Road Trip Down the Coast

Muscat to Wadi Shab, Oman

Jan 7, 2024

The hostel in Muscat made it easy to find others to share a car and organize road trips. My partners-in-crime were Sofia from Sweden, Cherise from Canada and Zac from Singapore. All were game for anything and our plan was loose at best. We were going to head down the coast toward Sur, stopping wherever tickled our fancy. Perfect!

The road led over the ridge of hills down the well-paved highway. With cliffs on one side and the sea glinting way down below, it made for a picturesque drive. Large towns are few and far between as drive south.

Oh! There is a camel browsing by the roadside. I’d seen some before in Saudi but was always trapped in a bus. But now we have the freedom of stopping and getting out to take photos. But these are not wild camels. Not only are they hobbled, but they are clearly used to humans. One in particular is curious and comes to investigate. Zac seems to have made a friend as the camel noses up to him.

The coastline is high above the sea and drops sharply down at spots. At others there are overhanging cliffs. Peer over the edge and there are quaint hidden beaches. I am a landlubber but for the others these are an attraction and we stop at a couple.

There is a sinkhole called Bimmah on this route that seems to be on the radar for most. We drive up to it peer over the edge. It is a in deed a gigantic hole filled with blue-green water that sparkles when the sun strikes it. There are plenty of people swimming and wading. Of course the others want to swim and do. I decide to get a fish spa pedicure instead.

We head for Wadi Shab, a much-touted canyon hike. Under the highway are boats that ferry passengers across the mouth of the river to the beginning of the trail. It is a short hop, barely a couple of minutes and the enterprising soul makes a mint charging passengers. It is late in the day and we aren’t quite sure we have enough time to do the entire hike and be back to get the boat before they close up shop. We’ll do what we can, we decide and head out.

The wide mouth of the canyon is cultivated with plots of gardens and palm trees. A couple of donkeys are tethered to a tree and I see a man picking vegetables. The walls of the canyon rise sharply on either side with intriguing caves that beg to be explored. As I walk, the gorge narrows and the stretch of water deepens. It is deep blue-green as it forms a pool. This is no frothing, rushing river but a mostly stagnant stretch of water. The walls narrow more as I walk on and I see crevices, overhanging rock walls and some flat spots that would be perfect for camping. I wish I had brought my camping gear!

Further up is a smaller pool and a tiny waterwall. Not quite jaw-dropping but it is certainly pretty as I walk up some more. There is a place where one has to swim for a stretch. Landlubber that I am, this is a dead end for me since swimming is not a skill I can boast. So I stop and retrace my path back. I meet Zac on the way up and he manages to do the entirety of the hike. Sofia and Cherise too decide to turn back.