09 Oct 2022
Explored Wadi Shab and Bimmah Sink hole in a day. Basically you really only see these two places on the trip. The itinerary with Gray line tours described more but apart from lunch in a little shack in the village of Fins, you only stop and see these two sights but they are worth it.
Wadi Shab is a beautiful oasis of a waterhole. When you arrive you take a 60 second boat trip to the walking track (cost 1 Rial). The walk is 55 minutes if you are stopping to take pictures or 45 minutes if you are head down and going. The track is obvious in places and other times it’s a guess. Look ahead as you are walking through the rocks for sections of concrete they have laid as a marker. There are no signs. Keep walking until the very end, there are pools you can’t get to before you reach the swim-able spot. Push through the heat as it’s worth it. When you get to the main water hole, make sure you swim all the way through three pools to get to the beautiful cave and waterfall at the end. You’ll need to climb/scramble over rocks from one pool to another. If you have reef/boat shoes, then that really helps. Also a waterproof camera or camera case is needed to get those special pictures. I didn’t have one and missed some great picture opportunities. You need about 2.5hrs to get there, swim and come back.
For Bimmah sink hole, it’s a simple walk (3 minutes from the car park) through what seems to be a government parkland. The sink hole is in the middle of the park and basically is a spectacular photo and a quick swim. Allow about 45 minutes here if you have a swim.
The trip each way from Muscat is about 1 hour 20 mins.
Take water and snacks, there’s no real places to buy anything.