Wadi Shab Swimming and Canyon Trek
Trek through the spectacular Wadi Shab canyon, swimming through emerald green pools surrounded by towering limestone cliffs, date palms, and the hidden waterfall cave at the gorge deep end.
- 1
Wadi Shab Trailhead
Begin at the Wadi Shab trailhead where a short boat ride crosses the inlet, then a 45-minute walk along the canyon floor begins, the path winding between date palms and the rushing stream.
- 2
First Swimming Pool
Reach the first swimming pool where the wadi narrows between limestone walls and the water turns an extraordinary emerald green, cool and clear from the springs that feed this desert canyon.
- 3
Canyon Narrows
Squeeze through the canyon narrows where the walls close to just a few meters apart and the path gives way entirely to swimming, the water sometimes chest-deep between the dripping rock faces.
- 4
Waterfall Pool
Swim to the main waterfall pool where a cascade tumbles into a turquoise bowl surrounded by ferns and mosses, an oasis of extraordinary beauty hidden deep inside the desert limestone canyon.
- 5
Hidden Cave and Waterfall
Swim through a narrow gap into the legendary hidden cave behind the waterfall, where a secret chamber opens to reveal a small waterfall and pool in cathedral-like stillness, one of Oman secret wonders.
- 6
Date Palm Gardens
Return through the date palm gardens in the lower wadi where local farmers cultivate the same varieties their ancestors have grown for centuries in this extraordinary desert oasis fed by perennial spring water.