Words + Photos By: Darryl MacDonald

A few weeks ago, my wife and I headed out to Wadi As Suwayh with a group of friends looking for some adventure to fill our weekend. I had previously been to this wadi but was given some misinformation about the direction to take upon arrival which, unfortunately, led to me dragging my mother through a muddy swamp for two hours before I had realised the mistake. Looking back, we did manage to have a look in the correct direction but were too exhausted to thoroughly explore the area. Needless to say, that wasn’t the highlight of my mother’s vacation! During my second attempt, our entourage consisted of several people who had been to the area many times in the past and therefore knew it quite well. As I’ve learned time and time again, better planning always makes for a better experience.

The town of Suwayh is only a short drive from Muscat, the entire journey taking about an hour and a half. Heading past Quriyat down the coastal road, we turned off just before the town of Dibab. From there, we drove the winding gravel paths leading through several small villages, past the town of Firq and finally up to Suwayh. As we neared the village, the road angled up to the right as the wadi dropped below us out of sight to our left. Coming over the top of the hill, we came to a large bright red sign complete with skull and crossbones on either side of a no swimming logo that read “Drowning Accidents Are Now Popular.” Looking down over the cliff below revealed a massive pool complete with a waterfall at the head, several metres in height. Dozens of children were jumping off the cliff walls plummeting into the pool below and Omani families dotted the banks as far as we could see back down the wadi. Places like this are popular with the locals especially with the summer temperatures.

 

We started our trek on the opposing side of the wadi from where we left the vehicles. Passing the village on our left, we headed to the right and up onto the falaj. We followed the meandering trails through the local gardens for nearly 40 minutes, passing under the date palm, mango and banana trees. Eventually, the trail led us back out into the wadi where it took a mix of scrambling, swimming and hiking to get to our final destination. The total trip time to our final destination was about two and a half hours. The final pool was large, deep and emerald green with a 30m waterfall feeding it; absolutely stunning and well worth the hike. We stopped here for a well-deserved break having lunch and taking time to cool off under the waterfall. One member in our group, Khalid, having previously bolted this waterfall brought a rope and a few harnesses out with him. So, just for a little extra excitement, we ascended the opposing cliff to abseil down the waterfall into the pool below.

 

On the way back, due to the mid afternoon temperatures, we decided to stay in the water for as much of the route as possible. This added to the duration of our return making it slightly less than three hours but also made the trip more interesting by taking an altered route back. The entire journey involved around six hours of trekking (swimming, hiking and bouldering) which made for a challenging day with the high temperatures. It was explained to me by some of the others in the group that a wetsuit is required in the winter months, when you are a bit more inclined to avoid entering the water as much as possible because of the cold temperatures.

 

Wadi As Suwayh is certainly a trip I would recommend. It offers stunning examples of the local falaj systems, a beautiful section of slot canyon and some of the nicer waterfalls in the area. Please keep in mind that this trip requires that you be in good physical condition and are comfortable both in the water and scrambling at heights. Don’t forget to bring the proper gear because, you not only require equipment for five to six hours of hiking, swimming and climbing, but also require extra supplies in case of an emergency such as:

First aid kit
GSM or satellite phone
Extra water
GPS
Extra food
Small climbing rope

You can never be over prepared. Should you attempt to undertake this weekend adventure, more information can be found in the Oman Off-road and Adventure Trekking books. Tours are also available through local guides and can be found online. So remember to stay safe and as we like to say in Canada, get out there, have fun and “keep your stick on the ice.”

Darryl