2 Weeks in Northern Oman

After our time in India, my family and I flew to Oman. When we arrived, the airport was surprisingly empty except for the passengers on our flight, which made getting through it super easy. We picked up our rental car and drove to our hotel, taking in the scenery along the way. The landscape was a mix of rugged mountains, colorful flowers, and a lot of construction, showing how much the country is growing.

The next day was a slower one—we mainly caught up on work. The main reason we chose Oman for our next stop was because of a “world schooling hub” , an event where traveling families meet up so kids can socialize with each other. I was looking forward to it, but when we got there, I was disappointed to find out that most of the kids had already formed their friend groups at a previous hub, so it was a little hard to connect. Still, the hub took us to some cool places, like the Nathalie fort, the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the National Museum, some other cultural museums, and some wadis. 

The first wadi we visited wasn’t as impressive as others I’d seen, but it was still a fun experience. The water was as warm as bath water and there were tons of little fish that would come and nibble on your feet if you stayed still. We also stayed at a desert camp and did some dune bashing. It was exciting, though I have to say, the dunes in Egypt were much bigger and steeper, making that experience a bit more thrilling.
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The highlights of Oman for me? My absolute favorite was Wadi Shab. To explain, a wadi is a dry riverbed or valley that fills with water during heavy rain or seasonal flooding. Even though it wasn’t raining while we were there, there was still plenty of water to swim in. Getting there took some effort—a two-hour drive from Muscat followed by an hour-long hike through a mountainous valley. The walk was beautiful, but the rocky terrain was slippery, and the sun was intense.


After about 30 minutes, we reached the first pool, which was like a smaller preview of what was to come. The water was way too inviting to just walk past, so we took a break and jumped in. The second half of the hike took us over a dry riverbed and through narrow rock paths until we reached the second pool. The water was cold—around 68-70°F—but once we got used to it, we swam for about 20 minutes to reach the best part: a hidden cave with a waterfall, a cliff jump, and beams of sunlight streaming through gaps in the rocks. To get inside, we had to squeeze our heads through a narrow crack between the rocks, which was a little nerve-wracking but totally worth it. On the way back, I couldn’t resist jumping off one more cliff, which might have been the highlight of the entire wadi for me.


After our long trek back, we made a quick stop at a sinkhole, which was pretty cool, but honestly, nothing compared to Wadi Shab. Throughout our time in Oman, we also explored forts, museums, and souqs (markets), which were interesting, but for me, the wadis and natural landscapes were what made Oman special.


The only downside? The hotels. Most of the ones in Muscat felt really old and outdated—some were over 100 years old with stiff beds, retro wallpaper from the 1960s, and carpets straight out of a vintage furniture shop. However, even with that, Oman stood out from the other Arab countries we have visited because of its beautiful, easily accessible natural environment. The wadis, mountains, and deserts made it feel unique, and I’d definitely love to visit again.