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.
The hike, while insanely sweaty, turned out to be a wonderful adventure, exceptionally photogenic, and possibly one of the best hikes I've ever done. There are countless river crossings and the best part was that the final twenty minutes of the hike, you have to swim up the wadi in order to reach the final cave. As such, we hiked with our swimsuits under our hiking clothes and in water shoes, because half the time we were in water. Thankfully, this kept us somewhat cool in the searing heat! Make sure you bring a hat as there really isn't much shade on this hike, and as much water as you can carry!
WADI SHAB HIKE DETAILS
When: October to May (it's too hot in the summer)
Where: trail begins in Tiwi at the coast [Google Maps location here]. You have to take a quick boat ride across the river to the trailhead on the opposite bank and then you begin your hike inland up the river.
Difficulty: easy-intermediate (it's harder when it's hot)
Length: the return hike is 7km, which took us just under 2 hours roundtrip, plus time at the caves to enjoy swimming
Directions: from where the boat drops you off, follow the yellow painted markers along the river. It's hard to explain, but you basically just walk along the river the entire way. You can hire a guide, but it's really easy to follow so I wouldn't say a guide is needed. Check out my Strava tracked hike here.
Bathrooms: yes, at the cafe at the start
Public Transit: no
