Salalah in winter - Wadi Darbat

Wadi Darbat is the ultimate tourist destination in Dhofar - the wadi is greenish and has water all year around, including the waterfall but obviously water levels are much lower during winter. It was still stunning and worth to visit - lower water levels also meant we could trek in places we could had not otherwise. And what takes the price is anyway the travertine curtain - and that is stunning any time!

Here are the locations - keep in mind, that in Oman everything constantly is changing, they are building new things etc, so you might have to get creative.

1. The viewpoint to see the waterfall from a distance: park here, and climb the hill. You can also find your way to the bottom of the waterfall, where there is a small pool, and people do swim, however, keep in mind that due to some parasite it is not advised to get into the water.

2. Top of the waterfall: park around here, and find your way to the edge of the waterfall for the stunning views! Seems there is a public toilet and new cafe here.

3. Step waterfalls here: you can park here. Rent a boat or just roam around.

4. The end of the Wadi: park here, or wherever you find a spot. You can picnic, try one of the cafes or go for a boat trip.

We started with the bottom - the travertine curtain. The limestone is washed out by the water which than creates this wonderful lace effect. It is pretty impressive! There is a short hike from the car park to the waterfall following the wadi bed, or you can take the one on the top of the small hill to the right. We took the wadi bed. The wadi bed is really gorgeous with white-washed boulders against the steel-blue water. (Location 1)

Next stop was the top of the waterfall - we were jumping over the streams and eventually reached the edge and even saw the curtain from above! (Location 2)

Fantastic views from the top of the waterfall.

And the curtain again

Step waterfalls, Location 3

And at the end we drove into the wadi - nice big river with lush hills in the background, camels and cows grazing, donkey fighting... It is quite paradise looking even now, during winter. It just little too man-built for our taste, with loads of parking, fences etc. And as much as it looks like paradise - resist to dip into the water. It is infected with a nasty snail which can get you into trouble. (Location 4)