Hike to wadi shab , Oman

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You can watch video on our journey to arab country, Oman, and our hike to wadi shab.

Watch our hike on YouTube

 Our journey in this beautiful Arab country continues as we explore its places across length and breadth.

Visiting Wadi Shab is one of the top things to do in Oman and you need to include it on your list. If you are reading this, chances are you are already interested in visiting Wadi Shab which is a good thing because it is a completely memorable and fantastic experience! Think about the fantastic gorge, warm blue pools, and a hidden waterfall! 

Luckily, getting to the Wadi Shab entrance is quite easy! Wadi Shab is about 1.5 hours from Muscat and 40 minutes from the town of Sur. If you simply put the name “Wadi Shab Parking” in your GPS you will be navigated right to the entrance parking lot. If you aren’t using a GPS, don’t worry! The exit for Wadi Shab is well marked from the highway. Once you turn off the highway you go down a narrow and steep paved road and you will end up parking underneath a large bridge that the highway you just left goes over. 

Parking is completely free at Wadi Shab! The parking lot isn’t the biggest so if it is crowded, you may have to park down the road and walk back a little ways. When we visited, it was pretty crowded, but we waited a few minutes and were able to find a spot in the parking lot. 

There are free bathrooms at the Wadi Shab parking lot so be sure to go before you start the journey to the swimming area. These are the only bathrooms in the area and were relatively clean with no toilet paper [as is usual in Oman] but plenty of soap for you to clean your hands. 

Also there is a small food corner here at the parking where you can eat food or snacks or take along with you.

Before we start Wadi Shab hike, you must take a very short boat ride across the very wide river. The river is very deep and wide so you must take the boat ride to get to the other side. The boat ride costs 1 Rial per person and this must be paid in cash! Operation begins at 8am and runs until 5pm. 

Everywhere we read considered the 45-minute hike from the boat ride to the first pool to be “a walk.” We are here to tell you that this is A FULL BLOWN HIKE and we would consider it to be moderate as you have to climb over boulders and walk along a very slippery and narrow canyon wall. Well everyone can do this hike, as we saw plenty of elderly people, small children doing the hike and even someone on crutches.

We carried shoes with us, but We chose to hike in sandals. Hiking in flip flops is a bad idea and this is indeed A HIKE to Wadi Shab, not an easy stroll or walk.

Next, you will come to the mouth of the pretty blue pools for Wadi Shab. This is a false end to the hike and you are NOT ALLOWED to swim in this area. There is only one designated swimming area at Wadi Shab and this is not it. At this point, you are at 1/3 of the way through the hike.

At this point of the Wadi Shab hike you are going to hike along the side of the canyon/Wadi. You are going to climb under and around the side and the pristine white rocks are VERY slippery.

Please tread with caution as there is little to keep you from slipping. If you feel it is too slippery, just keep a vigil and balance your body using hands, simply get low and walk crouching down for that part. This is easily the most beautiful part of the hike as you wind through right on top of the clear blue/green water. This is a great area to stop for photos if you want to capture the narrow gorge from above.

The third and last section of the Wadi Shab hike is a bit uphill and takes you up and around some giant boulders that are in the Wadi. The entire canyon is dry, save for some irrigation channels, but rest assured that the views are still spectacular.


The hike can be a little difficult to follow at this point, so keep your eyes open for arrows painted on the rocks that show you the direction you need to go. You won’t get lost as if you keep going up the middle of the canyon you will eventually come upon the swimming area, but the arrows show you the easiest path.

You will not need any guide to hike this place as the route can easily by identified on your own.

Again, if we had to classify the hike at Wadi Shab, we would consider it to be a moderate hike with some of the best views we have ever seen. We consider it moderate due to the climbing aspect and the uneven surfaces you must jump over or climb up and around.

Please wear proper footwear during the hike and take flip flops with you for the swimming portion! 

Of course, the best part about visiting Wadi Shab is swimming in the perfectly clear blue pools! It is comprised of only three pools. Now, while the pools are relatively long, they are not huge by any manner.

The water at Wadi Shab is very warm for swimming. We went during the winter/high season, ( that is around March), water was warm.

If you are planning a trip to Oman during the summer, we can’t even imagine how wonderful the water will feel then. 

Well we divide entire length of water water stream into three pools.

This is the first pool that you will come across and will be the busiest swimming area in Wadi Shab. This is where many people leave their bags and towels before setting off into the Wadi. This pool is wide, gets narrow as you pass some tall grass in the water, and then gets wider again. This was our favorite pool at Wadi Shab. We liked the second wider part as the views were just so incredible and you could see up and down the gorge. 

This pool is also the most shallow so if you aren’t a strong or confident swimmer or have small children, this is the best pool for you. Luckily, it is pretty long so you have plenty of space to just explore and relax on your own. 

After you leave pool 1, you are going to walk through a narrow creek area. There are millions of small pebbles here and they HURT so bad when you walk on them. And they can be painful! These pebbles are on the ground of the entire swimming area which is why we advise bringing flip flops or water shoes to wear when you are swimming in Wadi Shab.

At the very end of pool 2 there is a very deep section. The section is very short, maybe around 10 feet in distance, but it will go to a depth of over your head, probably 9-10 feet. It is an easy and quick swim, but DO NOT TRY AND BRING BAGS. Leave your bags and towels and camera gear at the entrance of pool 1. You will not be able to get it past this part of pool 2 unless you have a waterproof swim bag which we did not. We ended up leaving our gear on a rock in the middle of the swimming area as we swam to pool 3. 

The third pool at Wadi Shab is the deepest and you must be a strong swimmer. If you are not close to professional, but still want to give it a try, you can swim front the side of the pool to the other side in a zig-zag manner. Otherwise, it is best to stop here if you aren’t confident because the pools are deep enough that you can’t touch. 

Well, finally we arrive at Wadi Shab Waterfall.

If you swim to the very end of pool 3, you will see a small gap in the rocks that is just big enough for your head to fit through. If you swim through this area you will come to a large cave with a waterfall flowing into it. DO NOT TRY THIS if you are not a very confident swimmer as you will have to be able to tread water and swim for at least 10-15 minutes to complete the swim and see the waterfall and get back out. You can not stand inside the cave and there aren’t many places to hang on. 

Before you start this hike, which can be a day trip hike, make sure you are good at walking. Because once you start and find it difficult to move further ahead, you will need to enough energy and stamina, to also retreat and get  back to the car parking.

You should cary along eatables, juices, drinks with you, to keep you energised and fit for walking and swimming.

Many articles we read suggested that the best time to go to Wadi Shab was early in the morning. We are going to have to disagree on this one! We ended up staying at Wadi Shab for over 5.5 hours. We arrived at around 11am and left at around 4:30pm. Keep in mind that the boats don’t start up until 8 am anyway, so either way, you are going to be at Wadi Shab when it is crowded. It is either going to be at the beginning or end of your stay.

Well this is it for today. Hope you enjoyed the journey.

If you have any question you can add them in the comment section or alternatively email us.

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