Wadi Darbat

Wadi Darbat runs through the hills behind Taqah, and it is the place that shows most clearly what the khareef does to Dhofar: from late June to early September the southwest monsoon pushes cloud against these mountains, and the drizzle and mist turn a brown valley into green pasture with a lake, running streams and a waterfall pouring over a tufa cliff at the valley mouth, which is dry rock for the rest of the year. Camels and cattle graze the meadows. Pedal boats operate on the lake and a cable car has been built to a viewpoint. Outside the khareef the valley is still pleasant, with the lake reduced and the falls gone.

What you actually see

• The tufa waterfall - the cliff at the valley mouth in flow during khareef.
• The lake - the water in the valley with boats on it.
• Grazing camels - the animals on the monsoon pasture.
• Green hills - the khareef transformation of the Dhofar mountains.

When to go

July to September for the khareef, when the valley is green and the falls run; that is also when Dhofar is busiest with visitors from across the Gulf. October to April is dry, brown and quiet. The falls are absent outside the monsoon and shortly after.

Honest expectations

The waterfall runs only during and just after the khareef; most of the year it is dry rock. Khareef crowds are heavy and the roads congested. Mist reduces visibility to very little on many days. Litter in the valley is a serious problem in season.

Nearby

Taqah and Sumhuram lie below; Tawi Atayr is east.