Bimmah Sinkhole is incredible; a deep turquoise and azure swimming hole surrounded by steep golden cliff walls. Herons skim the surface looking for the tiny fish that will give you a free fish pedicure if you stand still long enough!
It’s a magical place, made all the more mind blowing for the fact it’s in the desert! It’s also really easy to get to, so this is one swimming spot you can visit year round without having to worry about a hot sweaty hike.
To really experience Bimmah Sinkhole at its best you ideally want to get it to yourself, and we have more tips on how to achieve that below.
Here’s everything you need to know about planning the perfect trip to Bimmah Sinkhole.
The walk to Bimmah Sinkhole
Distance: 330m each way
Elevation gain: 20m
Difficulty: Easy, but not flat
The trail
From the parking area the flat paved path passes the toilet block and takes you along a pretty treelined walkway.
After just a few minutes you’ll come to a wall that circles the sinkhole and you can reach the staircase down to the swimming area from either direction.
It’s from just over this wall that you’ll see where all the popular Instagram photos of people sitting above the sinkhole are taken. The wall is low and easy to climb over, but we actually think the best photos (that include a person) are from the bottom.
After 250m you’ll reach the well maintained concrete staircase down to the water’s edge. The stairs (which go for 50m) are quite steep, but there are handrails in place, so it’s easy to get down.
The last couple of metres from the bottom of the stairs to the swimming hole are a mix of sand and gravel, so it’s uneven, but it’s still easy enough to access the water.
The whole walk only takes around five minutes if you’re walking at a cooler time of day, and perhaps fractionally longer if you’re walking under intense sun.
Swimming at Bimmah Sinkhole
Those that don’t like cold water will be delighted to know that the water at Bimmah Sinkhole is actually really warm. I’m so used to cold water swimming that for me it was actually a bit too warm - though we were visiting in October, so it’s probably cooler in the middle of winter.
Accessing the water is easy, unlike some of the wadis in Oman, it’s not slippery in the least. There are small rocks in the shallow water, but most are avoidable, so you can pretty much stroll in on the sandy gravel bottom. It’s very shallow at first and then gets deeper as you get further into the pool.
Swimming here is an absolute dream as the pool is big and in the main body of the water there aren’t any rocks or anything to worry about bumping into, so it’s really relaxing.
On a windless day you get some great reflections in the pool which give the illusion that the rock walls are beneath you, a bit like swimming in a cenote.
If you don’t like nibbly fish you’ll want to limit your time in the shallow part of the pool and head to the middle and far edges.
As soon as you stop moving around in the shallows you will be swarmed by the tiny little fish that love to nibble dead skin. And when I say swarmed, I mean the most I’ve ever experienced anywhere in the world!
I normally don’t mind them, but the sheer number going for every part of your body that was inside the water had me quickly on the move. As soon as you’re swimming they won’t bother you, so don’t be put off.
Once you’ve enjoyed the main part of the pool you can swim to the left and the water appears to completely change colour. It’s almost a baby blue and looks ethereal in the early morning light.
The overhanging cliff creates a cave like atmosphere which is incredibly special. You can watch all the little swifts flying in and out of the honeycomb rocks above your head.
It also provides some welcome shade (as does sticking to the outer walls of the pool in general).
The best time to visit Bimmah Sinkhole - how to avoid the crowds
You can visit Bimmah Sinkhole at any time of the year. This is primarily because the walk is so short that you aren’t going to melt on the way. Of course the cooler months of November - February would be best, but even if you’re visiting in the scorching months you’ll be ok. Just be aware that the water won’t be as refreshing as you might expect!
Whilst the sinkhole is open every day you want to avoid Fridays and Saturdays if you can because that’s the Omani weekend days and it will be much busier.
The sinkhole does have opening hours (at time of writing that’s 8am-8pm) and we’d recommend visiting first thing. The good news is that we turned up about 10 minutes before opening and the guys at the gate waved us straight down, so I’d recommend a bit before 8am to really get in there before anyone else.
We had about 40 minutes at the sinkhole alone before other people turned up. From about 9.30am onwards more and more people started arriving, so going early really is worth it.
An alternative would be coming later and having a night swim which sounds like a lot of fun, but you won’t really be able to get the same kind of photos as the sun sets long before 8pm year round. If we’d have been staying nearby I’d probably have gone for a night swim as well for the novelty factor, but as I did want to see the beautiful water colour I wouldn’t have opted for a night swim alone.
Bimmah Sinkhole entry fee and facilities
Happily, as with most natural attractions in Oman, the Bimmah Sinkhole is free. Though there is a gate and people sat beside it, that is just to monitor the opening hours.
In terms of facilities there are toilets (both western and squat) but you’ll want to bring your own toilet paper. We were told there was a changing room but I actually couldn’t find it, so I’m not sure if they meant to change in the toilets.
There are also rubbish bins and some little shaded seating areas close to the top of the sinkhole.
What to wear at Bimmah Sinkhole
This is a tough one to answer as culturally speaking Omani’s would wear clothes inside the water, particularly women. It’s often said shoulders and knees should be covered. I will admit I wasn’t wild about that idea, so I specifically wanted to go when there wouldn’t be anyone around which is why I’d recommend going early. As we were there alone I was happy to wear a normal swimsuit.
Oman is more liberal when it comes to clothing than many of its neighbours, so I don’t think people would mind if you were wearing a (not too skimpy) swimsuit, but I was grateful to be there alone so that I didn’t even have to worry.
There are a set of rules written on a sign at the entry gate which list modest dress as a requirement and that did include not wearing shorts.
Getting to Bimmah Sinkhole
The Bimmah Sinkhole is located on the east coast of Oman roughly 135km and a 1.5 hour drive from Central Muscat. The road is paved all the way and any car can get there. It’s around 1 hour from Sur and 25 minutes from the little town of Tiwi if you want to start from somewhere nearer than the big city.
If you don’t have a car you could either take a tour or hire a taxi for the day. If you’re doing the latter you’ll probably also want to visit Wadi Shab on the same day to get your money’s worth, as it’s only 25 minutes away. My guess is that even hiring a car for one day would be cheaper than a taxi, but I don’t know for sure.
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