Wadi Shawka

Wadi Shawka cuts into the western side of the Hajar mountains and holds water in pools for much of the winter, fed by a small dam and by springs in the gravel. It has become one of the most used walking areas in the country because the routes are marked: colour-coded loops run from a car park up the wadi bed and onto the ridges, and one continues to the old village of Shawka with its terraces. Camping is common on the flat ground near the dam.

What you actually see

• The marked trails - colour-coded loops of different lengths from the car park.
• The wadi pools - water held in the bed and behind the small dam through winter.
• The Shawka terraces - the abandoned farm ledges and stone village up the valley.
• The Hajar geology - the dark ophiolite rock exposed along the wadi walls.

When to go

November to March; the wadi is dangerously hot from May to September. Water in the pools depends on winter rain. Weekends bring campers and the car park fills.

Honest expectations

Flash floods after rain in the mountains are a real danger in the wadi bed. The upper track needs a four-wheel drive and low cars should stop at the lower car park. Litter at the popular pools is a persistent problem.

Nearby

Khatt Springs is west, and Jebel Jais is north.