Wadi Bani Hany and Al Hoqain - the perfect drive-through day-trip destination

We planned to go to hike Wadi Tool but did not check carefully enough the description of how to get there and had to realize we were on the wrong road and course correct would have meant to drive back to Muscat... We did not want that, so we improvised. Whenever I see a nice picture or read about an interesting place, I mark it on google map with the little green "want-to-go" flag - so I only had to check if there were flags around the area we were at that time. And this is how we ended up visiting Wadi Bani Hani and Al Hoqain: a perfect destination if you do not want to walk too much and if you like old mud-brick ruins.

Scroll down for the map with all the location pins!

Wadi Bani Hani is one of these extreme wide river beads with oases on both sides - it is clear that there is water, but it is also clear that there used to be much more of it. It is also a place with many old brick ruins, it was literally one after the other - it almost felt like being on a hop on - hop off tour bus. Unfortunately, I could not find much of the history of these ruins so not sure what they are - but they are much bigger than some of the abandoned villages we have seen, think of multiple-story buildings with towers etc. There are small villages to roam around, lush plantations and falaj as well - you will not be bored.

At the end of wadi there are the Al Hoqain pools and waterfall - these are quite popular destinations since they are easy to access and if you drive directly here, you do need a 4WD at all and the waterfall has a nice big parking area built. Of course, easy access brings the usual problems - trash is everywhere. The pools had so much trash, we did not feel like taking a dip - they are also very close to the houses that being the other reason skipping on them. It is a real shame - the pool narrows down to a small gorge with vertical walls both sides, super picturesque. The water also turns from greenish/blueish to powered blue color - you can smell the sulfur for sure. 

Water level was super low: the pool had water but there was no waterfall at all. 

The place is very popular and apparently gets super crowded in the weekend - not during Ramadan though, we were alone. Closer to sunset a few young guys arrived to jump from the rock walls.

We entered the wadi close to Rustaq, at (23.4228, 57.2980) and just followed the wadi. There are normal roads as well, so if you stick to them, you can do this trip without a 4WD - we drove in the wadi bed. All the interesting spots are marked in google maps, if you zoom in enough.

Once you drive into the wadi, soon will notice the ruins in the middle of the wadi bed

Which is remains of an old settlement - it looks the water washed it around creating a small island of ruins.

Plenty to discover!

There are many charming little villages along the wadi bed.

Another ruin, blending into the background.

Can you see the resident gekko?

Unfortunately many of the terraces are drying out.

Al Hoqain pool - you can park next the road and off you go!.

We did not want to go into the water but wanted to see the white pools - we drove to the other end of the gorge and just started to walk across the gardens following one of the black pipes and sure enough we found the other end of the pool. There was not much water left, but enough to enjoy the color and sulfur smell :).

Last stop - waterfalls.

but unfortunately, it was dry.