Wadi Hawer - the natural water park!
This post has been long overdue, but finally it is here!
Wadi Hawer was our last big trip back in 2023, before we
moved out of Oman. We really wanted to do it, but I concluded, that we need a guide,
and it was not that easy to find one, but we finally managed.
Wadi Hawer is very close to Wadi Bani Khalid but for
whatever reason it is far less popular than its famous neighbour. Wadi Bani
Khalid is developed with a cafe, they were building a hotel, and it was full of
visitors - a tourist trap. So, if you do not like touristy places, head to this
all-natural beauty next door, a wadi without the crowed and with a lived-in
authentic village next to it.
You park next to the village at the wadi's entrance - we did not have time to explore the village, we only walked through the lush plantations. You will end the hike at the other end of wadi, where there is an other village, Sayq which also looked lovely - full of old doors, with nice pool and a modern, well kept falaj.
You can easily hike to the first pools, and spend a couple
of hours there, have a picnic, go for a swim etc. The best way to explore the
full wadi however is to arrange pick at the other end - of course you can walk
back, but it will take time, and I was very happy that we had a guy waiting for
us with cold water and fresh fruits after a couple of hours of hiking.
We also highly recommend doing this trip with a guide - the path is not marked and most likely the wadi changes quite a bit after heavier rainfalls. You must jump, slide and push through narrow places, I am very happy that we had someone with us guiding us. Our guide was Salem, from the first village and his number is +968 9558 8273 - he was great, and took very good care of us. He helped with the pick up at the other end, someone drove our car there.
You can combine this trip with a desert stay over. And if you are anyway driving this far, do not forget to visit Ibra's Al Minzafah area and Al Mudhaireb oasis!
We could have not wished for a better send-off of our 3 year long adventure in Oman!
Location for parking at start: 22.5509, 59.1178
Location for parking at end: 22.5095, 59.1223
Car: there is asphalt road to the village, 2WD is ok
Difficulty: check out the video, it is not an easy hike if you want to hike through the wadi.
Kids: Not for todlers!
Distance: we walked around 7km and it took us 3.5 hours - we were not rushing; we had time to enjoy the pools
Time to visit: it is a perfect desitantion for warmer months, as you will get wet!
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