Wadi Shab - at last!

Wadi Shab is probably the most famous wadi in Oman - and for the right reasons. It is close to Muscat, easily accessible, no need for 4WD and it is a relatively short hike. It is also stunning - if you have not seen other wadis, you would think it is special. If you are traveling in Oman and want a quick wadi experience - it is a great one to go for. For all these reasons it is popular which means it is also crowded. During weekends we saw the car park be filled to the rim. And honestly, the wadi is not that big - if it is busy at the car park, it will be busy inside as well. So, when we had a week of school holiday it was the perfect opportunity to go and see it for ourselves: is it really as great as the hype around it? In short: the place is gorgeous, and we can totally understand why is so popular!

We did it as a daytrip from Muscat and we were not in a hurry and arrived at the car park around noon. There were no other visitors, but the boat guys were there and asked us to be back by 5.30 latest - it fit our plans and we ended up spending around 3 hours exploring the wadi.

Truth be told, we came here in 2016 but at that time we did not know that you HAVE to swim to get to the end. I read blogs where they wrote you can walk and we had our backpack and camera with us. It was in May and after walking for 1.5 hours we did not see any pool, so we turned back as it was really getting hot - we managed to get lost somehow and we never made it to the main pools. This time we were much more prepared - dressed for swimming and only carrying some water and dates. The first part of the hike takes you through the gardens of the wadi and you stroll by a bigger pool where swimming is not allowed. Already now, at the end of March, it was too hot to walk so it is a good idea to splash some water on yourself once crossed the lake by boat at the car park - it will make the walk much more comfortable. There are markers to follow (something that was not there in 2016) so this time we did not get lost and confidently jumped into the first pool to cross and enjoyed every bit of the ride from there on! We reached the pool at the end with the cave and swam into the cave - unfortunately, due to the lack of rain (there has not been proper rain in most of Oman for almost a year, which is very unusual) the waterfall inside the cave was not there - still it was a magical experience. And the best part - we were all alone!

Considerations and other tips:

- Avoid weekends and public holidays.

- Tour companies organize trips starting usually early morning - if you can only visit on the weekend, avoid mornings. 

- We started at noon and no one was there - when we were walking back around 3pm we met a couple of smaller groups walking into the wadi. Guess because at that time the weather is cooler. In the pools the warmer weather was not a problem and walking back wet was super nice: the wet clothes + mild wind combo kept us cool. The wadi was in the sun and the water had an amazing turquoise color!

- Pack a small snack (dates, dried fruit) and water especially when you are with kids.

- You have to swim to get to the cave - the walking path on the side of the wadi is clearly marked now as dangerous and big red signs warn you NOT to go there (this is what we attempted in 2016). Some of the pools are deep and there is not much to hold onto in the cave. If you are not a good swimmer, bring a life vest or pool noodle.

- It is an easy wadi, salon car, and toddler friendly. If you do not want your kids to swim, the walk to the first "swimmable" pool is very enjoyable and you can have a nice picnic there (do not forget to pick up your trash!). With a life jacket kids will be fine as well! 

Location: 22.8391, 59.2460 is the parking lot. Here you can find boats to take you to the trailhead.

Time: 1.5-2 hours plus whatever time you want to spend to picnic and chill out

Kids: toddler friendly

Car: 2WD is ok

Summer: summer friendly

Pools: yes, you have to swim to get to the cave. If you are not a confident swimmer, bring a life vest.

Difficulty: easy

If you can only hike in the weekend and want a similar experience without the crowd, try Wadi Quari or Wadi Mangal Lake - typically they are much less crowded and offer swimming as well. Wadi Al Arabeieen is also fantastic, but the hike is much longer and more difficult.

You can combine this trip with visiting Bimmah Sinkhole and Lovers' Cave.

The wadi entrance pretty much looks like any other wadi - very pretty. 

The first pool where swimming is not allowed - and the "do not take my picture" face.

The dry part of the wadi, through the gardens, following the falaj.

Starting to get wet!

Everything looks different in the shadow