Wadi Bani Khalid

Wadi Bani Khalid is one of the most famous wadis in Oman . . . and totally worth going to (even though it’s popular)!  It’s an easy drive from Bidiyah/Wahiba Sands, the road is paved all the way and super straightforward to find.

We arrived at 10am and found it blissfully not crowded – by the time we left at 1pm-ish, the crowds had arrived, so I definitely recommend going early!!  The walk in to the main pool and restaurant is easy and beautiful even without further exploration. 

Walking in along the falaj water distribution channel.

The main pool, there’s a restaurant along the shore (super spendy and didn’t look awesome, so we didn’t eat there).

From there, we proceeded to the famed bat cave. The cave is easy to find, although it’ a bit overwhelming once in.  It would have been nice to have headlamps vs. navigating by iPhone light!  As it was, we followed a local Omani who knew where he was going, which was super helpful and I highly recommend it!  While we did get to water, see cool rock formations, and lots of bats, it was otherwise a bit claustrophobic and underwhelming – we kept waiting for it to get super cool, and eventually turned around as the air was getting stale, and it didn’t seem to be changing much.  Worthwhile, but if you have fear of such places, it’s not so amazing that it’s worth getting terrified for!

The walk back exploring channels was when it got really cool – even having seen it, I can’t believe water can actually be this color!  Tons of fun swimming and jumping, great local vibe, and just a really cool place overall 🙂

We enjoyed some dates and Omani coffee with some guides in the parking lot – Omani hospitality is one thing we consistently found and enjoyed!!

My expectations were greatly exceeded – I had heard it’s not that beautiful and super crowded (see above) and was pleasantly surprised at the sunny beauty, amazing swimming options, and just overall awesomeness.  I highly recommend going (early) to Wadi Bani Khaled!

From there, it was on to Al Mudhaireb Village.