Sunshine Tour in Wadi Halima

Last Friday, after a relatively short night, I was ready and waiting for two canyoning friends, Rami and Jenny, to pick me up for a fairly easy short canyon near Fens. After about an hour and a half on the Sur Coastal Road, we took the dirt road up to the Selma Plateau and arrived at our starting line. The sun was beating down on the ground, the weather was quite hot, and the humidity was high.

We parked in Al Marfas, a small village where our old friend Yusuf al Ghadani used to live.

First we had to hike down the mountain and then abseil down to the bottom of the gorge. This was the hardest part; I don’t remember ever cursing the sun as much as I did that day. Finally, after hours of talking to myself that I should have stayed in bed instead of joining this journey that can only be described as hell, we reached the third abseil of the Wadi, which I had been anxiously awaiting because it fell right into the first of many pools of water.

Oman’s wadis excite with their stunning natural beauty, with dramatic cliffs set against lush greenery and turquoise ponds. Offering adventure activities such as hiking, swimming and canyoning, these wadis are ideal for adventure seekers of all levels. Rich in cultural and historical significance, these wadis offer a glimpse into the traditional lives of Omanis. The unique biodiversity of the wadis adds to the ecological interest, while their remote locations offer a peaceful refuge from city life. Open year-round, these secluded nature resorts offer the perfect blend of adventure, tranquility and rich culture, making them a must-visit for any nature lover.

Back to our adventure, the drop in front of us was about 40 meters and it was quite spectacular. The limestone was white from thousands of years of erosion by water and the rocks were very smooth. From the top of the drop we could already see the beautiful waterfall cascading down the rocks into a clear turquoise pool about 40 meters below us. I could hear the sound of running water, telling me to jump in; so I did. Once I reached the bottom, I took off my backpack and harness and jumped into the water. As I sat there, soaking in the water and watching others rappel down the vertical white slide, the first words that came to my mind were, “I am better off here than being locked up at home in Muscat.”

We were glad to cool our overheated bodies and after a short rest we continued across, swimming through waterholes and climbing up and down boulders until we reached the point where Rami had to climb back to Almafas to get the car to Halima, while Jenny and I continued across the wadi to meet Rami downstream. It was already midday when we stopped to eat something.

After a nice meal and some amazing views, it was time to continue our hike as we still had about an hour and a half to walk down the canyon to meet Rami at the village of Harima.

Further downstream, the last few heavy rains the region has experienced in the past few months have caused changes in the river valley.

Many of the pools were filled with gravel. We walked faster because we were walking along the paths we used to swim in. It took us about an hour to reach Halima’s Faraj and another 15 minutes to reach the meeting point with Rami.

Soon after we arrived, we heard the engine of the Rami truck echoing through the wadis. A few minutes later, we were in the car and driving back to Muscat. Looking back on that day, although it was difficult for me to get up at 6 am and walk under the scorching sun, it felt good to be able to enjoy nature and explore the beauty of Oman again.