Sunday 22 / December / 2024
FRIDAY
08:00 Pack your camping gear and a cooler of snacks and barbecue fixings and head north from Muscat towards Sohar. After about two hours, just after Saham and just before Al Qasabiyat, take a right (any right) and drive until the road meets the sea.
10:00 Here, in the middle of nowhere, sits the ruins of a little abandoned tower surrounded by fishermen boats (24.498753, 56.024795). Get a saffron karak tea from the small shop nearby and sip it in the shadow of the tower while savouring the sea breeze.
11:00 Continue heading north. Stop and grab a takeaway lunch in Sohar before turning onto Route 7 towards Buraimi. After about an hour, take the diversion to Mahdah at the roundabout in Humaydah.
12:30 Enjoy the drive between rocky mountains through Wadi Sharm, a narrow valley with breathtaking views. The narrow, winding road will take you straight to Wadi Al Qahfi in Al Fayy.
13:30 Try to find a campsite next to the Nakhal Al Ghafa water pool and enjoy a refreshing dip before setting up camp.
17:00 Make a fire and spend the evening barbecuing and relaxing under the open sky.
SATURDAY
08:00 Wake-up with the sun. Hopefully you didn’t forget your Nescafe and tea pot at home.
09:00 Change into your swimming suit and continue up the road until you see the sign: Wadi Khamis 1 km. Take the dusty road on your right and park next to the falaj (irrigation system). Swim between the grey stones of the natural pools, and continue up the channel.
11:00 Dry off and drive back through the wadis, past Buraimi, to Hamasa, which was once the capital of the Buraimi area. Admire the remains of its castle (24.237136, 55.756313) and ruins of what was at one time one of the most famous souks in the Arabian Peninsula (24.143530, 55.764945).
13:30 Start your three-and-a-half hour journey south, and stopping in Buraimi at Caffe Bene (Grand Central Barka, 1st Floor, +968 9514 1225) to refuel with Italian coffees and sandwiches.
