After my two weeks exploring four other countries across the Middle East (UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain) I was beyond excited to be heading to my fifth and final country of the trip - one I'd been anticipating eagerly and have wanted to visit for a very long time. Somehow though, I only booked this portion of the trip two weeks before I flew to Dubai and convinced Ina, one of my friends from Salzburg, to fly out and join me for this leg of the journey!
We spent the first three nights based in Muscat from where we were perfectly positioned to explore Oman's northern coast. On our second day in the country, we made the one and a half hour drive east along the coast out of Muscat along the brilliantly maintained highway towards Wadi Shab. In the 40° heat, we were planning to complete one of Oman's most well-known and beautiful hikes into Wadi Shab. It ended up being an absolutely incredible adventure and so, so beautiful.
On our way back to Muscat, we were so warm in the heat and so made a stop at the Bimmah Sinkhole along the way to cool off. It's completely free to visit and the water is clear, refreshing and beautiful. We certainly cooled off at the bottom of the sinkhole - but the hike back up the stairs made us sweat more than we did on the entire trip, so be prepared for that. We felt truly disgusting.
Note that, as with everywhere in the Middle East, you must be dressed conservatively, covering your shoulders and knees. You can only wear your swimsuit at the bottom of the sinkhole. Which...doesn't help with the sweating!!
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.