Wadis, Peaks, Souqs and Sands: Oman 2025

[1022]

That Mosque looks amazing

It is magnificent! It straddles opulence and contemporary chic in design

 

[1022]

Snorkelling Trip to the Daymaniyat Islands

The Daymaniyat (aka Dimaniyat) Island Nature Reserve lies about 20km off shore from Muscat. Multiple tour operators run trips daily for snorkelers, divers and campers to visit the small archipelago of rocky and sandy outcrops and the crystal clear waters that surround them. We took a bit of a pot shot when choosing a company online, based mostly on the fact that they had same day availability for an afternoon trip because we’d left it too late to join one of the more popular morning tours. As it turned out we were lucky with our random choice. The Pakistani guys running the show were friendly and professional and there were just three other pretty chilled couples on the boat with us as opposed to some of the other boats we saw at the snorkel spots with dozens of people.

It’s about a 25 minute speedboat cruise out to the islands from the commercial fishing port at Seeb that a few of the tour operators depart from. The sea was smooth, wind fairly calm and not a cloud in the sky. I always feel content on a boat!

The first stop was in a cove that is chosen for almost guaranteed turtle sightings. Even before entering the water a few turtles could be seen surfacing for breath. The colours of the the warm shallow waters were reminiscent of the Maldives!






We spent about an hour here. Sadly the coral was all in very bad shape sadly, but there were plenty of stunning fish of all shapes and sizes. 1022+1 and I floated, transfixed on three cuttlefish for a good 5 minutes as they grew and shrank and changed colours before our eyes. There were of course plenty of turtles to be seen also.

After about 45 minutes in the water we returned to the boat as the water was getting a tiny bit cool. But I had a hunch to jump back in with my phone to take a few underwater shots near the boat. What serendipity to have a turtle make a beeline for me as I snapped away.






The second stop was at a white sandy beach on one of the islands. The captain pointed us in the direction of the best snorkelling off a beach on the other side of the tiny island. We weren’t disappointed! The coral formations here were spectacular though again, unfortunately not in the best health. However the shapes and undulations of the underwater landscape made for really interesting and varied snorkelling in perfect conditions and excellent visibility. The main highlight here was a glimpse of a black tip reef shark as well as a couple of turtles swimming side by side watching us watching them! Once again an abundance of brightly coloured fish and species I didn’t recognise from snorkelling in Australian and Pacific waters.

We returned to shore and wandered around the island a little bit before it was time to hop back on the boat to return to the mainland. Tours can only beach on the islands from October to April. In the summer months they are protected nesting grounds for seabirds and hatching grounds for turtles. There were certainly plenty of birds about, and some were carrying sticks in their beaks; obviously starting to build their nests.


I was slightly reminded of Rotnest Island in WA




On the way back to Muscat we were treated to a pod of dolphins frolicking around the boat. The captain slowed, then stopped the boat so we could enjoy watching them breach. These dolphins were much smaller than the ones we regularly encounter in the surf in Australia. They were very cute! Especially when some of them vocalised as they came to the surface.

We made one more short stop on the way back to watch the sun sink into the sea to the west and simultaneously watch an almost full moon rise in the east.



This was one of those days where one can only be full of gratitude for the beauty of this planet of ours and to be fortunate enough to be fit and able to experience it.

 

[1022]

Royal Opera House Muscat
We started our morning with a visit to the Opera House. This beautiful building and cultural institution is another legacy of the much beloved and highly cultured late Sultan Qaboos. He commissioned it in 2001 and the venue opened in 2011 with a performance of Turandot.

Even before you step inside, it’s clear that no expense has been spared. There’s acres of polished marble, ornate marble inlays and carved wood everywhere you look.



We signed up for the rather pricey guided tour at 5 rials each (~$20). Tours run every 20 minutes and we just missed one, so had time to simply admire the foyer while we sat and waited.







Eventually a guide showed up and ran through a bit of history and a few factoids about the building’s construction. He then escorted us into the theatre and again ran though some fairly mundane information. The most impressive part was his description of how the stage, first five rows of seats and the proscenium arch (or rectangle in this case) can all be moved to accommodate different types of performances - with or without an orchestra pit.

There were several displays of instruments gifted from various countries

Sadly the enormous pipe organ was canceled behind curtains and a screen because the previous night’s performance was an orchestra playing the score to Harry Potter live as the film was screened above.



So the building was incredible and a true asset to the city of Muscat, but the tour was a bit short and underwhelming for the price.

After the Opera House we drove to the National Museum which is housed in yet another stunning building that is both contemporary and traditional in style. We spent about an hour going through the 8 or so galleries in the museum, each dedicated to a different aspect of Omani history and culture. It felt to me like a little bit of a missed opportunity to really tell the story of Oman rather than just showing interesting artefacts and listing dates. In short, beautiful museum and interesting at times but not memorable.


