Wadi Bani Khalid

Most Omani wadis run dry for much of the year, but Wadi Bani Khalid holds water permanently, which is why it is one of the most visited in the country: a series of deep green and turquoise pools set between smooth pale rock walls, shaded by date palms, with the first and largest pool reachable a few minutes from the car park on a paved path, which makes it unusually easy compared with the scrambles most wadis demand. From there the wadi narrows upstream, and walking and swimming through the gorge leads to quieter pools and eventually to Muqal cave, a low dark opening that requires crawling and a torch. Small fish nibble at feet in the shallows. It pairs naturally with the Wahiba Sands, which begin not far away, making a classic desert-and-water day.

What you actually see

• The main pool - the large turquoise pool reached on a paved path from the car park.
• The upper gorge - narrower, quieter pools reached by walking and swimming upstream.
• Muqal cave - the low cave at the head of the wadi, entered by crawling with a torch.
• The date palms - the plantations and villages along the lower wadi.

When to go

October to April is the comfortable season; summer is extremely hot even by the water. Weekdays are far quieter than Fridays and Saturdays, when Omani families fill the main pool. Flash flooding after rain closes the wadi, and this is not negotiable.

Honest expectations

The main pool gets busy and littered at weekends, and the further upstream you walk the better it becomes. This is a conservative country and a place where local families swim: men should not swim bare-chested and women should swim in a t-shirt and shorts or leggings rather than a bikini, which is genuinely expected rather than merely polite. Flash floods are a real danger after rain anywhere in a wadi.

Nearby

The Wahiba Sands begin to the southwest; Sur and the turtle beach at Ras al Jinz are on the coast.