Bowsher wadi - the falaj hike

Bowsher is basically a district of Muscat - surrounded by mountains and with mountains here come the wadis. The badass lady hikers group has a great overview of 8 of the wadis in this area here - they range from easy to super technical. We tried with Finn the falaj hike this weekend - falaj hikes are fun, easy, you just need to follow the falaj right? Boy, we were wrong - and honestly should have known better, since the ladies did give it a 4 out of 5 for difficulty!

The hike started easy enough, with a pool (apparently locals like to have a dip, so best to make yourself heard when approaching) and a pretty falaj to follow. Shortly after the start we crossed a small pond, there was not much water in it though. As we continued the boulders got bigger and bigger - we really had to push and pull. Eventually, we reached a dry waterfall where we gave up - if you search on Wikilock, there are recorded trails like this reaching way beyond this drop, but we choose life (and we are aware of our limitations). 

Overall, it was a great afternoon workout with great views, and we had fun!

UPDATE: if this hike was too short, you can venture to the neighboring wadi with a small pool, a mosque (23.5363, 58.4033) and ruins a bit further in. Or you can visit the old fort ruins. 

Location for parking: 23.537999, 58.402691
Directions: From the parking you can walk towards the pool (23.5363,58.4033), from there you follow the falaj into the wadi.
Time: We walked around 1 hour into the wadi before we reached the dry waterfall - this apparently can be climbed from the right side... See for yourself.  The round trip was less than 2 hours, and around 2km only, maybe a bit more.
Car: no need for 4WD
Other: no markers, big boulders, not for small kids