National Museum exterior

By this point it was lunch time. We somewhat inadvertently ended up at an expensive buffet at the Shangri-La resort after I searched on google for beachside places to eat. We certainly ate our fill at the buffet which was mostly middle eastern themed with a bit of the subcontinent thrown in too. After lunch we wandered the grounds of the giant and busy resort. The guests were predominantly families for various European countries … so you can just imagine the sun lounger politics there and the necessity of the sign I saw warning people that loungers left unattended for 60 minutes will be considered relinquished! The resort’s beach was in a pleasant cove but the sand was more brown than white or golden.

Beach at Shangri-La resort. Probably not somewhere I'd choose to stay...

It’s a shame that various beaches on the coast near muscat have been monopolised by big resorts and private developments. Perhaps the most heinous is that one of the more picturesque stretches of sand recently closed to the public due to a certain mango coloured dictator’s desire to build “the most beautiful golf course you can imagine” there. Ho hum.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel mid-afternoon and called it a day as we were both feeling tired. The Movenpick's rooftop pool beckoned!

 

[1022]

Wadi Shab

According to the many blogs I read when preparing for this trip to Oman, Wadi Shab is a highlight for most travellers. Wadi seems to be a fairly versatile word meaning anything from a vast deep gorge to a dry creek bed. Wadi Shab definitely falls into the former. It’s a roughly 2 hour drive from Muscat to the bottom of the valley. The scenery along the way was mostly dry and rugged mountains and flat plains wither virtually no greenery apart from some villages with lots of date palms planted.

We set out at about 7:30 and arrived around 9:15 to find the car park already almost full. It’s recommended to arrive early to beat the heat and the crowds. The temperature was already well into the 30s by the time we arrived, so maybe an even earlier departure would have been sensible.

After parking, you first need to pay 1 OMR per person for a 1 minute ride across the river in a little motor boat to reach the trail head. There’s also an assortment of goods for sale or rent in the car park including life vests, cheap plastic shoes for wading and various types of water proof pouch and bag.

From the trail head it’s a fairly easy hike of about 45 minutes with a little bit of boulder scrambling through a very dramatic gorge to get to the main attraction which is a series of pools that have a beautiful mineral-rich blue-green glow to the clear, fresh water that has arisen from mountain springs.

The ultimate reward at the end for those with decent swimming ability and a bit of bravery is a magnificent semi-enclosed cave with a waterfall inside. Along the way the trail rises and falls from the bed of the valley which is punctuated by pools of various size, depth and water colour as well as a couple of small, crystal clear cascades.

The start of the walk


Date palms are ever present in Oman



Very inviting water on a hot day...though there's much better swimming spots to come!

You know you’ve reached the end of the trail and the start of the wade/swim/scramble when you hit an area with lots of people changing into swimmers and hopping into the water. It’s then a further half hour (at a leisurely pace) of swimming and wading through the slow flowing stream and still pools.

Eventually you reach what looks like a dead end until you spot the much anticipated key hole that you’ve read about online. Some people squeeze their head through the gap whereas I found it much easier just to dive under water and swim with eyes open for the 10 metres or so to pop out inside the cave.

The photos below are taken from the web as I didn’t have a waterproof camera and didn’t want to test my iPhone’s water resistance any longer than a couple of minutes the other day to take those title photos!!







A (culturally) muslim acquaintance of mine who’d visited this place a year or tow ago described it as how the Qur'an describes paradise. And it truly is a magical, almost heavenly spot that no photos can ever do justice to. Inside the water is very deep and has an incredible iridescent glow where the sunlight hits it. Some people hauled themselves up a rope by the waterfall and jumped in. I managed to find a secret passage behind the waterfall that was quite a thrill to swim through. In spite of there being 10 or so other people in the fairly small space the whole time we were there, it still felt like a wild and untouched place and one that I will never forget - despite not being able to take my own photos.

Being conscious of the fact that there’s nowhere within the cave to get out of the water and a finite amount of time to comfortably float and tread water, we reluctantly swam back through the key hole and began the swim/wade/walk back out of the stream, collected our bags and stuff that we’d left by a rock and hiked back to the boat and the car park. Lunch was burgers from the little cafe near the carpark.

After lunch a Google maps snafu meant that we didn’t see the popular stretch of white sand that is a few km away from Wadi Shab, so we pressed on to the next destination which is Bimmah Sinkhole. The sink hole is typical of many other karst sinkholes in that it was once an enclosed cavern that eventually caved in on its self, revealing the lake below. Local legend however suggests it was formed by a meteorite which is apparently reflected in its Arabic name. What’s different about this sink hole is that it contains salt water rather than fresh due to an underground passage connecting it to the sea.



The places was quite busy when we were there, so not exactly relaxing, but still impressive and a refreshing spot for another swim. With that done, it was back into our wheezy-engined Suzuki for the drive back to Muscat.

For dinner we ate at an Omani restaurant not fat from the hotel that is in a truly grand building modelled on an old fort. It straddled the line between kitsch and being genuinely impressive and I’d say did a good job of avoiding the former. The food was very good as well!! We had BBQ lamb which had been marinated in a rich mix of spices and tamarind and a biriyani-like rice dish with dried shark meat.