We started our Easter Break heading out into the desert with a stop at Wadi Bani Khalid. Wadi Bani Khalid is a wonderful wadi here in Oman that is around a 3 hour drive from Muscat. The beginning part is easily accessible, and the farther back parts are still accessible with just a little bit of scrambling.
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| I believe this was the first pool. It is a wide open space. |
NOTICE: Wadis can flood. Do not attempt a wadi if rain is in the forecast for the wadi or surrounding area. Do not attempt a wadi shortly after rainfall. Respect mother nature.
The drive out is long. You need to get around mountains, so there isn't a straight shot. As you near the wadi, follow the signs to the cave. You go up mountains and then steeply down mountains then through a lush palm-lined road to the end. Park here and start walking.
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| All the palm trees as you near the wadi hike entrance. |
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| The falaj running along the road back amongst the palm trees. |
The path starts out paved and flat. It is very easy going to the first pools where there is a restaurant and restrooms. The path is less flat getting to the second pools, but there is still a path. Stairs of sorts have even been installed in trickier parts of the path. After the second pool, there is a dry path and a wet path to the caves. The wet path will require wadi shoes and can be slick. It also has a tricky section of getting up a small waterfall. My boys loved this part. The dry path is to your left around some boulders, so it is largely obscured from view. Don't worry, there will probably be others around to point the way if you get lost. There are also signs occasionally pointing the way to the cave.
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| The beginning of the adventure follows the falaj. |
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| Note an example of stairs added to the right side of the picture. |
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| My boys swimming in the second pool. Since it was April, the water was very refreshing. |
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| It's hard to see, but back in there is the waterfall you need to scramble up if you take the wet path. |
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| Another example of "stairs" |
To get to the cave, you actually do need to leave the water. It is less of a path at this point. You will be climbing up along a ramp in the rocks. At the end is where you turn right into the cave. I did not go in. I. Don't. Do. Caves. There were plenty of Omani teenagers here eager to show tourists the way in. It is a narrow crevice that requires crawling and ducking. The guys coming out seemed covered in mud, but J and Stephen did not come out in mud. I think there is a waterfall, maybe? I don't believe my boys went all the way to the pool.
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| This isn't where you enter the cave as it is slightly narrower than the entrance. |
This was our half day adventure to Wadi Bani Khalid. It was fun, but we wish we could move it closer to Muscat.
