find the most suitable ‘shady picnic tree’ to stop under…
Don’t forget…
Oman is a Muslim country, and the Islamic traditions and values are reflected in the way men and women dress. The dress code is conservative and that includes planning for swimming at the wadis we visited.
Although there weren’t a huge amount of tourists in Oman fullstop; we felt sad to see that some of them completely ignored the signs and rules for swimming in the wadis. Respect local codes of behaviour and traditions of dress.
Enjoy the adventure and the beautiful wadis in Oman!
Useful links for your travels in Middle East and beyond…
These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally.
- Hostelworld– The largest inventory of hostel accommodation in the world.
- Skyscanner – This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home).
Read more about travel in the Middle East
- Saudi Arabia Travel Guide: Everything you need to know about visiting KSA.
- Jordan Travel Guide: Read all about magical Jordan.
- Visiting Umm Qais in Jordan
- Crossing overland from Israel to Jordan (and the worst noise ever).
- UAE with kids: Three Emirates in three days.
- Quick tips for visiting the Sheik Al Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi with kids.
