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ONE WEEK ROAD TRIPPING AROUND GLORIOUS OMAN

adventurouselleAsia, Oman, Travelbackpacking, Oman, solo female travel, Solo Travel, Travel Blog, Travelling, wanderlust92 Comments

In December of 2018, I spent a week driving around the jewel of the Middle East – Oman. I have done some absolutely phenomenal road trips in my life, and in one short week, Oman became one of the best places I had ever road tripped. Sinkholes, wadi’s, endless desert and incredible forts are just a handful of the reasons why Oman is amazing.

So, if you are intrigued, if you are planning a road trip or if Oman is on your travel wishlist, then keep on reading!

We flew directly to Muscat from Dubai, which was easy and uncomplicated. Australia is one of the many nationalities that do not require a visa to enter Oman. We got 14 days visa free, were stamped in and off to sleep! We got in quite late at night, so after picking up our rental car we made a beeline for our hotel.

The next morning, we checked out of the Centara Muscat and began our road trip!

Our first stop was the Bimmah Sinkhole. This water filled depression is about 20m deep and was formed due to collapsed limestone. It is a popular spot for a swim, but I will be honest, I didn’t go in further than my shins, purely because I wasn’t quite sure what acceptable swimming garb was in Oman at this point and I didn’t want to offend anyone!

As it turns out, that was a good move, the only bathers I had on underneath my clothes were a high-waisted bikini set, which absolutely would have been unacceptable. For those who plan to visit – make sure to don a one piece swimsuit, covered at least by a long t-shirt, but even better if you wear some shorts over the top too.

Our next stop was Wadi Shab. To get to the starting point of this hike involves a mandatory boat ride. Operating from 8am to 5pm, local Omani men operate boats from the parking area to the hike starting point for the price of one rial (1 OMR = $3.60 AUD). The ride only lasts a few minutes and look, in a pinch, one could easily swim across this section – but the water doesn’t exactly look inviting – you are definitely better off spending the moolah on the boat!

I must admit, I was woefully underprepared for this hike. I had read online that it was an easy 45 minute walk to the first swimming hole – but I gotta be honest, ‘easy’ is not the word I would use!

It wasn’t that I wasn’t fit enough to manage the hike, it was more that it requires a fair bit of scrambling across rocks and in many sections, these rocks are as slippery as eels. To make matters worse, I was wearing my old birkenstocks – which are super comfy, but anyone familiar with birkis will know that the grip on the soles of the shoes is quite quick to wear down.

Furthermore, we packed inadequate water, we didn’t carry sunscreen, we didn’t carry a waterproof bag for electronics and we visited so late in the day that we had to hustle back to make it for the last boat! As a result, we didn’t end up swimming in the pools at the end of the hike, which is one of my few travel regrets. When I return to Oman, this is something that I will absolutely be rectifying.