Wadi Shab is a wadi you can swim in around a 2 hour drive from Muscat. The drive there through and beside mountains is beautiful. It is easy to get to as it is along the highway with a marked exit, and is a good way to spend a good 3-4 hours of your day. There are also many beaches nearby including a rock one just across the street from the parking lot.
NOTICE: Wadis are prone to flooding. Do not attempt a wadi if rain is in the forecast for the wadi or nearby area. Do not attempt a wadi shortly after rainfall. Respect mother nature.
 |
| Some of the mountains on the way out. Pardon the reflection from the car. |
 |
| More mountains on the way to Wadi Shab. |
 |
| Walking along the rock beach. The rocks get larger farther down the coast. |
 |
| Loved this outcrop of rocks sticking out into the ocean. |
We went to Wadi Shab on the first day of our National Day/Prophet's Birthday holiday with a group of friends. On holidays, it can get quite busy. We got the last spot in the tiny parking lot when we arrived a little before 10am. By the time we came out, between 1 & 2pm, the parking lot was full, and there were cars parked anywhere they could park.
 |
| A painted pillar of the bridge at the start of the hike. |
At Wadi Shab, you start under a bridge. There, you pay 1OR per adult to catch a ride by boat to the other side where your hike starts. The hike begins through little gardens. You can see the falaj system and some vegetables growing. Don't pick anything because it is the livelihood of local villagers. As you get farther into the wadi, you start climbing over some rocks, walking along a falaj at one point, and walking along the valley walls. It is all safe, and mostly paved in some form or fashion. You do climb over some boulders here and there. There is even evidence of caves where people used to live.
 |
| A banana tree growing right along the path. |
 |
| One of the wide portions of the path. |
 |
| Still paved path here with some sample of the vegetation. I loved this palm tree growing away from the mountain. |
 |
| A cave opening for a home. |
The first deep water you arrive at is where Red Bull did a diving competition a couple of years ago. We did not get in at this spot, but we did see people enjoying the water. You keep walking until you get to a shallow spot in the water where you would need to cross the water to continue walking. You can continue hiking, but that won't get you into the water. Instead, drop your stuff and walk in. At this point, hiking sandals or water shoes that can get wet would be great. We had neither for Stephen and me, so we had to deal with walking on the pebbles and the slippery rocks. It wasn't fun. We are now on the lookout for wadi shoes.
You walk/swim through this water. It gets deep then shallow again. You eventually come to rocks that you climb over. This can be slick because the rocks have been smoothed through the years and are wet. You walk through some more water then climb over some more rocks. At one of these points, Stephen slipped and started sliding back into me. Not sure how I managed to stop him and not fall in. Again, shoes would have been helpful!
 |
| The starting point for the water portion. |
 |
| You can see my E in the distance crossing the pebble path much faster than I was moving. He had sandals and I did not. |
The last body of water you encounter ends at a cave. There is a narrow passageway to enter the cave that is wide enough for your head. If it has rained recently, I've read that you would need to swim under to enter the cave. For us, there was room for your head. J wouldn't go in because he was done with swimming, so E and Stephen went first. Then E went back in with me. I really wasn't sure I wanted to go because I'm extremely claustrophobic, but once you get past the entry point, it opens up and there is plenty of light and air. Also inside the cave, there is a waterfall and probably some guys climbing up and jumping into the water. I don't have any pictures from inside the cave because they all came out horrible and blurry. I do have pictures just outside the cave where there is a rope to climb up to jump down. Once you go up, the only way down is jumping.
 |
| The cave entrance is just to the right of the middle of the picture. There is a man standing where you climb up and can jump in. |
 |
| The rope climb to the top. |
When you're done, you retrace your steps all the way back to the boat and your car. I would recommend bringing water, some snacks, a lunch in the car, water shoes or sandals, and life vests or flotation devices especially for young kids. It is a long way to swim through deep water to get to the end where you tread water. But I would do it again. Maybe with family? Maybe not, because I don't know how cold the water will be in January/February. The water in mid November was only cold when you first got in. Otherwise, the water and weather were perfect for our family outing with friends.
